In 2019, a collaborative project began between a Perth Nyoongar Elder, Dr Noel Nannup (OAM), his daughter Alison Nannup, Kamsani Bin Salleh and Lynn Webber. The project's end goal was to offer students across Australia a visually engaging and culturally rich story about the history of Boorloo (Perth), told from a Nyoongar perspective.

 

Keny Djena means 'first feet' in the Nyoongar language and refers to the First Nations who have lived in the south-west of W.A. since the Dreaming. The central character of the narrative is Joobaitch, a Whadjuk leader from the Beeloo nation who was born at Yulebrook in the mid-1830s on the brink of the British invasion of Boorloo (Perth).

 

They visioned that this educational resource would be rich with Nyoongar cultural knowledge (informed by Dr. Noel Nannup), Nyoongar language (informed by Alison Nannup), art (informed by Kamsani Bin Salleh), photos (Zoe Webber and approved sources) and story (researched and collated by Lynn Webber).

 

Keny Djena's story draws upon both archival and oral stories, reshaping historical events from a Nyoongar viewpoint. Through this imaginative re-construction and re-enactment of history, Joobaitch and his clan’s perspective of the invasion of their Whadjuk boodjar (country) is heard.

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