Wagyl (Waugal)

Noongar Country

The Noongar are the Aboriginal people of the south-west of Western Australia, made up of several language groups, among them the Whadjuk around Perth. The Wagyl (also spelled Waugal, Waakal, and in other ways) is the serpent being of Noongar tradition. Noongar organisations and local governments working with Noongar Elders publicly share that in the Nyitting, the creation time, the Wagyl moved across the land and created its waterways: rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

The Derbarl Yerrigan

The best-known Wagyl story in public sources concerns the Derbarl Yerrigan, the Swan River at Perth: the Wagyl's movements shaped the river's course, and its resting places along the river are important to Whadjuk Noongar people. The Wagyl is associated with fresh water and with the responsibility to care for it.

A living responsibility

Noongar people have acted to protect places associated with the Wagyl. The best-known example is Goonininup, on the Swan River below Kings Park, where Noongar people protested the redevelopment of the Old Swan Brewery site from 1989 because of its association with the Wagyl. The Wagyl is not only a figure of the past but part of Noongar responsibility for Country today.

Variation

Different Noongar groups tell Wagyl stories in different ways, and some knowledge about the Wagyl is not public. This summary follows what Noongar organisations such as the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (Kaartdijin Noongar) and local councils working with Noongar Elders have published.