Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country –

Jilakin Rock City,  Kulin

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where our event is held – the Njaki Njaki Noongar people and their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this country and this region.

When European explorers rode through here 160 years ago it was the Njaki Njaki ancestors who welcomed them and showed them the waterholes at the base of the rocks. Their stories are woven in the landscape and it is their language that gave the names ‘Jilakin’ and ‘Kulin’ to the lake and the town.

When we stand below or climb up on the rocks and watch the sunrise and sunset, we remember and acknowledge the Njaki Njaki Noongar people who have been here since time immemorial and who are still here – custodians of all the country around us.

Each year we gather beside Jilakin Lake on farmland next to the Kulin Bush racetrack. This area is farmed by the Lucchesi family who came here generations ago and we thank them for hosting us here.

We pass through Kulin the community who support us and built the roads and the facilities we see around us. We are grateful to them for their welcome.

The Burning Man principle of Radical Inclusion which has been passed on to us at Blazing Swan says, “We welcome the stranger.” This is a transformative idea, and it is central to our thoughts about this event and our community. It is made even more significant, and we should be humbled to remember, that in this country we are the strangers who have been welcomed.

When we welcome the stranger, we are passing on a gift that has already been extended to us. Our rituals, the Greeters Gate, the consensual hug, the Welcome Home are just new ways of expressing something very old and part of our shared humanity.

Acknowledgement of Country –

Swan’s Nest, Fremantle

We acknowledge the Whadjuk people as the traditional owners of the greater Fremantle/Walyalup area and their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this country and this region, and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still important to the Nyoongar people today.

The land around Fremantle (Walyalup) has always been a significant place for the Whadjuk. Walyalup was the country on both banks of the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River). The story of how the land once extended past Rottnest but had been inundated by the sea is one of the oldest oral traditions in human history.

The City of Fremantle sits within the Aboriginal cultural region of Beeliar.

Its Nyoongar name is Walyalup (the place of walyo) and local people are called Whadjuk. The Beeliar district is bounded by Derbal Yerrigan (mouth of the Swan River), the Dyarlgarro (Canning River), Katamordo (Darling Ranges) on the east, the Wardan (sea) to the west and by the line due east from Mangles Bay on the south.  To the local Whadjuk people, Fremantle is a place of ceremonies, significant cultural practices and trading.

Fremantle has several significant sites and features in traditional stories.  The mouth of the Swan River is the place where the Wagyl fought the Crocodile spirit and used the crocodile’s tail to separate the fresh water from salt water. There is also a strong connection to Rottnest Island (Wadjemup or place across the sea).

To learn more about the Noongar people, their culture and history – Visit the Kaartdijin Noongar Website