Language                                                   Name

Noongar-Wudjari (W8):                 

Noongar-Nyoongar/Baaduk (W41):       Kweneny, Djiridji 

Common name:                                         Zamia Palm

Scientific name:                                        Macrozamia dyeri 

Wudjari:                                                      Dek

Nyoongar/Baaduk:                                   Dek

Nyoongar:          kweneny = sparks of fire. 
                             poorya (seed) = fat round coal, or fat round egg. 
                             kundyal = zamia fluff.

Looks like: 
Nyoongar: Toxic fruits are reddish-orange. (In different areas the seeds are different colours – down south they are bright red but they are more orange further north.) Anything red in the bush is poisonous and has to be treated. A very slow growing palm tree with a thick trunk at the base, with palm-like fronds growing out of the top. The trunk grows so slowly because the fronds from the previous year age and snap off at the base, forming the next layer of the "trunk". The male plants have long brown oblong flower cones that hang onto the ground at the base. The female cones are thicker and chunkier. The toxic red fruits only grow on the female plants. You can see brown fluff at the base of the fronds. Smooth seeds are like little round fat eggs or little round fat coals. Big ones can be more than 1.5m wide at the base.

Feels like: 
Nyoongar: Zamia fluff is a soft, fibrous and woolly texture. Leaves are spikey with sharp little bits that will stab you. Seeds are shiny and smooth.

Tastes like: 
Nyoongar: Once treated it is very nutty and the texture is like dried apricots. The seeds are like eating a roasted chestnut -- but the fleshy outer part of the seed is what Nyoongar people liked eating. 

Smells like: 
Nyoongar: When the seeds are really bright red, they smell like boot polish. The plant has no distinct smell.

Food: 
Nyoongar: The poorya (red fruits) are very toxic, but they were eaten by Nyoongar people of the area after long and careful preparation. Nobody should try to eat these without the proper knowledge and preparation information from an Elder. Many early settlers died after trying to eat these fruits without knowing how Nyoongar people made them safe to eat. Children have died, just by putting them in their mouth and chewing away. To prepare the fruits to eat, women would soak them in running water for a couple of weeks. You'd never soak it in still water like a ngaamar hole – you'd stick it in a dillybag, attached to a stick, and have that in running water for at least two weeks. After this they'd dig a hole in the sand, about elbow deep and line it with balga (grasstree) fronds, bury them for two or three months, and when they come back to dig it up, it'd be just right to then cook it up in the ashes of a fire. After it's been cooked, they'd eat the fleshy outside. There is a really high fat content in the sarcotesta (the red fleshy part), so it was a good food source, and very storable for long term. They'd hold them on a reed, like kerbeiny (Lepidosperma sp.), and string them on there for storage – the dried fruit could last a long time being carried around like that.

Medicine: 
Nyoongar: A tiny piece of the toxic fruit could be used to clear you out if you were constipated. It would trigger vomiting and diahorrea.

Other uses: 
Nyoongar: The long palm fronds were very good for shelter building and were layed down on the roofs of Nyoongar people's maya (shelters), as well as being a base for the floor of the shelters. They were also used for shade. The brown fluff from the base of the fronds (kundyal) was also harvested and picked, to put down with some kindling so that sticks could be rubbed together to make fire. Nyoongar people could also make a fire by putting zamia fluff, ground grasstree resin and kangaroo poo into the dip of a Nyoongar 'matchbox' (a rock that’s got a little piece in the centre that's been dug out or burnt out by the old people), then put one end of a stick into the dip, and rub the stick really fast between your hands until you get a spark. Somebody would carry the matchbox with them in their dillybag (goto). Since the poorya (fruits) were so toxic, they were used for the tips of spears.

