Custodians of Country

Journey to the Nyitting - the Cold Time and the Creation of Everything

Take a step back to the ‘cold time’, the Nyitting, and explore a powerful beginning when everything was created. Through the deep knowledge of Nyoongar Boodja (Country), passed down through generations via oral histories, students will explore how the land, people, animals, and sky were formed, and how Country continues to be cared for.  

This immersive experience connects students with Nyoongar culture through storytelling, language, movement, and hands-on engagement with real artefacts. The program fosters respect for Aboriginal perspectives and highlights the ongoing responsibility of caring for Country.

This workshop is an update of our previous Sharing Stories workshop.

Student experience

Students will:

• Experience a Nyoongar Dreaming story in an engaging and interactive format.
• Learn and use Nyoongar words for local animals, understanding that Nyoongar people named the animals, plants, and natural phenomena of their Country long before colonisation.
• Identify and appreciate the unique environment of Whadjuk Country and the cultural importance of caring for Country as an act of respect, connection, and sustainability.
• Handle traditional artefacts and understand their significance in revealing the ingenuity and continuity of ancient cultures.

Program feedback

"Lots of interaction with the children which was great. Also, the sensory breaks were great. Activities were age appropriate. Highlights-artefacts shown, learning Aboriginal words was great."

"Excellent. The museum staff offered a really interesting program, and the children enjoyed the hands-on experience. Listening the story told by the indigenous elder was a highlight."

"Great curriculum links, knowledgeable staff, interactive and very enjoyable for students."  

"Great for students to be exposed in greater detail to traditional stories and being able to learn new words."

Curriculum links

This program links to the following strands of the Western Australian Curriculum:

Pre-Primary

• Science
  Earth and space sciences: Daily and seasonal changes in the environment affect our local community and the world around us (WAPSSUE1)
• HASS
  Geography: The places people live in and belong to, the reasons places are special or important to people and their significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (WAPHAKUG3)

Year 1

• HASS
  Geography: How places change and how they can be cared for by different groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (WA1HAKUG3)
  History: How the present, past and future are represented by terms indicating time as well as by dates and changes that may have personal significance (WA1HAKUH2)

Year 2

• HASS
  Geography: The ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples maintain connections to Country/Place, the names and meanings given to local features and places (WA2HAKUG3)

Year 3

• Science
  Earth and space sciences: Soils, rocks and minerals are important Earth resources, and are used by humans and other living things in different and interconnected ways (WA3SSUE1)
• HASS
  Geography: How language groups of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples divide their Country/Place and how this compares to the surveyed boundaries of Australian states and territories (WA3HAKUG3)

All facilitated workshops are led by the Museum’s experienced Learning and Engagement team and have been curated using the Museum’s unique resources to provide a deeper learning experience in our specialist subject areas.

Your booking for a facilitated workshop will include all materials and activities for the duration of the program with no prior preparation required.

As part of all facilitated workshop bookings, you are welcome to explore the rest of the Museum free of charge pre or post workshop and do not need to make any additional bookings to do so.  WA Museum Boola Bardip is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.