Ballardong Noongar Budjar

Healthy Country Healthy People

Click here to download the Ballardong Noongar Budjar

The Ballardong Noongar Budjar is a document written by the Ballardong Working Group to encompass the values and aspirations of the Aboriginal community in the Avon Region. It is a supporting document to the Avon NRM Strategy.

Ballardong Noongar Budjar clearly outlines how the Aboriginal community of the Avon region will work in partnership with the Avon Catchment Council to take part in projects and activities that will lead to an improvement in the condition of the natural environment in the Avon region reflecting the common goal of seeing our land returned to its former beauty.

The Aboriginal community of the Avon region are celebrating a significant step towards healing the land and their people through the development of the Ballardong Noongar Budjar: Healthy Country – Healthy People released this morning.

The development of the Ballardong Noongar Budgar has been possible due to investment from the Australian and Western Australian Government, through the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the Natural Heritage Trust programs.

Recording of Traditional Knowledge (RTK)

The recording of traditional knowledge project arose from the Noongar Budjar document which was the idea of the Ballardong working group and the Avon Catchment Council.  This is the link to the recoding of tradtional knowledge project (RTK) funded by the Avon Catchment Council during 2007/08. Murdoch University created the mock website below as part of this project http://avon.spoon5.com/. The website will go live shortly.

Literature Review (RTK)

Click here to download the Literature Review

The purpose of this paper is to support the ‘Recording Traditional Knowledge for Natural Resource Management in the Avon River Basin” by providing a rudimentary analysis of literature about traditional Noongar land use and management, including attachment, cultural, physical and spiritual aspects, within the Avon River Basin. The project is a result of the joint efforts of the Ballardong Natural Resource Management Working Group (Ballardong NRM Working Group) and the Avon Catchment Council. The common vision held by these two key groups is to bring to fruition the desire of all people in the Avon River Basin Region “to have healthy Budjar that could be enjoyed by all”. The project intends “to represent the perspectives and the period of time that Noongar people have been occupying and caring for their Budjar”.

Nyungar NRM Dictionary

Click here to download the Dictionary

This project as with other national heritage activities is  an acknowledgement that much still remains to be understood about the development of propagation techniques for natural flora and fauna species survival and their re-establishment. It is recognised that the most effective way of conserving our natural wild life and plants in their natural surrounds is through education, communication and publicity. Preservation involves survival of species through propagation and cultivation and this requires investment, time and energy. The Avon Catchment Council together with the Nyungar people as partners in this project, represent that investment for the future of children and future generations. Knowledge of their origins through Nyungar stories, song lines and beliefs of the flora and fauna as well as the significant places and sites, will enhance their value inside the Avon Catchment community.

We hope this document will make a positive contribution to the ongoing development of Nyungar/Wedjella relations within the Avon Catchment Region.  We encourage the use of the language to promote Nyungar engagement in natural resource management and to demonstrate intimate Nyungar knowledge (Katadjin) of their traditional lands (Budjar) and its biodiversity.  We want to promote our words, our names and our places across this region and we would like to work with all people to better care for our Budjar.  This was the sentiment shared by all Elders who contributed to this work.