Unveiled at the Midland NAIDOC event and delivered in collaboration with Landgate, the City of Swan is proud to support the launch of a new Aboriginal place name mapping portal as part of the Place Names Maali project.
The truth-telling, Aboriginal language revival project has been facilitated by Dr Len Collard from Moodjar Consulting, whose work centres around decoding Noongar language and discovering the meaning behind place names.
This project has connected local Noongar Elders and Traditional Owners to translate the place names for many locations across Swan.
The approved translations have been built into an interactive online mapping portal that provides precise locations, pronunciations and informative videos about the meaning behind the names.
The Maali Miy decoding group – a panel of Noongar Elders and Traditional Owners, including members of the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation’s Cultural Advice Committee – provided language, knowledge and cultural authority for the decoding process.
John Mogridge, City of Swan Aboriginal Partnerships and Development Specialist, and Karen Hayden, City of Swan Aboriginal Engagement Officer, attended the five workshops to support decoding meanings attributed to 18 important sites throughout Swan.
As an example, Upper Swan has the Aboriginal place name Wurerup, based on the Noongar words “Warr” meaning female grey kangaroo and “up” meaning place of – this name translates to “Place of the female kangaroo”, so this area is named after the Warr – the female grey kangaroo.
Place Names Maali reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to building reconciliation and strengthening relationships with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Tanya Richardson, City of Swan Mayor, said developing this project with Landgate, Traditional Owners and Noongar Elders has been a fantastic step towards reconciliation for the City.
“We’re so pleased to be part of Landgate’s Place Names Maali project as we value the cultural diversity of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and celebrate the rich history and culture of the Swan region,” she said.
“Many important sites are now appropriately recognised which is important as we continue to pass down information and educate future generations about Whadjuk Noongar history.
“It’s been a smooth process working with many vital stakeholders and I’d like to thank everyone involved in this incredible project – it’s helping us build a community that works together to foster a culture of respect, empowerment and inclusion.”
Visit the interactive Aboriginal place name map.
The truth-telling, Aboriginal language revival project has been facilitated by Dr Len Collard from Moodjar Consulting, whose work centres around decoding Noongar language and discovering the meaning behind place names.
This project has connected local Noongar Elders and Traditional Owners to translate the place names for many locations across Swan.
The approved translations have been built into an interactive online mapping portal that provides precise locations, pronunciations and informative videos about the meaning behind the names.
The Maali Miy decoding group – a panel of Noongar Elders and Traditional Owners, including members of the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation’s Cultural Advice Committee – provided language, knowledge and cultural authority for the decoding process.
John Mogridge, City of Swan Aboriginal Partnerships and Development Specialist, and Karen Hayden, City of Swan Aboriginal Engagement Officer, attended the five workshops to support decoding meanings attributed to 18 important sites throughout Swan.
As an example, Upper Swan has the Aboriginal place name Wurerup, based on the Noongar words “Warr” meaning female grey kangaroo and “up” meaning place of – this name translates to “Place of the female kangaroo”, so this area is named after the Warr – the female grey kangaroo.
Place Names Maali reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to building reconciliation and strengthening relationships with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Tanya Richardson, City of Swan Mayor, said developing this project with Landgate, Traditional Owners and Noongar Elders has been a fantastic step towards reconciliation for the City.
“We’re so pleased to be part of Landgate’s Place Names Maali project as we value the cultural diversity of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and celebrate the rich history and culture of the Swan region,” she said.
“Many important sites are now appropriately recognised which is important as we continue to pass down information and educate future generations about Whadjuk Noongar history.
“It’s been a smooth process working with many vital stakeholders and I’d like to thank everyone involved in this incredible project – it’s helping us build a community that works together to foster a culture of respect, empowerment and inclusion.”
Visit the interactive Aboriginal place name map.