The 14 Noongar clans, or language groups, in Southwest Western Australia are Amangu, Yued (Yuat), Whadjuk (Wajuk), Binjareb (Pinjarup), Wardandi, Balardong (Ballardong), Nyakinyaki, Wilman, Ganeang, Bibulmun, Mineng, Goreng, Wudjari, and Njunga, each associated with distinct geographic areas and ecological niches within Noongar boodja (country). These groups, sometimes grouped into dialectal regions, share common Noongar culture but have unique cultural histories and knowledge.
The Noongar people of Southwest Western Australia are traditionally divided into 14 language groups or clans, each connected to distinct geographic areas, including Amangu, Yued/Yuat, Whadjuk, Binjareb/Pinjarup, Wardandi, Balardong, Nyakinyaki, Wilman, Ganeang, Bibulmun/Piblemen, Mineng, Goreng, Wudjari, and Njunga, all sharing Noongar boodja (country) but with unique dialects, knowledge, and cultural practices.
Overall there are many common words in Noongar, for example: kaya = hello, moort = family, boodja = country and yongka = kangaroo. These words are used everyday but they sound slightly different from region to region.
Noongar are made up of fourteen different language groups (which may be spelt in different ways): Amangu, Yued/Yuat, Whadjuk/Wajuk, Binjareb/Pinjarup, Wardandi, Balardong/Ballardong, Nyakinyaki, Wilman, Ganeang, Bibulmun/Piblemen, Mineng, Goreng and Wudjari and Njunga.
About 12,000 people live in more than 200 remote Aboriginal communities throughout Western Australia. Another 3,000 Aboriginal people live in 37 town-based communities. Most remote communities and town-based communities are in the Kimberley region, with others in the Pilbara, Goldfields and Mid West-Gascoyne regions.
Perth is located on Whadjuk Noongar country, with the Whadjuk people being the Traditional Owners of the land (Boorloo) where the city sits, and they are part of the larger Noongar nation. The Noongar nation covers the southwest of Western Australia, and Whadjuk is the dialectal group for the Perth metropolitan area, which has been their land for millennia.
Ten upland tribal groups on Luzon have been identified: Ifugao, Bontoc, Kankanay, Ibaloi, Kalinga, Tinguian, Isneg, Gaddang, Ilongot and Negrito.
Perth is called Boorloo, the Noongar name for the city, and it sits on the traditional Country of the Whadjuk people, who are the Traditional Owners of this land as part of the larger Noongar nation. So, both names are correct and refer to different aspects: Boorloo is the place name for the city, while Whadjuk identifies the specific Aboriginal people who have cared for that Country for millennia.
The standard three-part test for Aboriginality in Australia requires a person to meet three criteria: descent (biological ancestry), self-identification (identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander), and community acceptance (being recognized as such by their Indigenous community). This definition, adopted by the Commonwealth government, is used for many government programs and services, although the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses a simpler two-part test (descent and self-identification) for general data collection.
The 7 indicates a brief pause (technically known as a 'glottal stop') between syllables. Elder speakers in cooperation with linguists developed this character in the late 1960s while translating these oral languages into written form.
Why don't you give learning Noongar a go?
Kaya Everyone, The Noongar word of the week is Bidi – which means Tracks.
Kaarla Kaatijin means to 'understand fire' in Noongar language, as they explore the importance of Kaarla (fire) in the next chapter of Yirra Yaakin's immersive Kaatijin series.
The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme provided ex-gratia payments to Stolen Generations survivors. The reparations aimed to acknowledge historical injustices faced by Stolen Generations survivors. The amount provided to each recipient was $75,000.
Wiradjuri was one of the largest tribal groupings in Australia, with many hordes. Howitt mentions several of these local groups of the tribe, for example-Narrandera (prickly lizard), Cootamundra (Kuta-mundra) from kutamun turtle, Murranbulla or Murring-bulle (maring-bula, two bark canoes), and there were many others.
There's no single DNA test for "Aboriginality" because Aboriginal identity is complex, encompassing culture, community recognition, and kinship, not just biology, and there's a lack of comprehensive genetic databases for diverse Indigenous Australian groups, making reliable commercial testing difficult and ethically problematic, with most tests only showing broad genetic links, not definitive status. DNA testing can confirm biological ancestry but cannot determine cultural belonging, which is defined by Indigenous communities themselves, not genetics.
'Aborigine' is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia's colonial past, and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. You're more likely to make friends by saying 'Aboriginal person', 'Aboriginal' or 'Torres Strait Islander'.
There's no specific "percentage of Aboriginal blood" required to be Aboriginal; it's a complex identity based on descent, self-identification, and community recognition, not genetics or skin colour, with definitions varying by context, though many services use the three-part test (descent, self-ID, community acceptance). Defining Aboriginality by blood quantum is considered racist and linked to past discriminatory policies, with modern recognition focusing on a person's connection to their culture and people.
No, standard Centrelink payments (like JobSeeker, Age Pension, etc.) are the same for Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians with identical circumstances, but Indigenous Australians have access to specific, targeted programs and extra support, like enhanced child care subsidies and dedicated services, that can provide additional financial or service benefits.
The Noongar people have lived in the south-west corner of Western Australia for at least 45,000 years. There are several language groups that make up the Noongar, including the Whadjuk, who are the traditional owners of the land around Perth.
Where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live
The one best known to settler Australians is Meanjin, a Turrbal word for the land on which parts of the city are built, but another is Magandjin (sometimes spelt Maganjin), a Yagara word referring to the tulipwood tree.
The Strongest Native American Tribe In History
The "7 native clans" typically refers to the traditional clan system of the Cherokee people, a matrilineal society where children belong to their mother's clan, with roles like Wolf, Bird, Deer, Paint, Blue, Long Hair, and Wild Potato, serving as fundamental family and social structures, although other nations like the Otoe-Missouria and Anishinaabeg also have distinct clan systems.
This isolation makes the Aboriginal people the world's oldest culture. The study also found evidence of an unknown hominin group, distantly related to Denisovans, with whom the Aboriginal and Papuan ancestors must have interbred, leaving a trace of about 4% in most Aboriginal Australians' genome.