Classification into these moieties is determined by descent from our mother (matrilineal) or from our father (patrilineal), depending on the country we came from. Groups of families were categorised into separate moieties or kinship groups. Traditionally, we developed a rule-based system to avoid intermarriage between close relatives. Like Aboriginal groups all over Australia, Noongar people have a system of marriage or union that ensured our survival over thousands of years. Margaret Drayton, oral history, SWALSC, 2011 Mum used to do the same with her children, and I do it with mine. вЂ¦ She was taught when it was appropriate to speak and when not to вЂ“ the main word Granny used to get the attention of the children was nie, which means вЂњlisten, stop talkingвЂќ. My mum recalls knowing the traditional roles of food gatherer and regularly going out with her grandmother and with other older women in the family to collect bush foods. Her mother remembered when she was a girl her Granny Sarah Cuimara was a real traditional woman and she used to take the womenвЂ™s group out for WomenвЂ™s Lore business. Margaret Drayton talks about growing up as part of the closely knit group of Yued women. Courtesy State Library of Western Australia, The Battye Library 012523PD Noongar Elder Sealin Garlett in Collard, Harben and van den Berg, вЂNidja Beeliar Boodjar Noonookurt NyininyвЂ™, 2004 In Aboriginal way, when women got a special place, thatвЂ™s a place thatвЂ™s not necessary to pay attention to, but you have to respect it. But he said they often talked about the significance of that place to the women. It wasnвЂ™t his right or my right to know what had taken place there. One of the things that Uncle Cliff Humphries talked about was that, that place was a ceremonial place and more so for the fact that it had a lot of areas where women had special places. Traditionally, secret customs and rituals existed for the passage into manhood and womanhood. We still have cultural recognition for the coming of age from youth into adulthood. There are many special places around Noongar boodja (country) that are important to Noongar men and women for ceremonial purposes. Kayang (Hazel) Brown, oral history, SWALSC, 2008 Lore and AdulthoodД¬ertain Noongar lore belongs solely to either men or women. If they go one way, and you go this way, youвЂ™re not allowed to meet up otherwise you get into big trouble, you know. Our explanation of Noongar lore is an introduction to some of the main types of acknowledged lore and customs observed by Noongar. Noongar lore is not transcribed from thousands of years of oral history into writing. Because many parts of Noongar lore are complex it is often misunderstood. All of these lores have been transmitted from the Elders, fathers and mothers to their sons and daughters through unknown generations, and are fixed in the minds of Noongar people as sacred and unalterable. Kaartdijin and lore belongs to Noongar people only and is different from other Aboriginal groups. This contributes to assuring biodiversity is maintained and food supplies are always in abundance. Noongar people do not eat animals that have totemic significance with our names. Noongar lore works with nature to protect animals and our environment. Traditionally, it has governed our use of fire, hunting and gathering, and our behaviour regarding family and community. Our lore and customs relate to marriage and trade, access, usage and custodianship of land. Noongar lore is linked to kinship and mutual obligation, sharing and reciprocity. Lore for Noongar people is unwritten and refers to kaartdijin (knowledge), beliefs, rules or customs. The terms вЂloreвЂ™ and вЂlawвЂ™ are sometimes used interchangeably, but вЂlawвЂ™ refers to written European law. Our lore has existed alongside European laws and still does today. Noongar people have complex lore and customs pre-dating European contact. Noongar men photographed at Guildford in 1901 during a visit to WA by the Duke of York and Duchess of Cornwall.Д¬ourtesy State Library of Western Australia, The Battye Library 471B/3 Ngulluk koorl koorliny вЂ“ they can go back

Totem tribe gold feathers