“There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”… (quoted by several sources : )
Whatever the weather… fun and learning can be had outdoors….just dress appropriately, risk manage as necessary…and enjoy!
Our current marvellous, mudalicious , Makuru season continues…and some of the following photographs will show our NLC families embracing it! Be sure to check back for additional photos of our upcoming Muddy Monday holiday program.
Undalup Association recently included the following in their newsletter (we encourage you to subscribe!)
Do You Know Your Seasons?
The Six Seasons of our Wadandi people, traditions and culture are relied on to this day to keep Nala Boodja (Our Country) strong and healthy.
The six seasons are governed by what is happening and changing around us rather than by dates on a calendar. It helps to understand and respect plant and animal fertility cycles and preservation of the land.
Each of the six seasons coincides with a seasonal abundance of a variety of food resources which informs which foods and medicines should be consumed at that time of the year.
Makuru (June to July)
Colours: grey black brown red
Climate: Cold and rainy
Known as: Fertility season
This is the cold time as the rains begin on Boodja, signaling the beginning of the fertility season. Yoongan- jarli (people) start to move away from the ocean as the sea begins to rise along with the rivers.
During this time, the Pibulmun Wadandi people believe the “koodjal norn waatu norn gep baaminj”: the saltwater snake and the freshwater snake fight one another.
As the people head inland to set up their keelip (camp) they look for an area not too far from swamp paperbark (melaleuca rhaphiophylla) so they can use the bark to thatch their mia-mias (houses). This is one of the oldest ways for weatherproofing homes.
Yonga (male kangaroo) were hunted during this time and their skins removed to create booka (clothes), much like a poncho. The woora (female kangaroo) was not hunted at this time as she is raising her joey which will provide sustainability for the future. By turning the booka inside out, the fur insulates the body while the outside can be rubbed down with emu fat creating a waterproof rain jacket, perfect for the coldness of Makuru
As the bilya (rivers) begin to fill from the rains, kooljuk boola (swans plenty) begin nesting across the Boodja. The nests are created in wetland areas so that predators such as the snake, brush tail possum and chuditch find it hard to steal the nurruk (eggs).
During this time the wannang (peppermint tree or agonis flexuosa) are full of seed, getting ready to bloom in the next season of Djilba, telling the people rains will still fall upon the Country.
