Kulin nation
Indigenous Australian ethnic group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
History
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 an estimated 42,000 years before European settlement.[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.[1][2][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.[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 are a small number of registered sites of cultural and spiritual significance in the Melbourne area.[4][5]
People
- Woiwurrung (Woy-wur-rung) – including the Wurundjeri clans
- Boonwurrung (Boon-wur-rung)
- Taungurung (Tung-ger-rung) – also known as the Daungwurrung people
- Ngurraiillam (Noori-il-lam)
Some authors include the Wathaurong (Wath-er-rung) and the Djadjawurrung (Dja-dja-wur-rung) as part of the Kulin nation even though they were regularly in dispute with the above tribal groups. To acknowledge this difference, the initial four groups are often referred to collectively as the East Kulin Nation, while the latter two are referred to as the West Kulin Nation.[6]
At certain times of the year, these nations would meet at Yarra Falls to settle disputes, to trade, and to hold corroborees.[7]
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.