Nyoongar: All over this country, especially where people met, they carried the seed. Originally they were only found in Jarrah forest, but now it is found near significant campsites where it has been planted. It is found around rocky outcrops with water; they were planted purposefully. This is how we worked out where our Elders walked. It maps out the old songlines, pathways, and campsites. Lots of sprouting seeds are on the Len Otte Trail, as very old Zamias are found there where the people camped up on the granite outcrop. Now they are found everywhere. In other Country it is found along creek beds – the seeds float so they might travel along the creek. In different areas the seeds are different colours – down south they are bright red but they are dark burnt orange further north.

Nyoongar: The very big hard seeds take a long time to sprout and grow. They sprout at the bottom like a little hook and "head down to grow back into the earth". The trees grow very slowly as well, so if you see a big one, it is very ancient. When people dig it up they leave one or two behind, so it shows the footpaths of where the old people went where they grow. Anything coloured red, like the fruits, are poisonous and must be treated before eating. Kweneny produces kapok-like woolly fibers. The female plant produces the poorya (fruit).

Nyoongar: There is a totemic story connecting the seeds with the carrying of fire. Ancestral knowledge story about recapturing the fire; the wardara (osprey hawk) grabs hold of the nut or the fruit, snatches it from the kwerrnt (southern bandicoot) and drops it into the kundyal (zamia fluff) for the fire. Kweneny is also marker of women in country, and marked passage along the songlines. Could be traded once dried and was a sought after commodity. They were often planted near campsites so you'll see groups of them signalling old campsites.

Nyoongar: At the beginning of Djeran, you'll start to see the major seed cones go brown and start to break apart, and the bright red seeds come out and become bright red. So in Djeran, it was common to mix the processed and dried fruits with frog meat into little cakes. Moving into Mookaroo, when it was very cold, wet and damp, the fatty fruits were high in starch, fat content and vitamins; a very desirable foodsource, especially as they were highly storable after processing – they last for a really really long time.

Birak
 

Boonaroo
 

Djeran
Nyoongar: At the beginning of Djeran, you'll start to see the major seed cones go brown and start to break apart, and the bright red seeds come out and become bright red. So in Djeran, it was common to mix the processed and dried fruits with frog meat into little cakes. 
 

Mookaroo
Nyoongar: Moving into Mookaroo, when it was very cold, wet and damp, the fatty fruits were high in starch, fat content and vitamins; a very desirable foodsource, especially as they were highly storable after processing – they last for a really really long time.
 

Djilba
 

Kambarang

Nyoongar: Working with our Traditional Owners, the method of soaking and then burying the seed to make it safe to eat is well documented. There is a really close correlation with where the Zamias now grow, and where people would have camped for thousands of years. They also found that the Zamias on the south coast grow mostly on the northern side of granites, because that's where most of the protection from the icy cold southern wind is. (Gail Yorkshire). These plants are integral to the ecological system of Australia, and Taalyaraak country.

Nyoongar: Especially common where people met – they carried the seed and buried it near their camps. It was a very predictable foodsource for the people, because a couple of months ahead they could see which zamias were flowering and were going to produce fruit – so they could plan where their meal was going to come from. The poorya (fruit) were only eaten by Elders and adults – if they weren't treated properly it would be very dangerous for kids. People would trade the dried fruits on the songlines – where you see them growing is recognising ancient travel paths and songlines.

Nyoongar: Possums and kangaroos will eat the seedpods. There is a totemic story about how the possums would grab the seeds and carry them to the next fire. The dried, processed fruits were strung on reeds (like kerbeiny). The dried processed fruits were mixed with frog meat when eaten. Zamia fluff was used with kangaroo poo and ground grasses to make fire.

Nyoongar: If it’s a dark night with no light, you’ll see dark spots or the spine of the Milky Way, which forms the shape of the weitj (emu). In Djeran, the weitj (emu) starts to run across the sky; it’s the male emu looking for his mate. This is when the ripe seeds are collected. If you look at wanting to pick your time based on astronomy, they are the key stories in the sky and these join with the Seven Sisters

Nyoongar: Don't strip everything down so you leave nothing for the animals. The possums and birds and kangaroos love them. We have to leave some to grow for survival. Survival is important. It is essential to preserve these plants rather than clear land, because they only grow in certain areas.