NOONGAR INDIANS IN AUSTRALIA

NOONGAR INDIANS LIVE IN SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE SOUTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA. THEY SPEAK DIALECTS OF NOONGAR LANGUAGE AND TODAY THEY SPEAK AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ENGLISH.

BEFORE ENGLISH CAME HERE THEIR POPULATION WAS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 60000 AND SOME AS LITTLE AS 1000. COLONIZATION BY THE BRITISH RESULTED IN VIOLENCE AND NEW DISEASES. TODAY THEY NUMBER MORE THAN 28,000. THE 2001 CENSUS SHOWED 21,000 IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. TODAY THEY MOSTLY LIVE IN PERTH.

THEY TRADITIONALLY MADE A LIVING BY HUNTING, TRAPPING, AND A VARIETY OF GAME INCLUDING KANGAROOS, POSSUMS,AND WALLABIES, BY FISHING USING SPEARS AND FISH TRAPS AND GATHERING NUTS OF ZAMIA PALM WERE SOMETHING OF A STAPLE FOOD. IT REQUIRED A PROCESS TO REMOVE IT'S TOXICITY. NOONGAR PEOPLE USED QUARTZ INSTEAD OF FLINT FOR SPEAR AND A KNIFE EDGES. THEY CALLED THE EUROPEANS "WHITE SPIRITS". IN 1829 WHEN THE BRITISH A CAPTAIN JAMES STERLING DECLARED THAT THE LOCAL TRIBES WERE BRITISH SUBJECTS TRADED FRIENDLY WITH THE SETTLERS, BUT RIFTS WENT ON AND ATTACKS SOON ESCALATED. THE NOONGAR PRACTICED SLASH AND BURN IN EARLY SUMMER. THE SETTLERS MISTOOK IT AS A HOSTILITY. A LEADER OF THE NOONGAR WAS SHOT AS THE SETTLERS KILLED SOME OF THE NOONGAR AT WHITE HANDS.

FROM AUGUST 1838 THE ABORIGINAL PRISONERS WERE SENT TO RATTNEST ISLAND KNOWN AS A PLACE ACROSS THE WATER. SOON BOTH SETTLERS AND PROSONERS OCCUPIED THE ISLQAND. BETWEEN 1838 TO 1931 RATTNEST ISLAND WQAS USED AS A PRISON TO TRANSFER ABORIGINAL PRISONERS OVERSEAS. AT SOME POINT 5700 ABORIGINAL PRISONERS MEN AND BOYS WERE IMPRISONED!

A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NOONGAR PEOPLE WAS A HIGHLY FOR THE FOR THE NOONGAR PEOPLE WAS A BISHOP SLVADORE, A HIGHLY CULTURED BENEDICTINE MONK FROM THE SPANISH REGION WHO DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO TO THE HUMAN TREATMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES. HE HAD THE MONK'S BUILD A MISSION WITH THE ABORIGINES. HE TAUGHT THEM LIFE SKILL TO SURVIVE IN BRITISH SETTLEMENT, BUT ENCOURAGE THEIR OWN CULTURE. THEY WERE FREE TO COME AND GO FROM THE MISSION.
ALSO THE THE SURVIVALOF THE CATHOLIC CHURCHIN THE EARLY DAYSOF WESTERN AUSTRALIA SETTLEMENT WOULD OWE MUCH TO BISHOP SALVADOR.

FROM 1890 TO 1958 THE NOONGAR PEOPLE WERE SUBJECT TO CONCENTRATION CAMPS. ABOUT 25% OF THEIR CHILDREN WERE ADOPTED DURING THESE YEARS. THEY SPOKE 13 DIALECTS. THEY LIVE IN MY TOWNS AND HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS WITH WHITE FARMERS AND HUNT KANGEROOS, EMU, AND QUANDONG. AT THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN WHERE A LEADER RESTED. IN PERTH, MOUNT ELIZA IS AN IMPORTANT SITE FOR NONGAR. IT WAS A HUNTING SITE AT THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

THEIR CULTURE DESCRIBES THEIR WAY FOR POSITIVE SELF ENHANCEMENT THROUGH ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. THEY HAVE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EARTH AND THEY DIVIDED THE YEAR INTO SIX DIFFERENT SEASONS. THESE SEVEN REGIONS OF BIOLOGICAL REGIONS HVE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS A HOT SPOT. THEY ARE TRYING TO RESTORE HABITATS THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED,

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