| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Woiwurrung, English | |
| Religion | |
| Aboriginal mythology,Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Boonwurrung,Dja Dja Wurrung,Taungurung,Wathaurong seeList of Indigenous group names |
TheWurundjeripeople are anAboriginal people of theWoiwurrung language group, in theKulin nation. They are thetraditional owners of theYarra River Valley, covering much of the present location ofMelbourne. They continue to live in this area and throughout Australia. They were called theYarra tribe by early European colonists.
TheWurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation was established in 1985 by Wurundjeri people.
According to the early Australian ethnographerAlfred William Howitt, the name Wurundjeri, in his transcriptionUrunjeri, refers to a species of eucalypt,Eucalyptus viminalis, otherwise known as the manna or white gum, which is common along the Yarra River.[1] Some modern reports of Wurundjeri traditional lore state that theirethnonym combines a word,wurun, meaningManna gum/"white gum tree"[2] anddjeri, a species of grub found in the tree, and take the word therefore to mean "Witchetty Grub People".[3]
Wurundjeri people speakWoiwurrung, a dialect ofKulin. Kulin is spoken by the five groups in the Kulin nation.
In anthropologistNorman Tindale's estimation – and his data, drawing on anthropologistR. H. Mathews's data which has been challenged[4] – Wurundjeri lands extend over approximately 12,500 km2 (4,800 sq mi). These took in the areas of the Yarra and Saltwater rivers around Melbourne, and ran north as far asMount Disappointment, northwest toMacedon,Woodend, andLancefield. Their eastern borders went as far asMount Baw Baw andHealesville. Their southern confines approachedMordialloc,Warragul, andMoe.[5]
In June 2021, the boundaries between the land of two of thetraditional owner groups ingreater Melbourne, the Wurundjeri andBoonwurrung (Bunurong), were agreed between the two groups, after being drawn up by theVictorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. The new borderline runs across the city from west to east, with theCBD,Richmond andHawthorn included in Wurundjeri land, andAlbert Park,St Kilda andCaulfield on Boonwurrung land. It was agreed thatMount Cottrell, the site of amassacre in 1836 with at least 10 Wathaurong victims, would be jointly managed above the 160 m (520 ft) line. The twoRegistered Aboriginal Parties representing the two groups were theBunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and theWurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. However, these borders are still in dispute among several prominent figures and Wurundjeri territory has been claimed to spread much further west and south.[6]
The Wurundjeriballuk[a] was composed of twopatrilines who resided in two distinct localities. These were respectively theWurundjeri-willam and theBaluk-willam,[7] wherewillam means "camping ground"/dwelling.[8][9]
The Wurundjeri Willum resided throughout the territory on the Yarra running along its sources as far asMount Baw Baw and to the area where it forms a junction with theMaribyrnong River.[2]
The Balluk-willam's territory cover an area from Mt. Baw Baw: Their territory covers the area south from Mount Baw Baw toDandenong,Cranbourne and the swampland at the head ofWestern Port bay.[2]
As colonization began, it was estimated that something of the order of 11,500-15,000 Aborigines, composed of some 38 tribal groups, were living in the area of Victoria.[10][11] The earliest European settlers came across a park-like landscape extending inland from Melbourne, consisting of large areas of grassy plains to the north and southwest, with little forest cover, something thought to be testimony of indigenous sheet burning practices to expose the massive number ofyam daisies which proliferated in the area.[12] These roots and various tuber lilies formed a major source of starch and carbohydrates.[13] Seasonal changes in the weather, availability of foods and other factors would determine where campsites were located, many near the Birrarung and its tributaries.
The Wurundjeri and Gunung Willam Balug clans mineddiorite atMount William stone axe quarry which was a source of the highly valued greenstone hatchet heads, which were traded across a wide area as far as New South Wales and Adelaide. The mine provided a complex network of trading for economic and social exchange among the different Aboriginal nations in Victoria.[14][15] The quarry had been in use for more than 1,500 years and covered 18 hectares including underground pits of several metres. In February 2008 the site was placed on theAustralian National Heritage List for its cultural importance and archeological value.[16]
Settlement and dispossession of the Wurundjeri lands began soon after aceremony in which Wurundjeri leaders conducted atanderrum ceremony, whose function was to allow outsiders temporary access to the resources of clan lands.John Batman and other whites interpreted this symbolic act, recorded intreaty form, as equivalent to medievalenfeoffment of all Woiwurrong territory.[2] Within a few years settlement began aroundPound Bend withMajor Charles Newman atMullum Mullum Creek in 1838, and James Anderson onBeal Yallock, now known as Anderson's Creek a year later. Their measures to clear the area of Aboriginals was met with guerrilla skirmishing, led by Jaga Jaga, with the appropriation of cattle and the burning of fields. They were armed with rifles, and esteemed to be excellent marksmen, firing close to Anderson to drive him off as they helped themselves to his potato crop while en route toYering in 1840. A trap set there by Captain Henry Gibson led to Jaga Jaga's capture and a battle as the Wurundjeri fought unsuccessfully to secure his release. Resistance was broken, and settlements throve. One elder, Derrimut, later stated:
You see…all this mine. All along here Derrimut's once. No matter now, me soon tumble down…Why me have nolubra? Why me have no piccaninny? You have all this place. No good have children, no good have lubra. Me tumble down and die very soon now.[17][18]
In 1863 the surviving members of the Wurundjeri tribe were given "permissive occupancy" ofCoranderrk Station, nearHealesville and forcibly resettled. Despite numerous petitions, letters, and delegations to the Colonial and Federal Government, the grant of this land in compensation for the country lost was refused. Coranderrk was closed in 1924 and its occupants bar five refusing to leave Country were again moved toLake Tyers inGippsland.
All remaining Wurundjeri people are descendants of Bebejan, through his daughter Annie Borate (Boorat), and in turn, her son Robert Wandin (Wandoon). Bebejan was aNgurungaeta of the Wurundjeri people and was present atJohn Batman's "treaty" signing in 1835.[19]Joy Murphy Wandin, a Wurundjeri elder, explains the importance of preserving Wurundjeri culture:
In the recent past, Wurundjeri culture was undermined by people being forbidden to "talk culture" and language. Another loss was the loss of children taken from families. Now, some knowledge of the past must be found and collected from documents. By finding and doing this, Wurundjeri will bring their past to the present and recreate a place of belonging. A "keeping place" should be to keep things for future generations of our people, not a showcase for all, not a resource to earn dollars. I work towards maintaining the Wurundjeri culture for Wurundjeri people into the future.[b]
In 1985, theWurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation was established to fulfil statutory roles under Commonwealth and Victorian legislation and to assist in raising awareness of Wurundjeri culture and history within the wider community.[20][21]
Wurundjeri Elders often attend events with visitors present where they give the traditionalwelcome to country greeting in theWoiwurrung language:
Wominjeka yearmenn koondee-bik Wurundjeri-Ballak
which means, "Welcome to the land of the Wurundjeri people".[22][23]
Other notable Wurundjeri people include:
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