The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in the south of Australia - up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys - which shares Culture and Language.
History
Before British colonisation, the 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 group of just Wadawurrung.
The central Victoria area has been inhabited for an estimated 42,000 years before European settlement.[lower-alpha 1] 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 under 20,000.[1][2][lower-alpha 2] 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.[2][3]
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 is a small number of registered sites of cultural and spiritual significance in the Melbourne area.[4][5]
People
- Woiwurrung (Woy-wur-rung) – the Wurundjeri people
- Boonwurrung – the Boonwurrung people
- Wathaurong (Wath-er-rung) – the Wathaurong people
- Taungurung (Tung-ger-rung) – the Taungurung people
- Dja Dja Wurrung (Jar-Jar-Wur-rung) – the Djadjawurrung or Djaara people
At certain times of the year, these nations would meet at Yarra Falls to settle disputes, to trade, and to hold corroborees.[6]
Diplomacy
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.
Notes
Bibliography
Further reading
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