Yagan's Stand

YAGAN – A WADJUK NOONGAR WARRIOR Yagan was a Wadjuk Noongar man of the Swan River region of Western Australia, born around 1795, long before British settlement. He was the son of Midgegooroo, a respected leader, and grew up on land his people had cared for over tens of thousands of years. When the Swan River Colony was established in 1829, everything changed. Traditional hunting grounds were taken, food sources were destroyed, and Noongar people were pushed from their land. Conflict quickly followed. Yagan became a prominent resistance figure, defending his people’s rights to land and survival. In Noongar law, taking food to survive was not theft — but under British law, it was punishable. Clashes between settlers and Noongar groups escalated. In 1833, after a series of violent encounters and the execution of his father Midgegooroo by settlers, Yagan was declared an outlaw with a bounty placed on his head. Later that year, Yagan was killed near the Swan River by two young settlers, William and James Keates. He was about 38 years old. In a final act of indignity, Yagan’s head was removed and sent to England as a “curiosity,” where it remained for over 160 years. In 1997, after a long campaign by Noongar people, Yagan’s remains were finally returned home to Western Australia. Today, Yagan is remembered not as a criminal, but as a leader and warrior who stood for his people, his culture, and his land during one of the most confronting periods in our history. Lyrics - Before the fences cut the land Before the settler made his stand The river ran, the seasons spoke Through gum and sky and drifting smoke He walked where ancestors had been Through paperbark and living dream No lines, no chains, no foreign law drawn Just earth and spirit, dusk to dawn But hunger came with white men’s sheep And broken law cut cold and deep What they called theft… he called his right To feed his mob… to stand and fight Yagan stands — in the red earth fire Voice of Country rising higher You can take the land, you can take the name But the spirit burns, it don’t fade away Yagan stands — hear the ancestors cry Through the wind and the endless sky Blood on the earth but the truth remains You can’t break the soul of Yagan’s flame They took a blackfella and called it law Hung him high to settle score But justice ain’t what settlers bring When rope and rifles ruled by king So Yagan rose with fire inside Not born for chains, not built to hide Each step he took, each stand he made Was for the land they tried to take Declared an outlaw, hunted down A price was set, a deadly crown But trust was broken, bought with gold A story written… dark and cold Yagan stands — in the red earth fire Voice of Country rising higher You can take the land, you can take the name But the spirit burns, it don’t fade away Yagan stands — hear the elders cry Through the wind and the endless sky Blood on the earth but the truth remains You can’t break the soul of Yagan’s flame He fell… but he never broke In every tree… in every smoke The land still sings… his name out loud Through storm and fire… unbowed, unbowed Yagan stands — in the red earth fire Ancient voice that climbs up higher Through every scar, through every pain Still his spirit walks this land again Yagan stands — in the hearts today In every step we find our way You can take the man, but not the flame Forever lives the name — Yagan