Restore the Sovereignty Of Noongar (Nyungar) Peoples The Traditional Owners Of Perth Western Australia, Australia.

To get a valid representation in parliament. To eradicate the systematic genocide and oppression of the Nyungar people, imposed by government elected fraudelent Indigenous representatives who don't serve the majority just themselves. Plus the illegal destruction, selling of the traditional land and culture.

Please forgive the grammar as some people re-worded and re-phrased original documents due to obvious reasons of silencing the facts. I did my best to correct it to let truth be known!. : ).

TheHistory

The Noongar people lived in balance with the natural environment. Their social structure was focused on the family with Noongar family groups occupying distinct areas of Noongar Country. For the Noongar People in the Perth area the main source of food came from the sea, the Swan River and the extensive system of freshwater lakes that once lay between the coast and the Darling Escarpment. Further south and east the Noongar people lived off the resources of the Karri and Jar rah forests. In the southern coastal area around Albany the Noongar people built fish traps and hunted turtle. To the north and east Noongar people lived in the semi arid regions of what is now the wheat belt.

It is known that Noongars travelled within their country to trade with other families. What is now the Albany Highway was once a Noongar track between families in Perth and Albany. Other trade routes existed in the south west and representatives could often travel for hundreds of kilometers on foot between each family group.

The Noongar People and European Arrival

Once the Europeans had arrived on the West Coast, Captain James Stirling noted that the Noongar people ‘seemed angry at the invasion of their territory’. The Noongar people were not happy at the invasion of their country; however, at one of the first formal meetings between the Noongars and Europeans the two groups exchanged goods, and basic communication, in a relatively pleasant arrangement. During the early days of the Swan River colony, which later became the City of Perth, both Noongar people and settlers lived close by, but still very cautious of each other. The few hundred settlers that lived in the colony were afraid of the Noongar people and, under official orders, continued to keep their distance. However, problems soon arose. British colonization and the expansion of settlement disrupted Noongar life, culture and customs. For Noongar people this was the beginning of two hundred years of oppression and marginalization. The settlers had taken up all the best land and water sources. Their imported stock ate or destroyed local fauna and Noongar food sources quickly became depleted. The Europeans introduced a number of diseases which decimated Noongar families. The settlers killed many of the local small animals, particularly kangaroos, for meat and skins. These were not only part of the Noongar Culture, but also formed a significant part of their diet. When the Noongar people started to take the settlers stock for food they were often sentenced to harsh jail terms for what was considered a criminal offence.

To stop Noongar people congregating in public places soldiers dispersed groups from wherever they camped. Soldiers fired on local Noongars who had camped on the banks of the Murray River south of Perth and destroyed their fish traps. In Fremantle a regiment under Captain Irwin mounted a punitive raid on the local Noongars and killed several. The Colony even created a mounted police to deal with the ‘Noongar problem’.

The Noongar People during the 19th Century

The Noongar People continued their lifestyle with the new European presence amongst them. An influential Noongar during the early 1800’s was Yagan. He was the son of Midgegooroo whose country was south east of Perth in the Canning River region. Yagan was quoted as saying ‘you came to our country; you have driven us from our haunts, and disturbed us in our occupations: as we walk in our country we are fired upon by the white men; why should the white men treat us so?’ After a series of conflicts a bounty was placed on Yagan’s head. However, not all people saw Yagan as a threat; early settler Robert Lyon described him as a hero. Writing in the Perth Gazette newspaper, Lyon argued that Yagan and other Noongar people who were being arrested for the ‘crimes’ against settlers should not be regarded as criminal or outlaws, but as prisoners of war because they were defending their land and property. Yagan was finally shot. When his body was recovered, his back was skinned to obtain his tribal markings. He was decapitated and his head was smoked and taken to England as a memento of the ‘Swan River chieftain’. A memorial statue was erected on Herrison Island near the Causeway in 1980 after Noongar Elders were finally successful in continuous lobbying of the government to commemorate his important role in Noongar history.

