// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Kulin nation say to food? "You're a-maize-ing
The Kulin nation is an alliance of several Aboriginal nations in the south of Australia, around Port Phillip, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys, who share culture and language.
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History
[edit]Before British colonisation, the associated tribes spoke five related languages. These languages are spoken by two groups: the eastern Kulin group of Woiwurrung–Taungurung, Boonwurrung and Ngurai-illam-wurrung; and the western language groups of Wadawurrung and Djadjawurrung language.
The central Victoria area has been inhabited for at least 31,000 years before European settlement, based on radiocarbon dating of a hearth excavated at the Keilor archaeological site near the Maribyrnong River.[1][a] At the time of British settlement in the 1830s, the collective populations of the Woiwurrung, Boonwurrung and Wadawurrung tribes of the Kulin nation was estimated to be approximately 725.[2][3][b] The Kulin lived by fishing, cultivating murnong (also called yam daisy; Microseris) as well as hunting and gathering, and made a sustainable living from the rich food sources of Port Phillip and the surrounding grasslands.[4][5]
Due to the upheaval and disturbances from British settlement from the 1830s on, there is limited physical evidence of the Kulin peoples' collective past. However, there are a small number of registered sites of cultural and spiritual significance in the Melbourne area.[6][7]
 | This article needs attention from an expert in Australian history. The specific problem is: The definition of Kulin nation membership (four eastern groups vs. all five/six language groups) and the nature of the eastern/western distinction require expert review; see Talk page.. (July 2026) |
People
[edit]- Woiwurrung – including the Wurundjeri clans[8]
- Boonwurrung[8]
- Taungurung – also known as the Daungwurrung people[8]
- Ngurraiillam[8]
The Kulin nation is generally understood to comprise five language groups: the four eastern groups above, together with the Wathaurong and the Djadjawurrung, who occupied the western territories.[9] These six groups are sometimes divided geographically, with the four eastern groups referred to collectively as the East Kulin Nation and the latter two as the West Kulin Nation.[10]
At certain times of the year, these nations would meet at Yarra Falls to settle disputes, to trade, and to hold corroborees.[11]
Diplomacy
[edit]When foreign people passed through or were invited onto tribal lands, the ceremony of tanderrum – freedom of the bush – was performed. This was intended to allow for safe passage and temporary access and use of land and resources by foreign people. It was a diplomatic rite involving the landholder's hospitality and a ritual exchange of gifts.[12]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Presland (1997) suggests a figure of approximately 40,000 years for Aboriginal habitation of the Maribyrnong River valley near Keilor, though no specific page number has yet been verified: (Presland 1997:[page needed])
- ↑ Presland describes in some detail the archaeological evidence regarding aboriginal life, culture, food gathering and land management, particularly the period from the flooding of Bass Strait and Port Phillip from about 7–10,000 years ago, up to the European colonisation in the 19th century. (Presland 1994, p. [page needed])
References
[edit]- ↑ Presland 1997.
- ↑ Anon. n.d.
- ↑ Presland 1994, p. [page needed].
- ↑ Presland 1994, p. [page needed].
- ↑ Pascoe 2017, p. [page needed].
- ↑ Eidelson 1997, pp. 8–9.
- ↑ Eidelson 2001.
- 1 2 3 4 Presland 1994.
- ↑ Clark 1990, p. 369.
- ↑ "A Kulin Estate". Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ↑ Maunder 2008.
- ↑ Clark & Cahir 2004.
Bibliography
[edit]- Anon. (n.d.). "Indigenous connections to the site" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2007.
- Clark, Ian D.; Cahir, David A. (2004). Tanderrum: 'Freedom of the Bush'. Castlemaine, Victoria: Friends of Mount Alexander Diggings. ISBN 0-9579308-2-8.
- Clark, Ian D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Monash Publications in Geography. Vol. 37. Melbourne: Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University. ISBN 090968541X.
- Eidelson, Meyer (1997). The Melbourne Dreaming. A Guide to the Aboriginal Places of Melbourne. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press. ISBN 0-85575-306-4.
- —— (2001). "The Footballer, First in the league (about James Wandin)". Walks in Port Phillip. A guide to the cultural landscapes of a City (PDF). City of Port Phillip. pp. 35–37. ISBN 0-646-41199-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008.
- Maunder, Patricia (11 January 2008). "Melbourne dreamtime a reality". The Age. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- Pascoe, Bruce (2017). Dark Emu. ISBN 978-1-4893-8039-5. OCLC 1089338508.[better source needed]
- Presland, Gary (1994) [First published 1985]. Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People (Second ed.). Harriland Press. ISBN 0-9577004-2-3.
- —— (1997). The First Residents of Melbourne's Western Region. Forest Hill, Victoria: Harriland Press. ISBN 0-646-33150-7. OCLC 222368168.
External links
[edit]- Registered Aboriginal Parties — official websites
- Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (Woiwurrung)
- Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (Boonwurrung)
- Taungurung Land and Waters Council Aboriginal Corporation (Taungurung)
- Ngurai Illum Wurrung First Peoples Clans of Victoria (Ngurraiillam)
- Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (Wadawurrung/Wathaurong)
- Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA) (Djadjawurrung)
Further reading
[edit]- Darwin, Norm (1999). "The Loddon Aboriginals". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- Ellender, Isabel; Christiansen, Peter (2001). People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days. East Brunswick, Victoria: Merri Creek Management Committee. ISBN 0-9577728-0-7. OCLC 52505206.
- Pascoe, Bruce (1997). Wauthaurong Too Bloody Strong: Stories and life journeys of people from Wauthaurong. Apollo Bay, Victoria: Pascoe Publishing. ISBN 094708731-1. OCLC 39078639.
- Barwick, Diane E. (1984). "Mapping the Past: An Atlas of Victorian Clans 1835–1904". Aboriginal History. 8: 100–131. ISSN 0314-8769.
- Presland, Gary (2010). First People: The Eastern Kulin of Melbourne, Port Phillip and Central Victoria. Melbourne: Museum Victoria Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9806190-7-2.
