Rottnest Island is best known for its clear waters, undulating sandy dunes and friendly quokka, a furry marsupial about the size of a cat. But few visitors acknowledge its violent past., the island was originally known as Wadjemup – or “the land across the seas where the spirits lie” – by the Whadjuk Noongar people, its custodians for tens of thousands of years.Their deaths are finally being honoured as Indigenous people gather from all over the state for a sombre commemoration.
“This is our largest sorry business. They’re someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s father, someone’s grandfather,” she says.These commemorations have been decades in the making. “It’s the same as a funeral process, there is that sharing but the emotions and the sorrow is very deep,” Walley says.
Thousands of years ago, Wadjemup was connected to the mainland. It was a place of celebration and ceremony for generations of Noongar people, where families would come together for dance, funerals and community gatherings for both joy and sorrow.