Conflict between the Noongar people and the European settlers continued until Governor Stirling believed that if the Noongar people attacked en masse the settlement may be under threat. Settlers had begun to take the law into their own hands after attacks on homesteads by Noongar people. This led to conflicts such as the Pinjarra Massacre in April 1834. It is understood that thirty Noongars, lead by Calyute, raided the flour mill on the South West Peninsula. In retaliation Governor Stirling and a group of militia raided the Murray Tribe in Pinjarra and massacred up to thirty Noongar people. There were several other recorded massacres including one at Mininup Lake in 1841 which has been described as one the most bloodthirsty deeds ever committed by Englishmen. Most of these massacres stemmed from Noongar people defending their land and ended in European firearms quashing their resistance.

As settlement expanded out from the Perth area further conflict arose. In some towns troopers were assigned to individual farmsteads in a bid to counter the paranoia of a Noongar uprising. Despite the periods of conflict most Noongar families stayed on their own country. Settlers utilized Noongar labor on their farms. Noongar people maintained their traditional practices and camped and cleared the country for farming. Noongar people kept family connections and their culture going. One of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the West Australian Government in attempts to control the Noongar people was in 1838. This act was to deem Rottnest Island a prison for Aboriginal offenders. In 1840 the British government refused to allow this act to pass. However, this was changed the following year. Over 3670 Aboriginal prisoners were imprisoned there until its closure in 1931. Prisoners held on the island ranged in age from eight years old through to seventy. Throughout this time 370 prisoners died and were buried on the island. Today it is a holiday resort with minimal acknowledgement of its Noongar history with the old prison dormitories being used as holiday chalets for tourists.

The Noongar People in the last 100 years

The 20th Century saw not only the continued discrimination of the Noongar people but also the commencement of the White Australia policy in a newly federated Australia. Racism toward Noongar people increased as many of them began to work and live closer to the European communities. Noongar people were excluded and segregated from the rest of the community. Noongar people were excluded from jobs and Noongar children were removed from schools. The government established ‘Native Camps’ or reserves on the outskirts of many towns to where many Noongar families were banished. Curfews also existed with Noongar people having to vacate the town area by 6pm or face arrest.

In 1905, when it was apparent that the Noongar people were not reducing in number but rather were increasing, the state government became concerned about ‘inter race mixing’ and new legislative measures were enacted to counter this through the 1905 Aborigines Act. The act made any marriage between a Noongar and a non-Noongar person illegal unless it had been approved by the Chief Protector of Aborigines. The legislation essentially resulted in the legal segregation of Noongars in Western Australia. Many Noongar families were separated from their wider community into institutions and reserves. The Chief Protector became the legal guardian of every Aboriginal and half caste child to the age of 16. This meant the government had the power to take a child from their family and place them in institutional care anywhere in the state. Police and Missionaries could, on their own initiative, remove children as well. The Police continued to conduct informal surveillance of Noongar camps and reserves and advise the Chief Protector on any children that should be removed. Orders to remove children were provided to police in code to avoid the possibility of someone pre-warning a family. Noongar families would often hide their children for fear of having them taken. A whistle may have been a sign to run to the bush and hide.

The appointment of August Octavius Neville in 1915 as Chief Protector ushered in a new period of aggressive reform in Aboriginal affairs. Neville took an avid personal interest in Aboriginal welfare and advocated strict segregation and strict implementation of the 1905 Act. This lead to the most invasive intrusions into the everyday lives of the Noongar people. Neville bureaucratized many dealings with the Noongar people, implementing a range of administrative forms and procedures. This included employers requiring ‘Permits to employ natives’ if they wanted to employ Aboriginal people. Neville initiated a personal identification system of Family Cards. These detailed every Noongar person’s movements, family, relationships and even attitudes. Neville would and did give his approval or disproval for actions involving Aboriginal people. Neville advocated segregation on ‘native settlements’ where Aboriginal children from all over WA and not just Noongar children could be trained as farm laborers and domestic servants. Two settlements were set up both on Noongar Country. One was set up at Carrolup near Katanning in 1914 and the better known Moore River Native Settlement, now known as Mogumber Farm, in 1918. Up to 500 people were kept at Moore River at any one time in very poor conditions. It is estimated that five times more funding was provided to Fremantle jail to spend on prisoners at than was spent on the Aboriginal inmates at Moore River Native Settlement. Neville believed that segregation and training of children would be a way of assimilating all Noongars into the wider community. Neville’s view was that as the older people died off the settlements could be closed. However the Noongar culture was able to continue through their connection with the land and their families.

