Cultural researcher and artist, Toogarr Morrison

Last week, the Western Australian Government’s 1.3 billion dollar native title offer through the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) to the ‘Noongar’ peoples was clouded by the challenge from cultural researcher, Toogarr Morrison, that the concept of a Noongar nation of 13 clans is White construct and that instead all those who thought they were Noongars are in fact Bibbullmun. Others have now come out in support of Mr Morrison’s claims, including high profile ‘Noongar’ rights advocate, Marianne Mackay.

“Uncle Toogarr is right. We are Bibbullmun,” said Ms Mackay.

If Mr Morrison is backed by a swell of Elders it will throw the native title offer into unchartered territory and more than likely coerce a delay in the negotiations. Mr Morrison says the map the State Government and SWALSC are working with is incorrect and leaves custodians and descendants stranded and confused.

Mr Morrison has disputed the cultural and demographical definitions and references around the deal, saying there are no ‘Noongar nations’ but a Bibbullmun nation, with the term ‘Noongar’ meaning ‘man’, while a ‘Yorgah’ is a woman and children are ‘Koolungah’. Mr Morrison says the Bibbullmun nation is made up of 23 States, rather than the commonly-used Noongar map of 13 clans.

“The SWALSC has no business negotiating this deal with the Government when they do not even understand who they are representing,” said Mr Morrison last week.

Map of the Bibbullman Nation and States, With Principle Totemic Borders. Prepared by Toogarr (Jerry Morrison) July 1996

The ‘Noongar’ nation map was put together more than 100 years ago but Norman Tindale.

“Uncle Toogarr is right in everything he has said about our people and who we are and about the map of our nation. Noongar actually means ‘man’, so all the years I was called a ‘Noongar’, I was in effect being called a ‘man’. A Yorgah is a woman, and when I am referred to as a ‘Noongar Yorgah’, that means ‘man-woman’. Who I am, is a Bibbullmun Yorgah, and our males are Bibbullmun Noongar,” said Ms Mackay.

“There is a famous historical trail that cuts right throughout most of our Country, and that is the Bibbullmun Trail, more than 400 kilometres long, from Perth winding south west to Albany. It was called Bibbullmun because that is who we really are. It is the Bibbullmun Trail of the Bibbullmun nation.”

“Noongar is something White people imposed on us. Decades ago, when many of our people from the south west came to Perth, that’s when they heard the word Noongar as a whole of peoples term for the first time. Their parents and Elders had passed down to them our real name, Bibbullmun. But the White person misunderstood and referred to all of us as Noongar well it stuck, but we’re Bibbullmun.”

Map of the Bibbullman Nation and States, With Principle and Secondary Totemic Borders. Prepared by Toogarr (Jerry Morrison) July 1996

In interviewing others on whether they know they are Noongar or Bibbullmun, there is dissent, but just as many said Bibbullmun is the historical name and that it is 23 States instead of 13 clans but they did not want to be identified at this time because it maybe upsetting to some Elders. But they welcomed a whole of region conversation to unfold the way back to Bibbullmun even if it jeopardises the State Government’s native title offer.

Mr Morrison is the youngest child of 22, born in the South West’s Katanning on a reserve. “We had never heard the word Noongar, we were Bibbullmun. I heard the word Noongar for the first time when I was 16 years old, when I had come to Perth and I said ‘what is a Noongar?’”

“Bibbullmun is our Mother, it is the dirt that we stand on, that our feet walk on, and Yilgarn is the granite rock underneath the Bibbullmun. The story goes that Bibbullmun came up from below the dirt and sat on the granite. As a people, we are people of the Bibbullmun. But even our own people when they go to university and become academics, or anthropologists when graduating in that field, they learn from the White man’s books and interpretations and to graduate they bow down to them and then sadly teach what is untrue to our people and the young begin to learn as fact what never was nor should be.”

Map of the Bibbullman Nation and States, With Principle and Secondary Dreaming Sacred Sites. Prepared by Toogarr (Jerry Morrison) July 1996

“We had 23 States, each belonging to the Bibbullmun nation which was occupied by two skin groups, which again were divided, by law, into four skin groups.”

“Religion to our people was bound up with the environment. We were probably the largest nation of peoples on this continent before the White man. For many thousands of years we did just fine on our lands. Since the invasion we’ve endured genocide, and it continues today in many other forms.”

“A Koolang is a baby, Koolungah are children, Bunngarn is a young girl, Coolon is young boy. Till initiation you are female or male, Beedawong or Moolyeet, after initiation you are a woman or man, Yorgah or Nyoongah. Before marriage you are a Mandiggara – spinster – Culanmede – bachelor. After marriage when you have a family you are a mother – Nunngan ,father – Mamarn and when the children bring children, you are a Moyran, grandmother or Temmen, grandfather,” said Mr Morrison.

Ms Mackay said “I am with Uncle Toogarr and I will stand by him and the truth on this, and so will many others.”

“It is about who we are.”

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