Culture Wisdom respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.
Boon Wurrung
Culture
As the traditional owners of the land of Melbourne, The Boon Wurrung people play a very important role in our community by passing on the traditional ways of the Aboriginal culture.
traditions
Boon Wurrung people have a great respect for the land and all of the animals.
For countless centuries the lifestyle of the Boon Wurrung people and their culture had been of hunter-gatherer.
The hunting role was allocated towards men. Their job consisted of searching the land for prey and resources.
Women on the other hand gathered nutritious plants and berries as well as digging for vegetables such as yams.
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Permanent shelter was unusual amognst the Boon Wurrung culture. Commonly their living protection was constructed from tree branches and bark that did not provide shelter for a long duration.Besides creating their own shelter, the Boon Wurrung people opted for staying in secured natural shelter. For example blowouts in sand dunes or areas of thick vegetation.
Knitted possum skins provided warmth during the cold, although they spent much time wearing no clothes at all. Overall, Boon Wurrung people lived a simple lifestyle that put little pressure of the environment.
History in Australia
The Boon Wurrung tribe was relatively small compared to other Kulin Nation tribes. When the White settlers arrived in Boon Wurrung territory they changed the aboriginals community forever.
In 1797-8 a made contact with the Boon Wurrung clans which led to White Settlers kidnapping innocent Boon Wurrung women. The women were forced into sexual partnerships and were also forced into using their skill of capturing of seals for money for their white captors benefit.
In June 1835, John Batman, against authority, created a fraudulent contract between the Boon Wurrung people which stated huge tracts of land around Port Phillip belong to him in exchange for blankets, mirrors, axes, etc. The white people’s invasion of the Boon Wurrung lands quickly caused chaos on the land.
Firstly, European brought animals; cattle and sheep, overgrazing on the land destroyed much of the plant life that natives used for food. Kangaroos, wallabies, emus and other animals were forcefully immigrated from the coastal lands as the European animals took over. Boon Wurrung people began to die from diseases brought by the settlers and the lack of food left for them in their territory.
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The title of rightful owner of the land is still an occurring issue in the present as Boon Wurrung people persist to be acknowledged by the Australian Government.
language
“The loss of language symbolizes the loss of culture. For us young mob and our future generations, the survival and revival of our languages is imperative to our very being.”
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some key words and phrases spoken by Boon Wurrung People of The Kulin Nation
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Wominjeka (welcome)
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Marramb-ik (what is your name?)
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Weelam-ik (where do you live?)
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Barrbunin (happy)
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birrarrung (Yarra River)
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gumbak (fish)
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guyeem (kangaroo)
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nairm (Port Phillip Bay)
food
Before European settlement, foreshores and creeks found in the Boon Wurrung territory was an ideal place to fish and hunt for seafood (periwinkles, mussels etc) and salt water plants. The creeks also provided drinking water for the people as well as encouraged a source of animals to the area, widening the Boon Wurrung's food source to include animals such as kangaroos and possums.
gumbak (fish)
guyeem (kangaroo)
where they are majorly located around Melbourne
Boon Wurrung land encompasses 3,000 square miles of territory
covering the coast from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson’s Promontory in the south-east, taking in the catchments of the Old Carrum swamp, Kooweerup swamp, Tarwin River and Westernport Bay, and including Mornington Peninsula, French and Phillip Islands.
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Fun Fact: The Boo Wurrung people occupied this area of land before the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built, this means their culture is over 40,000 years old!