Aboriginal administration took on various forms from the early twentieth century. Each of them was characterized by an extensive bureaucracy and excessive control over the Noongar people. The Aborigines Department existed from 1905-1936; the Natives Affairs Department from 1936-1954, and, the Native Welfare Department 1954-1972. Noongar people born during this period may have had a personal file of documents as thick as a telephone book detailing every aspect of their lives from birth to old age. Social conditions were very difficult for Noongar people and their children even in daily life. Many white communities in country towns actively campaigned to have Noongar children removed from schools as they were considered dirty. This occurred at Mt Barker and Quairading schools in 1914 where 70 residents attended a public meeting in Mt Barker and tabled a motion that ‘…the Minister removes the black children from the Mount Barker School. The horrible menace to the health and morals of young Australians admits no further delays…’.A strike by white parents followed and all Noongar children were removed from both these schools by the Minister for Education Mr. Walsh. Other areas like Katanning, Moora and Perth had similar petitions at different times against Aboriginal children going to the same schools as white children.

Life was a continuous struggle for the Noongar people. Land was granted to some Noongar people, in similar ways as the Group Settlement schemes for arriving Europeans. However most of the Noongar people could not get finance to develop the blocks of land as banks would not lend them money. This meant that their lease over the land lapsed and was handed back to the government. If they lived on settlements the Commissioner of Native Affair had the power to destroy their settlements, officially called ‘forbidden settlements’ through force if necessary and order the people to move on. So many Noongar families lived without education, on the outskirts of town, with little to no work living on what little rations that they received.

The depression during the 1930s was another blow for Noongar people. Aboriginal people from all over Western Australia headed to Perth in search of Employment. The State Government had declared Perth a prohibited area in 1927 which lasted until1954. Aboriginal people could only enter with a ‘native pass’ which was issued by the Commissioner of Native Affairs. In some towns the Premier authorized the removal of the entire Aboriginal population to Moore River Native Settlement by train. Towns like Northam and Gnowangerup were declared prohibited areas for Aboriginal people. It was a time of change in Aboriginal policy. Neville, in following trends in eugenics in the USA and Germany advocated a form of racial engineering or ‘breeding out the color’. Neville stated "The native must be helped in spite of himself! Even if a measure of discipline is necessary it must be applied, but it can be applied in such a way was to appear to be gentle persuasion… the end in view will justify the means employed”. Neville claimed the natural outcome was for black to go white through progressive inter-marriage between lighter castes and eventually with whites so that after generations all distinguishing Aboriginal features would disappear. Several commentators have argued that this is a form of genocide as it aimed for destruction of a distinct cultural group.

Neville was successful in persuading the Western Australian Government to include eugenic measures to ‘breed out the color’ in The 1936 Native Administration Act. This Act further increased the government’s power to remove children and it sought to re-classify Aboriginal people. The classifications such as half caste (half Aboriginal blood) quadroon, (one quarter) octoroon (an eighth) became common language, and are still sometime used. The official institution for implementing these policies was Sister Kate’s Children’s Home. Originally known as the Quarter Caste Children’s Home for nearly white children in 1933 it reflected its eugenic function in ‘rescuing nearly white’ children and preparing them for absorption into the white community. Children who were considered too ‘dark’ to be absorbed were left at Moore River Settlement. During this period all marriages involving Aboriginal people had to be approved by the Commissioner of Native Affairs. Native affairs officers would attempt to determine the percentage of native blood this was in order to determine their legal status and whether or not a subject fell in a ‘class’ of native in the relevant legislative act. This was a pseudo scientific attempt at racial categorization. For example if a father was considered half caste, which is the product of the off spring of a European and a full blooded native, and a mother was a quarter caste, which is one quarter native blood – the product of the off spring of a European and a half caste person then their offspring would be an octoroon, or one eighth caste. This was represented as ¼ x ½ =1/8 on the person’s family card. Some people’s cards went as far as showing people of 1/128th caste.

Many of the older Noongar people had worked all their lives on farms but could not get pensions because they were not recognized as citizens. The situation developed that the very people who had ‘built the country,’ who had cleared the land and fenced the farms, sheared the sheep and worked stock, were denied the basic rights that non-Aboriginal people had. Health care was often denied as they had little money to pay for it.

