The Wurundjeri Willam

Cover illustration: Destruction of the Land The Red River Marlene Young-Scerri, Four different groups are depicted here Brabralung Dreaming with different markings. This land was once plentiful and well cared for by the After reading the brief you sent me I people and they had their own system was quite saddened to learn how the of burning off to encourage new growth land was abused and destroyed with no for the next season. thought given for future generations. Plant and animal life was lost for good Many of the plants have been destroyed and this drove the Aboriginal people to for good now, and the animals are not slaughter sheep to survive. living in the area any more except for perhaps some possums. This painting is of the Maribyrnong River, and the surrounding area. The red is Aboriginal people only hunted what they the blood that flowed in the river, while needed to eat, and the skins were used the colours on the outer side of the to make cloaks and to wrap babies. They riverbank are from the tanning process respected the animals, the land and the that polluted the river. The animal plant life, only taking what was needed, tracks are kangaroo, possum, emu and they always gave back to the land. and lizard, and there is also an eel trap. The Aboriginal people hunted all these animals for food and clothing. Possum Tracks Eel Trap Emu Tracks Lizard Tracks Camp Site Plants Maribrynong River Kangaroo Tracks Aboriginal Group 1 Aboriginal Group 2 Aboriginal Group 3 Aboriginal Group 4 Contents The Earliest Inhabitants of the City of Moonee Valley 2 Kinship Structure 4 Way of Life Pre-contact 6 Initial White Contact 10 Settler Impact 12 The Personalities 15 Historical Sites within the City 17 Bibliography 20 Acknowledgements 21 Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are warned that this publication contains names and/or images of people who are now deceased. 1 The Earliest Inhabitants of the City of Moonee Valley The Aboriginal people who lived in There were three subgroups of the the area which now includes the City Wurundjeri-willam, which were known of Moonee Valley were not confined by the name of their ngurungaeta, or by current city boundaries, but lived clan head: Bebejan’s mob, Billibellary’s by complex cultural and traditional mob, and Jack Jacky’s mob. Billibellary’s movements which were intimately mob was associated with the understood by each clan. Maribyrnong River across to the Merri Creek and north to Mount William (Clark These early inhabitants of the region & Heydon, 1998). were known as the Woi wurrung and formed part of the East Kulin nation of These people enjoyed a traditional way Aboriginal people who lived in part of of life, moving according to the seasons what we now call Victoria and included and the availability of food, or the need five language groups. The Woi wurrung to visit ceremonial sites. They did not people inhabited a large area which is accumulate unnecessary possessions, drained by the Yarra and Maribyrnong and built their homes from available Rivers, from Healesville, Kilmore and materials. They had a deep spiritual life Kyneton down past Dandenong, and that was passed down the generations over to the Werribee River. and a strong understanding of land management to ensure their survival. The clan that lived within the current City of Moonee Valley boundaries and beyond were known as the Wurundjeri- willam (Clark, 1990). Wurundjeri-willam meaning “white gum tree dwellers” (Clark & Heydon, 1998). 2 Wurundjeri Aboriginal Person ornamented for a corroboree, standing, full face, whole-length 3 Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria. Library Record Number: 190902 Kinship Structure From Clark (1998) Woi wurrung Clan Name: Clan Organisation Gunang willam balug Marin balug Wurundjeri willam Mt Macedon Kororoit Creek Maribyrnong River Kurung jang balug Wurundjeri balug Bulug willam Mt Cottrell and Yarra River Koo Wee Rup swamp Werribee River 4 East Kulin Group - Clan Structure Languages Woi wurrung Watha wurrung Boon wurrung Daung wurrung Djadja wurrung Clans Wurundjeri balug Marin balug Kurung jang balug Gunung willam balug Patrilines Wurundjeri willam Bulug willam Tallin willam Mobs Billibellary’s mob Jacky Jacky’s mob Bebejan’s mob Kinship structure showing the relationship of the inhabitants of the Moonee Valley region. (derived from Clark, 1990) 5 Way of Life Pre-contact Aboriginal People & bark Canoe. Kruger, Fred 1831-1888,photographer. Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria. Library Record Number: 793472 The Wurundjeri-willam belonged to the person was either the bunjil (eaglehawk) Yarra River from its northern sources at or waa (crow) moiety, and each moiety Mount Baw Baw to its junction with the had special totems, customs, hair styles Maribyrnong River in Melbourne. Within and body ornamentation. Because clan the clan structure were various family members shared the same moiety, groups consisting of 30 to 60 people marriage partners had to be found from who lived, hunted and travelled together. other Kulin clans. This arrangement Numbers would vary depending on would mean that the clans had the family visitors to the group at any one right to visit each other’s territory, an time. The clan travelled within precise advantage during times of drought or areas or territories, across land that was when there was an abundance of a food regarded as their own. They would only source in that area. travel out of that area for ceremonial reasons, to join with other clans, to trade Aboriginal people built shelters known or if conditions necessitated, moving as willams by using available materials into another clan’s area for survival. such as branches and sheets of bark placed over a sapling hung between These boundaries were not recorded forked posts. In warmer weather in any formal sense, but were social windbreaks were made using branches in nature and understood by all the of trees. The type of shelter that was people. Clans were permitted to move made depended on the weather and the into each other’s areas where there planned length of stay in that particular were established family connections. area. This again would be dependent on The people of the Kulin nation married the availability of food. There were strict outside their clan and moiety. Each Kulin rules governing the arrangement of huts 6 Group of Aboriginal People, sitting and standing, whole-length, full face, wearing animal skins, some holding weapons. Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria. Library Record Number: 190895 and shelters according to age, sex of River. Murnong Crescent, Moonee Ponds the member of the family and the tribal is testament to the fact that this plant was affiliations of any visitors. found in abundance in the area. Campsites were usually close to water, Other foods included the roots of to take advantage of the rich alluvial bracken fern, the rhizomes beaten into soil which supported fine grasslands, a paste and roasted in the hot ashes. attracting kangaroos and wallabies The fruit of the wild cherry, the gum for food. Hunting and gathering was of the wattle and eucalypt, and honey confined to a 5 to 10 kilometre radius were foods collected by women. Native of the campsite with men and women bees were stingless, and in order to find responsible for different activities. the hive one bee would be caught and Everyone would leave the camp in the marked with a tiny feather-like seed mornings, the women and children to make the bee easier to see, then it gathering plants and fishing, while the would be followed until it led the people men and teenage boys would hunt back to the hive. kangaroos, wallabies, emus, possums and wombats as well as trapping birds. In the early part of the afternoon the women would return to camp or set up Plant foods were the main diet. In the the new camp, lighting or rekindling the Moonee Valley area, the murrnong, or fires to cook the main meal of the day. yam daisy, was a staple food eaten raw Buckets made from gnarled tree trunks or roasted. A potato-like root vegetable would be used to gather water. If they that needed soft soil in which to flourish, were moving location, much of the food it grew prolifically along the Maribyrnong would have been collected along the way. 7 Aboriginal People & Mia Mia. Kruger, Fred 1831-1888, photographer. Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria. Library Record Number: 793482 8 At the campsite tools and weapons clay or tieing them up with reeds that had were made and repaired; these included been chewed to make rope. The removal various implements for hunting and of the bark did not kill the tree but left a gathering such as axe-heads attached to scar that today is an indicator of where wooden handles, digging sticks, spears, traditional campsites were situated. and boomerangs. There were also stone cutting and grinding implements that were A mound or midden of the shells of used to make these tools and weapons. freshwater animals shows us today that certain areas were significant campsites Mount William was one of the best over a long period. Such an area has quarries for silicate, a hard stone ideal for been identified at Steele’s Creek in making axes. This material was traded Essendon. with the Murray River tribes for strong reeds that made excellent spear handles. The riverside campsites meant ready Quarries within the Moonee Valley area access to river reeds and rushes that include the hillside above the junction of could be split into fibres, soaked and the Maribyrnong River and Steele’s Creek pounded to make rope, nets, fish traps near the Lily Street lookout area and and baskets.

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