Water
The Noongar people sourced water from a range of locations such as creeks, rivers, pools and gnamma holes (rock holes). In the drier months, the Noongar people used other ways to find and save water.
George Grey, a European explorer who walked from Kalbarri to Perth in the late 1830s, recorded seeing weirs made from plants that had been built by Noongar people to help them get and keep fresh water.
The Noongar people protected their water sources. For example, the Noongar people protected gnamma holes by covering holes, so animals would not get in and by regularly cleaning holes. This is still done today.
The Noongar people learned from watching animals. Signs such as ants building their nests and birds returning to their nests to protect their eggs or chicks, were indications that it was about to rain. This knowledge continues to be passed down.
Aboriginal people across Australia used animal skins as bags to transport water. The skin helped to keep the water cool for several days. Being able to transport water meant that Aboriginal people could travel long distances to trade, attend ceremonies and get to different food resources.
Today, water continues to be a significant part of Aboriginal life.
Weirs are barriers made at the top of a river or stream to stop water running so quickly.
Fire
Aboriginal people used fire for many different purposes such as making paths, encouraging new vegetation growth, propagating (growing) seeds, hunting (as seen in the image), cooking, warmth, light, making tools, signalling to other people, ceremonies and for taking care of the land.
For example, the Noongar people used fire for smoking out and trapping animals such as possums and to help grow (propogate) seeds such as those from acacia trees.
The Noongar people also used fire to take care of the environment through controlled burns. Controlled burns are where fires are lit on purpose in a small area. These fires ensured that large uncontrollable fires were less likely to happen because the area was already burnt up. This is shown from markings on trees such as the jarrah tree indicating that Jarrah forests were burned every three to four years, while coastal grasslands were burned every two years. In parts of Australia, the way Aboriginals used control fires has helped modern Australians to reduce the severity and size of bushfires.
Farming
Aboriginal people around Australia improved the soil, planted root vegetables, helped seeds grow and spread (propagated), harvested, stored and traded seeds and grains.
The Noongar people ground nuts from plants such as acacia seeds (as seen in the picture) and the zamia palm to make flour, which was then baked into damper or cakes – an activity still enjoyed today. Archaeologists have dated grinding stones in Australia as being more than 30,000 years old. This makes Aboriginal people the world’s first bakers.
On his travels in Noongar Country, George Grey recorded seeing fields of yams. Yams and other tubers were a reliable food source for the Noongar people, who replanted smaller yams and roots for future harvests.
Around Australia, Aboriginal people harvested grains suited to the soil and amount of water at the location, including in areas that non-Aboriginal people have deemed bad for farming.
Harvested: to gather for eating
Archaeologist: someone who studies human history through historical objects
Fishing
Before European colonisation, the Noongar people used lots of different ways to catch and gather fish.
One method (as seen in the image) involved arranging stones to form a trap, sometimes several hundred metres in length, to catch fish that came in on the high tide and became trapped when the tide went out. Fish could then be easily caught by hand or with spears. The remains of a stone fish trap still exists on Yued Country at Wedge Island, near Cervantes.
Another method involved catching fish using nets made of vines and other native plants.
Traditionally in Noongar culture, women would find and catch turtles. The women would walk slowly through dried up swamps, pools and other waterways, using their toes to feel for breathing holes where freshwater turtles, frogs and gilgies (small freshwater crayfish) were found.
In Bunuru (late summer/early autumn) when the country lacked water, Noongar people fished in the oceans.
Fishing is still a popular activity enjoyed by many Noongar families. Fishing is a way to spend time together, get food to eat, and pass on knowledge to younger generations.
Using the stars
The Noongar people looked to the night sky to predict when to hunt, harvest and come together. They looked at the stars, and the spaces between the stars, as a guide to important natural events such as the passing of the seasons.
For many Aboriginal groups around Australia, including the Noongar people, the appearance of an emu shape along the Milky Way (as seen in the image) signals the start of the emu mating season. As the shape gradually brightens over a few months, Aboriginal people know when the emu will lay its eggs and when to gather them.
Aboriginal people did not refer to a written calendar to work out the season. They were guided by the environment – the wind, the rain and the sky – to tell them when seasons were changing. Many Aboriginal groups had different seasons to Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring like we do. For example, for the Noongar people the appearance of Danacat (the Seven Sisters) on the horizon at the break of dawn is a sign that Cielba (the “grass season”, which is similar to autumn) is near. Cielba is one of six Noongar seasons.