In 1944 the Native Citizen Rights Act was passed. This piece of legislation enabled Noongar people, and all Aboriginal people in general, to become citizens of their own country, however in order to do so they must have ‘dissolved tribal and native associations’ for a period of two years and have shown they had ‘adopted the manners and habits of a civilized life’. Those fulfilling these criteria were issued a Certificate of Citizenship presentable on demand allowing them legal rights as Europeans. This citizenship could be revoked if they were not following the set criteria for becoming citizens. Noongar people called these citizenship papers ‘dog tags’ To this day this distinction between Noongar people who became citizens and those who did not is a cause of hostility within the community itself.

After A.O. Neville finished as Commissioner of Native Affairs, his replacement in 1948, Stan Middleton ushered in a reformist period of administration. In his period of office there was a gradual liberalization of some of the more repressive legislation affecting Aboriginal people. In 1965 the result of the equal wage case flowed on to Aboriginal workers who could now receive the same amount as white workers. Questions remain today as to whether or not Noongar people received the appropriate wage of the day. In 1967 a Commonwealth Referendum was held in order to count all Aboriginal People in the census as Australians. The referendum also gave the Commonwealth the power to legislate for Aboriginal affairs, which until that time had been the sole responsibility of the States. In Western Australia the ‘yes’ vote supporting Aboriginal people and their rights was the lowest of all of the Australian states at 22.30%

The word ‘native’ was used until the 1970s however in the same decade the Land Rights movement gathered impetus and in 1976 Aboriginal Land Rights were recognized in the Northern Territory. The 1992 Mabo Decision reversed the notion that Australia was ‘terra nullius’ and in 1993 the Native Title Act was passed in Federal Parliament. Despite their history of oppression and marginalization Noongar people have continued to assert their rights and identity. They have a unique, vibrant, identifiable and strong culture existing as one of the largest Aboriginal cultural blocs in Australia. This is no doubt due to the immense strength, support and dynamism of Noongar family groups most of which can trace their lineage back to the early 1800s. In fact most contemporary Noongar people know their ancestry and vast family groups to an astonishing degree.igation, search

"Noongar" redirects here. For other uses, see Noongar (disambiguation).Noongar groups according to Norman Tindale's 1930 map.

The Noongar (/ˈnʊŋɑː/; alternatively spelt Nyungar, Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, or Noonga[1]) are an Indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast. Traditionally, they inhabited the region from Jurien Bay to the southern coast of Western Australia, and east to what is now Ravensthorpe and Southern Cross. The Noongar traditionally spoke dialects of the Noongar language, a member of the large Pama-Nyungan language family, but generally today speak Australian Aboriginal English, a dialect of the English language interspersed with Noongar words and grammar.

Contents [hide] 1 History2 Language3 Culture4 Noongar ecology5 Native Title6 Economics7 Current issues8 See also8.1 Other Australian Aboriginal groups9 References10 Published sources11 External linksHistory[edit source | edit]Main article: Aboriginal history of Western Australia

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Noongar population has been variously estimated at between 6,000 and some tens of thousands. Colonization by the British resulted in both violence and new diseases, taking a heavy toll on the population.[2] Nowadays, however, according to the Noongar themselves, they number more than 28,000. The 2001 census figures showed that 21,000 people identified themselves as indigenous in the south-west of Western Australia. In 2006, the community claimed to number over 28,000 people.[3] Today, most of the Noongar live in the Perth Metropolitan Region.[4]

Traditional Noongar made a living by hunting and trapping a variety of game, including kangaroos, possums and wallabies; by fishing using spears and fish traps; as well as by gathering an extensive range of edible wild plants, including wattle seeds. Nuts of the zamia palm were something of a staple food, though it required extensive treatment to remove its toxicity. Noongar people utilized quartz instead of flint for spear and knife edges. The Noongar people saw the arrival of Europeans as the returning of deceased people. As they approached from the west, they called the newcomers Djanga (or djanak), meaning "white spirits".[5]

Carrolup River Native Settlement (c, 1951) near Katanning.

