WADJEMUP
koora wordel
kalygool wordel
Kaya! Nidja Whadjuk Noongar Boodja.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Island, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, their ancestors and their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this Island and this region.
Our story
This digital exhibition was curated by Vanessa Smart, a Nyoongar woman from Manjimup, and Samara King, a Karajarri woman from Broome, over a period of six months from January to June 2020. We were employed by Rottnest Island Authority and supported by the Western Australian Museum through its Emerging Curators program to develop this exhibition. The exhibition is a reflection of our experiences working on Wadjemup. It is our response to the unique cultural heritage landscape and the significant objects held in the Island Museum. This is only one perspective on one of the State’s most complex histories, that of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island).
This would have been a difficult project under normal circumstances but add to the mix the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This added a layer of difficulty to an already complex project. The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately threatened Aboriginal communities and this meant we were unable to meet with certain members of the community in the very short time we had.
We are incredibly grateful to all those who contributed. Any omission or oversight is not deliberately intended to cause offence or distress. We acknowledge that many families across the State have stories connected to Wadjemup. The people, views, and opinions represented here are not the only ones, but they were the ones we were able to contact during these difficult times. There are many truths, many stories, and many voices. We have not been able to capture them all. We ask this exhibition is received in the spirit it is intended, one of recognition, reclamation, and reconciliation, by giving our Aboriginal voice to Aboriginal issues.
Always Was, Always Will Be Nyoongar Land
Aboriginal people have a strong, deep spiritual connection to Country. Through exploration of the 2020 NAIDOC theme, Always Was, Always Will Be this online exhibition Wadjemup: Koora Wordel, Kalygool Wordel presents an enduring link to a culture that has existed for over 65,000 years and highlights the resilience of Aboriginal people reclaiming culture despite adversity and dispossession.
When Captain James Cook voyaged around the eastern coast in 1770, he declared Australia to be ‘terra nullius’ (no one's land). Yet prior to British invasion, there were over 500 Aboriginal nations across Australia.
“For Nyoongars back then, there was no separation between the land, totems, moiety, ritual, hunting, gathering – all of it, everything was connected. I feel that connection, a lot of us Nyoongars do.”
— Farley Garlett, Senior Whadjuk Nyoongar Elder
Wadjemup
Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) is situated 18 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle, Western Australia.
The history of this place did not begin with European documentation or invasion. Before the sea rose some 6,500 years ago, Wadjemup was joined to the mainland. The oral history of Whadjuk Nyoongar people documents ancestors walking to Wadjemup to perform ceremony and look after Country.
Wadjemup, meaning the land across the sea where the spirits are, holds a deep cultural connection for Whadjuk Nyoongar people.
Explore the Wadjemup exhibition
Whadjuk Boodjar
Discover about how Wadjemup has always had a connection to Nyoongar people, and always will.
Rottnest Island
Learn about the prison history of the island, and how Wadjemup have a connection to Aboriginal people from across WA.
Yarns
Listen to a few yarns from Traditional Owners, Nyoongar artists and descendants from Aboriginal prisoners.
About us
Learn about the emerging curator program and acknowledge our partners and contributors on this digital exhibition.