Perth Voice Interactive

THE discovery of an Indigenous songline along the route to the proposed Outer Harbour at Kwinana has prompted calls for it to be reflected in the design.

Curtin University professor of sustainability Peter Newman participated in a Westport workshop with Indigenous elders who revealed the songline along Stock Road and says he’s an enthusiastic supporter of highlighting its cultural significance.

“You could take people on that journey through that cross-section of the coastal plain,” Prof Newman said.

“I just think ‘brilliant’ when things like that get found and acted on instead of being pushed aside like we have in the past.”

Prof Newman said it made sense that Stock Road had been a songline, as Indigenous workers were some of the state’s best cattleman and would have followed their traditional paths while moving the herds around. 

Whadjuk elder Noel Nannup was part of the Main Roads-sponsored Aboriginal Journey Ways project which explored the cultural significance of Indigenous journey ways aligned with modern roads and bridges.

Dr Nannup told the Voice he’d been trying to alert people for 30 years to the fact most of the state’s main roads followed ancient songlines.

“A songline is a story associated with a journey made by a spiritual ancestor. During this journey landscapes and landmarks were formed, relationships were observed and established, mistakes were made, lessons were learnt, skills were developed, and the values of community were established,” Dr Nannup wrote in the Aboriginal Journey Ways book co-authored with Francesca Robertson. 

Whadjuk Man Steven Jacobs said as Indigenous people followed the seasons, songlines provided important information such as where water could be found along the pathways.

Law and culture outlined a responsibility to look after the land to preserve and maintain healthy vegetation and animals to hunt. 

“The songlines incorporate ceremonial places throughout the pathways they followed,” Mr Jacobs said.

“Indigenous people had identity and pathways as far out as Rottnest when the land was joined together,” Mr Jacobs said. 

While Dr Nannup’s book Aboriginal Journey Ways doesn’t reference Stock Road, it does tell the story of the Spirit Woman Jindalee, whose songline stretches between Coombarnup (Bunbury) and Jambinbirri (Champion Bay at Geraldton).

“Spirit Man, Spirit Woman, wedj (emu) and yongka (kangaroo) are left discussing who will be the carers of everything,” Dr Nannup tells the story.

“Wedj thrashed around and left, yongka suggested that Spirit Man and Spirit Woman (Jindalee) should be carers of everything.

“Spirit Man and Jindalee stood up; they were tall, taller than the karri trees.

“They could feel the rhythm of the land.”

The story follows Jindalee as she moves north collecting Spirit Children before reaching Jambinbirri and heading east.

As part of the Great Eastern Highway bypass interchanges project in 2021, Main Roads said: “Aboriginal heritage is dynamic. It includes tangible and intangible expressions of culture that link generations of Aboriginal people over time.”

Mr Jacobs said law and culture, purpose and identity had been affected by the loss of land which was not sold or given away but taken with force. 

“We followed the culture and law to the letter,” said Mr Jacobs, “it made us very strong-minded and good people for our community we lived in.” 

by DANIELLE SMITH