Yagan arose as one of a number of leaders of the Noongar at the time when British settlers first arrived in the Swan River area in 1829 and Captain James Stirling declared that the local tribes were British subjects. Although at first the Noongar traded amicably with the settlers, rifts and misunderstandings developed as land seizures went on, and attacks and reprisal attacks soon escalated. An example of such misunderstandings was the Noongar land-management practice of setting fires in early summer, mistakenly seen as an act of hostility by the settlers. Conversely, the Noongar saw the settlers' livestock as fair game to replace the dwindling stocks of native animals shot indiscriminately by settlers. Yagan participated in a number of food raids and in killing settlers in retaliation for the deaths of Noongar at white hands – notably, he warned nearby whites repeatedly that one white life would be taken for every Noongar killed by a white. He was shot by a shepherd boy and is now considered by many to have been one of the first indigenous resistance fighters.[6]

From August 1838 ten Aboriginal prisoners were sent to Rottnest Island (known as Wadjemup to the Noongar, possibly meaning "place across the water"[7]). After a short period when both settlers and prisoners occupied the island, the Colonial Secretary announced in June 1839 that the island would become a penal establishment for Aboriginal people and, between 1838 and 1931, Rottnest Island was used as a prison to transfer Aboriginal prisoners "overseas". In "pacifying" an Aboriginal population, men were rounded up and chained for offences ranging from spearing livestock, burning the bush or digging vegetables on what had been their own land. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 369 Aboriginal graves on the island, of which five were for prisoners who were hanged. Except for a short period between 1849 and 1855, during which the prison was closed, some 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys, many of them Noongars, but also many others from all parts of the state, were imprisoned.[8]

A significant development for the Noongar People in the Western Australian Colony was the arrival of Rosendo Salvado in 1846. Bishop Salvado was a Benedictine monk from the Spanish region of Galicia, who was a gifted musician, highly cultured but at the same time very caring, practical and down to earth. Bishop Salvado would dedicate his life to the humane treatment of the Australian Aborigines at the mission he created at New Norcia and always did his utmost to assist the Australian Aborigines adjust to the challenges of British settlement. In the early part of the Colony New Norcia could be described as a beacon of hope in a sea of despair for the Noongar people. Bishop Salvado brought many Benedictine monks to New Norcia to assist him build the mission and assist the Australian Aborigine at the mission. Bishop Salvado was many decades ahead of his time in his pioneering of a humanitarian approach to bringing western civilization to the Aboriginal people at New Norcia by teaching them life skills required to survive in the rapidly growing British settlement but at the same time encouraging them to maintain their own culture. The Aboriginal people were free to come and go from the mission as they chose. Bishop Salvado saw no lack of innate ability in the Aboriginal people but he understood that they needed time to adjust to the new ways of the British settlers. The Aboriginal people were also not the only people to benefit from Bishop Salvado, the success and indeed the very survival of the Catholic Church in the early days of the Western Australian settlement would owe much to Bishop Salvado, although this was always his secondary consideration to the Australian Aboriginal.[9]

From 1890 to 1958, the lives and lifestyles of Noongar people were subject to the Native Welfare Act. Two state-run "concentration" camps[citation needed], Moore River Native Settlement and Carrolup (later known as Marribank), became the home of up to one-third of the population. It is estimated that 10 to 25% of Noongar children were forcibly “adopted” during these years, in part of what has become known as the Stolen Generations.[10]

Language[edit source | edit]Main article: Noongar language

The Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages website states that out of thirteen dialects spoken by the Noongar people at the time of European settlement, only five still remain.[11] The word “Noongar” can be roughly translated into English as "human being".

Culture[edit source | edit]

Noongar people live in many country towns throughout the south-west as well as in the major population centres of Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Geraldton, Albany and Esperance. Many country Noongar people have developed long-standing relationships with wadjila (white fella[man]) farmers and continue to hunt kangaroo and gather bush tucker (food) as well as to teach their children stories about the land. In a few areas in the south-west, visitors can go on bushtucker walks, trying foods such as: kangaroo, emu, quandong jam or relish, bush tomatoes, witchetty grub pâté and bush honey.

In Perth, the Noongar believe that the Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of a Wagyl, a snakelike being from the Dreamtime that meandered over the land creating rivers, waterways and lakes. It is thought that the Wagyl created the Swan River.

The Swan RiverSwan River, with Canning River in light blue

Also in Perth, Mount Eliza was an important site for the Noongar. It was a hunting site where kangaroos were herded and driven over the edge to provide meat for gathering clans. In this context, the “clan” is a local descent group – larger than a family but based on family links through a common ancestry. At the base of Mount Eliza is a sacred site where the Wagyl is said to have rested during its journeys. This site is also the location of the former Swan Brewery which has been a source of contention between local Noongar groups (who would like to see the land, which was reclaimed from the river in the late 19th century, "restored" to them) and the title-holders who wished to develop the site. A Noongar protest camp existed here for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Noongar culture is particularly strong with the written word. The plays of Jack Davis are on the school syllabus in several Australian states. Kim Scott won the 2000 Miles Franklin Award for his novel “Benang'.

