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NOONGAR ANIMALS (stories, usage and significance)

marlee – swan

marlee was a fire carrier in the time of creation. However, he held the fire too long and it burnt his nose red and in his panic to put out the fire, stained his feathers underneath white. Before this he was known as murni or black bird.

nyingarn – echidna

story: to find.

koorlbardi – magpie

a fight ensued between the wardung and koorlbardi over who was more beautiful and could sing better. After the fight the koolbardi landed in mud which created the contemporary look of the animal with both black and white markings.

wardung - crow

a fight ensued between the wardung and koorlbardi over who was more beautiful and could sing better. After the fight the wardungs beak was damaged which gave him his trademark voice and sound we hear today.

yonga – kangaroo

yonga meat was used primarily for a food source. His fur used to make bookas or cloaks. The sinew was used to bind different materials together. The yonga is also totemic to certain indiviuals, families and areas. An example of an area is the town of ongerup, which translated means the place of the kangaroo.

kwelena – dolphin

Kwelena assisted Noongars in fishing by driving the djidjit into the fish traps within the rivers. Kwelena is also totemic to certain individuals or families.

nhumbat – numbat

gwaka – quokka

Djuditj – chuditj

Kooyar – frog

Djakal – ngakal – pink and grey galah

Yarkiny – western swamp tortoise

Djilba – bream

Marron – fresh water craysish

Dabitj – dugite

Koomal – possum

Karda – goanna/monitor

Dilert – blue tounge goanna

Djidi – djidi – willy wag tail

Minyit – meat ant

Baan baan – butterfly

Ngoolyarak – red tailed cockatoo

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Noongar to English, English to Noongar Dictionary

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The Noongar to English, English to Noongar Dictionary was compiled by Rose Whitehurst for the Noongar Language and Cultural Center in 1997