Watch the video about Korndiny Karla Boodjar and discuss, contemplate and answer the following questions:

1. Why is Korndiny Karla Boodjar important to Whadjuk Noongar people?

A: Like all freshwater sources, it was created by the Waugal (Rainbow Serpent), and the Waugal still lives in a cave deep in the still waters of Kordiny Karla Boodjar, and keeps the water flowing.

2. What cultural protocols are practised by Whadjuk Noongar people around Korndiny Karla Boodjar?

A: It is an important traditional meeting place, home to ancestral spirits. Whadjuk Noongar would quarry red ochre from the river, store sacred rocks in the hills (however they were removed by settlers), and it was once a place that is taboo for women and children. There are camping sites all along the banks of the reserve, where freshwater has been acquired and fish traps have been used for catching fish, birds and their eggs for time in millennia. The Whadjuk Noongar people have been camping and having sacred ceremonies around the area all the way to today.

3. Why is it important for Whadjuk Noongar people to still have access to these places?

A: So they can be close to sacred sites and areas, burial grounds, and maintain connection to the cultural practises of the land and the histories of their peoples. The land is still sacred, and links Whadjuk Noongar to past, present and futures of this site. They must have access for their cultural connection forever more.