Yirra Yaakin[12] describes itself as the response to the Aboriginal Community’s need for positive self-enhancement through artistic expression. It is a theatre company which strives for community development and which also has a drive to create "exciting, authentic and culturally appropriate indigenous theatre".

Many local governments in the south-west have developed “compacts” or “commitments” with their local Noongar communities to ensure that sites of significance are protected and that the culture is respected. Elders are increasingly asked on formal occasions to provide a "Welcome to Country" and the first steps of teaching the Noongar language in the general curriculum have been made.

In recent years there has been considerable interest in Noongar visual arts. In 2006, Noongar culture was showcased as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. A highlight of the Festival was the unveiling of the monumental 'Ngallak Koort Boodja – Our Heart Land Canvas'. The 8-metre canvas was commissioned for the festival by representatives of the united elders and families from across the Noongar nation. It was painted by leading Noongar artists Shane Pickett, Tjyllyungoo (Lance Chadd), Yvonne Kickett, Alice Warrell and Sharyn Egan.

Noongar ecology[edit source | edit]

The Noongar people occupied and maintained the Mediterranean climate lands of the south-west of Western Australia, and made sustainable use of seven biogeographic regions of their territory, namely;

Geraldton Sandplains – Amangu and YuedSwan Coastal Plain – Yued, Whadjuk, Binjareb and WardandiAvon Wheatbelt – Balardong, Nyakinyaki, WilmanJarrah Forest – Whadjuk, Binjareb, Balardong, Wilman, GaneangWarren – Bibulmun, MinengMallee – Wilmen, Goreng and WudjariEsperance Plains – Njunga

These seven regions have been acknowledged as a biodiversity hot-spot,[13] having a generally greater number of endemic species than most other regions in Australia. The ecological damage done to this region through clearing, introduced species, by feral animals and non-endemic plants is also severe, and has resulted in a high proportion of plants and animals being included in the categories of rare, threatened and endangered species. In modern times many Aboriginal men were employed intermittently as rabbiters, and rabbit became an important part of Noongar diet in the early 20th century. The Noongar territory also happens to conform closely with the South-west Indian Ocean Drainage Region, and the use of these water resources played a very important seasonal part in their culture.

The Noongar thus have a close connection with the earth and, as a consequence, they divided the year into six distinct seasons that corresponded with moving to different habitats and feeding patterns based on seasonal foods.[14] They were:

Birak (December/January)—Dry and hot. Noongar burned sections of scrubland to force animals into the open for easier hunting. Bunuru (February/March)—Hottest part of the year, with sparse rainfall throughout. Noongar moved to estuaries for fishing. Djeran (April/May)—Cooler weather begins. Fishing continued and bulbs and seeds were collected for food. Makuru (June/July)—Cold fronts that have until now brushed the lower south-west coast begin to cross further north. This is usually the wettest part of the year. Noongar moved inland to hunt, once rains had replenished inland water resources. Djilba (August/September)—Often the coldest part of the year, with clear, cold nights and days, or warmer, rainy and windy periods. As the nights begin to warm up there are more clear, sunny days. Roots were collected and emus, possums and kangaroo were hunted. Kambarang (October/November)—A definite warming trend is accompanied by longer dry periods and fewer cold fronts crossing the coast. The height of the wildflower season. Noongar moved towards the coast where frogs, tortoises and freshwater crayfish were caught.Native Title[edit source | edit]

On 19 September 2006 the Federal Court of Australia brought down a judgment which recognised native title in an area over the city of Perth and its surrounds, known as Bennell v State of Western Australia [2006] FCA 1243.[15] An appeal was subsequently lodged and was heard in April 2007. The remainder of the larger “Single Noongar Claim” area, covering 193,956 km² of the south-west of Western Australia, remains outstanding, and will hinge on the outcome of this appeal process. In the interim, the Noongar people together will continue to be involved in Native Title negotiations with the Government of Western Australia, and are represented by the South-West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council.

