Year-Round Noongar Seasons Display

Learning Sequence:

Note: This activity is designed to take place at the beginning of each Noongar season. There are a range of additional resources available from:

Perth NRM: https://www.perthnrm.com/resource/ traditional-knowledge/

As well as posters and calendars that you may like to display in the classroom.

At the beginning of each new season, let students know the name of the new season, and display its name on a noticeboard or wall space in the classroom. Let students know that you will be observing what’s happening on country.

1. Take students for an observation walk around the school or bushland. Prompt them to notice:

a. Which animals are around, and how they are behaving.

b. How the weather feels.

c. What colours are on display in the bush, and whether there are flowers or seeds emerging.

d. Which direction the wind is coming from.

2. Gather more information about the new season by listening to your T.O. or an elder, listening to the sound clips on the N.R.M. site (link above), or learning from other Aboriginal sources.

3. Create a list of things that are happening on country during the new season, for example, for Makuru season: the weather is getting colder, rains are coming to the land, the days are cloudy, the plants are growing fresh green shoots, the mammals and marsupials are eating the new shoots to get ready for breeding season, the soils are sprouting with mushrooms and fungi, the frogs are noisy in new wetlands, the reptiles are hiding away and moving slowly.

4. Allocate each student a list item to add to the class display. For their item, they need to create an illustration and a description. When combined, your display will be a holistic representation of the new season.

5. Encourage students to try to pick when the next season comes by noticing changes to the weather, colours, and animal behaviour. For instance, when Kambarang comes, they might notice native orchids.