Justice Wilcox's judgment is noteworthy for several reasons. It highlights Perth's wealth of post-European settlement writings which provide an insight into Aboriginal life, including laws and customs, around the time of settlement in 1829 and also into the beginning of the last century. These documents enabled Justice Wilcox to find that laws and customs governing land throughout the whole Single Noongar Claim (taking in Perth, and many other towns in the greater South West) were those of a single community. The claimants shared a language and had extensive interaction with others in the claim area.

Importantly, Justice Wilcox found the Noongar community constituted a united society which had continued to exist despite the disruption resulting from mixed marriage and people being forced off their land and dispersed to other areas as a result of white settlement and later Government policies.

In April 2008 the Full Bench of the Federal Court upheld parts of the appeal by the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments against Justice Wilcox's judgment.

Other Native Title Claims on Noongar Lands include

Gnaala Karla Booja: the headwaters of the Murray and Harvey Rivers to the Indian OceanThe Harris Family: The coasts of the area from Busselton to AugustaThe South West Boojarah: Lower course of the Blackwood and adjacent coastal areasSouthern Noongar Wagyl Kaip: The South Coast to the Blackwood TributariesThe Ballardong Lands: The interior Wheatbelt.Economics[edit source | edit]

Since the Noongar are largely urbanised or concentrated in major regional towns studies have shown that the direct economic impact of the Noongar community on the WA economy was estimated to range between $500 million and $700 million per year.[16] Exit polls of tourists leaving Western Australia has consistently shown that "lack of contact with indigenous culture" has been their greatest regret. It has been estimated that this results in the loss of many millions of dollars worth of foregone tourist revenue.[17]

Current issues[edit source | edit]

As a consequence of the Stolen Generations and problems integrating with modern westernised society, many difficult issues face the present day Noongar. For example, the Noongar Men of the SouthWest gathering in 1996 identified major community problems associated with cultural dispossession such as:

Alcohol and drugsDiet and nutritionLanguage and cultureDomestic violenceFather-and-son relationships

Many of these issues are not unique to the Noongar but in many cases they are unable to receive appropriate government-agency care. The report that was produced after this gathering also stated that Noongar men have a life expectancy of 20 years less than non-Aboriginal men, and go to hospital three times more often.[18]

The Noongar still have large extended families and many families have difficulty accessing available structures of sheltered housing in Western Australia– Paper on Housing. The West Australian government has dedicated several areas for the purpose of building communities specifically for the Noongar people, such as the Swan Valley Nyungah Community.

The Noongar themselves are tackling their own issues, for example, the Noongar Patrol, which is an Aboriginal Advancement Council initiative. It was set up to deter Aboriginal young people from offending behaviour and reduce the likelihood of their contact with the criminal justice system. Most people in Perth would associate this with patrols run in the entertainment hotspot Northbridge. The patrol uses mediation and negotiation with indigenous youth in an attempt to curb anti-social and offending behaviour of young people who come into the city at night.[19]

Land of SinimThe Lost Ten Tribes and Australia Biblical Locations of the Ten Lost Tribes Geographical Proof by Year Davidic

Biblical Geographical Evidence

Australia Britain, North America, and Australia Isaiah says (49:8) that the exiled of Israel will be preserved and become a covenant of people (in Hebrew 'a Brit-Am'), who will establish the world and inherit wasted heritages. They will use released prisoners to colonize these heritages (49:9), as the British did at first in North America and Australia. They shall return from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim. That this passage is referring to the Lost Ten Tribes is confirmed by the Talmud and Midrashim. The Midrash Speaks of Isaiah and the Ten Tribes the Rabbis (Numbers Rabah 1; 6, Eichah Rabah 2; 9, Jerusalem Sanhedrin ch.17, L.6, 29) agreed that Isaiah 49 was referring to the Lost Ten Tribes. They quoted Isaiah 49 and said that there were three major areas to which the Lost Ten Tribes went: One to beyond the Sambation River, one to Daphneh of Antiochia, and one to where the Clouds came down and covered them. Sinim is interpreted to mean Land of the South in the Aramaic Translation. In the Vulgate Latin version of the Bible which was translated by Jerome after consulting with Jewish sages, the Land of Sinim is rendered as Australia. The term Australia in Latin means Land of the South. The Egyptians referred to the southernmost known area of land as sin-wur. This corresponds to the Land of Sinim meaning Australia. There are reports of Egyptian and Phoenician remains being found in Australia. Pomponius Mela in ca. 40 CE reported the "Terra Australia Incognito" or "Unknown South Land" and maps based on his description show the location of Australia. Craig White in his book (In Search of &The Origin of Nations) has an interesting chapter discussing the possibility that the Australian Aborigines originally came from Egypt and then branched out some going to South America, others to India (the Veddic peoples) and Australia. [White's suggestions that some Aborigines also went to South America has just been confirmed by archaeological finds of an ancient population with skeletons similar to those of the Australian aborigines in Baju Province, Mexico.] At all events one of the most famous and most admired (in Australia) Australian Prime Ministers was Billy Hughes who believed that British-related peoples descended from the Ten Tribes of Israel. Australian and New Zealand Troops liberated the Holy Land in the First World War. Another sign concerning the Lost Ten Tribes is that they should be at the ends of the earth. Australia and New Zealand are about as much at the end of the earth (when considered with the Land of Israel as the center) as you can get. Australian and New Zealand also fulfill most of the other criteria and proofs we adduce. For further information regarding The Land of Sinim, Australia, and New Zealand, See: The Lost Ten Tribes in Australia: Reply to Criticism Brit-Am Commentary to Isaiah 49:12(Scroll down to "Australia")See also our Bible Code Articles on this subject:Shmuel Treister, "Land of Sinim. Australia and the Matrix" "Australia and the Land of Sinim" by Year Davidiy New Zealand in Brit-Am Bible Codes Poem: Land of Sinim and Australia Isaiah forty-nine verse eight Speaks of a Day of Salvation Predicts Lost Israelite Fate To receive Divine Preservation A Covenant People or Brit-AmAs was promised to Abraham. Isaiah forty-nine verse nine tells of freeing the prison-bound to raise sheep and cattle-kind Colony of Australia was found. First settlement in Sydney Town a township on Australia's ground. To rise up those who were down. Isaiah forty-nine verse twelve says they will return from afar they who in Scripture delve will be shown just who they are. Coming from west and north Britain and North America lands Mighty nations have come forth Seed numerous as the sands. So too, from east and south New Zealand is the place predicted by Isaiah's mouth. Founded by the British race. Australasia is the Antipodes Land of Sinim and sunshine Proven in Brit-Am Bible Codes Decent beer and good wine. Proofs applying to country one concerning ancestral family ties Apply to brothers under other skies. The Tribes in Ancient Israel begun are to be found as natural allies. Who fought the enemy and won. This includes the ANZAC Blues Land of gum trees and much sun. Freedom and dignity to choose Good work. This is the Great Hebrew Clan Destined to rule the world wide United together as one man Their Ancestry no longer to hide Coming from Britain and Irin Scandinavia and Land of Fin. Holland, Belgium, and France Everyone deserves a chance. Helvetia, USA and Canada too Jerusalem and the Israeli Jew. Diggers from Down Under Together with Kiwi males Warriors tough as nails Full of hope and wonder. They shall return to Bible Law Come back to what was lost. Regain the Land they forswore regretfully realizing the cost. The Temple shall be rebuilt Sacrifice and atone for guilt. Borders from Euphrates to Nile Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria They shall make it worthwhile. Amend the Captivity of Assyria See also: Aussie Blues. TG Challenges Brit-Am Over the Land of Sinim-Australia Equation! Glossary:

Kine, Old English term (still used in KJV Bible) for cattle, derives (like many English words that come from Hebrew) from the Hebrew word "mikneh" (cattle) which in turn comes from the word-root KNH connoting "possess, acquire”. ANZAC, Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. Term used in World War One for the combined Australian and New Zealand Armed Forces and since sometimes applied to Australians and New Zealanders as one entity. Blues. Singular of "blue", nickname for a genuine person, cf. "true blue".Irin. Name for Ireland Land of Fin i.e. Finland Helvetia. Official Swiss name for Switzerland Diggers. Nickname for Australian soldiers in World War 2, since applied on occasion to Australians in general. Down Under. Australian nickname for Australia. The nickname originated since on Maps of the World and Global Models the south is placed at the bottom (and the north at the top) so Australia ends up being depicted as underneath everywhere else! Kiwi. Native bird of New Zealand but applied as a nickname for a New Zealander in general. Captivity of Assyria. The Ten Tribes were exiled by Assyria and consequently lost awareness of their ancestral identity.