Boonwurrung facts for kids

The Boonwurrung people are an Aboriginal people from the Kulin nation. They are the traditional owners of the land around Port Phillip and Western Port in Victoria, Australia. This includes parts of the city of Melbourne. Early European settlers called them the 'Western Port' or 'Port Philip tribe'. The Boonwurrung people were close allies with other groups in the Kulin nation, especially the Wurundjeri people.

Today, the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation officially represents the Boonwurrung people.

Boonwurrung Language: Speaking Their History

The Boonwurrung language is part of the Kulin languages group, which belongs to the larger Pama-Nyungan language family. The name 'Bunwurru' comes from their language, meaning "no speech" or "no lip". This might suggest that their language was mainly spoken within their own territory.

Boonwurrung Country: Their Traditional Lands

Eagles Nest in Bunurong Marine National Park, part of Boonwurrung Country.

The Boonwurrung people are often called "saltwater people" because their traditional lands stretched along the coast. This area covered about 7,770 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) around Western Port and the Mornington Peninsula. Their land reached Werribee in the west and extended southeast from Mordialloc to Anderson Inlet and Wilsons Promontory. Inland, their territory went as far as the Dandenong Ranges and towards Warragul.

In 1836, a man named George Robinson wrote about the Boonwurrung land. He described it as a beautiful, open forest with lots of gum trees and wild cherries. He saw signs where Aboriginal people had climbed trees to hunt possums. He also noted many kangaroos and emus, and that the land looked like a park with kangaroo grass, she-oak, wattle, and honeysuckle trees.

In 2021, the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation agreed to update their traditional boundaries. This new line runs through Melbourne. For example, Albert Park and St Kilda are now on Boonwurrung land, while the city center is on Wurundjeri land. They also agreed to share the management of Mount Cottrell, an important site. However, some people from both groups, like Boonwurrung Elder N'arweet Carolyn Briggs, still have different views on these new boundaries.

The Boonwurrung people believe their land was shaped by a creator spirit called Loo-errn. He traveled from Yarra Flats to his resting place at Wamoon (Wilsons Promontory). As guardians of this land, they believed outsiders needed to learn their language and follow certain rules to enter safely.

Boonwurrung Clans: Family and Community

Boonwurrung communities were made up of six main groups called clans. Each clan owned a specific part of the land and spoke the Boonwurrung language. These clans were connected through their culture, shared interests, special animal symbols (totems), trading, and marriages. Each clan had a leader called an Arweet.

Here are the six clans and their areas:

• Yalukit-willam: From the Werribee River to St Kilda.
• Mayone-bulluk: Around Carrum Carrum Swamp.
• Ngaruk-Willam: In areas like Brighton, Mordialloc, Dandenong, and from Mount Martha to Mount Eliza.
• Yallock-Bullock: Near the Bass River and Tooradin.
• Boonwurrung-Bulluk: From Point Nepean to Cape Schanck.
• Yowenjerre: Around the Tarwin River.

Clans carefully managed their resources. For example, if a river had been fished a lot, the clan owning that river might limit fishing to let the fish recover. This helped make sure there was always enough food. If outsiders entered another clan's land without permission, they could face penalties.

Boonwurrung people also belonged to one of two main groups, or moieties: Bunjil (the eaglehawk) or Waang (the raven).

Boonwurrung History and Culture

Traditional Life: Living with the Land

The Boonwurrung people passed down their knowledge of traditional life through generations. European settlers also wrote down some of what they observed.

The Yalukit-willam clan were hunter-gatherers. They moved around their territory to find food that was available in different seasons. They had very skilled hunting tools and techniques. They also had a deep understanding of their land, which was passed down through families. They only needed to work about five hours a day to find food. Dogs were important to them and were buried with respect.

The Boonwurrung people have ancient stories about how Port Phillip Bay was flooded 10,000 years ago. Their territory boundaries were shaped by even more floods 5,000 years ago. Before these floods, the bay was dry land with bushes, and the Boonwurrung hunted kangaroos and possums there.

Food and Hunting: A Balanced Diet

The Yalukit-willam clan would stay in one place for a few weeks, depending on how much water and food was available. Their main camps were often near fresh water, leaving behind signs of where they lived, like shell middens (piles of shells from eaten shellfish).

Men were the main hunters. They hunted kangaroos, possums, kangaroo rats, bandicoots, wombats, and lizards. They also caught fish and eels and collected shellfish. Some Boonwurrung people traveled by canoe to French Island to gather swan eggs. Along the coast and in swamps, there were many birds like ducks and swans to hunt. Stony and Kororoit creeks, and the Yarra River, had plenty of eels, yabbies, and fish. Men were very good at spearing eels; in 1841, George Robinson wrote that two men caught 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of eels very quickly. The coast also provided saltwater fish, mussels, cockles, and small crabs.

Murnong (Yam Daisy).

Women were mainly gatherers. Their favorite food was Murnong (or yam daisy). Other foods included black wattle gum, the soft inside of tree ferns, native cherries, kangaroo apples, and different types of fungi. Murnong grew all year and was best in spring. They collected large amounts of tubers in string bags. Fresh murnong could be eaten raw, or if less fresh, it could be roasted or baked in earth ovens. Murnong used to grow in huge fields along the Kororoit Creek. However, these fields were destroyed when sheep were brought to the area. Women also collected many tadpoles, which they cooked under hot coals.

George Robinson's diary describes how the Yalukit-willam caught emus. He wrote that they would hide in a cherry tree before daylight with a large spear. They would put cherries on the ground under the tree. When an emu came to eat, the hunter would spear it. He also noted that Aboriginal people tied up the front foot of their dogs to stop them from wandering off, instead of tying them by the neck.

Early European Arrival and Changes

In February 1801, Lieutenant Murray and his crew from the ship Lady Nelson were the first Europeans to meet the Boonwurrung people near Sorrento. They exchanged spears and stone axes for shirts, mirrors, and a steel axe. But the interaction ended badly when the British panicked, leading to spears and musket shots, and even the ship's cannon being fired, which wounded several Boonwurrung people.

The next month, in a more peaceful meeting, Captain Milius from the French ship Naturaliste danced alone on a beach at Western Port for the Boonwurrung people.

Before and during the time of British settlement, the Boonwurrung had a long-standing conflict with the Gunai/Kurnai people from Gippsland. According to William Barak, a Wurundjeri elder, this conflict was about resources. Many Boonwurrung people were harmed, and some women were taken by the Gunai. By 1836, the Yowengerra clan had been almost wiped out, mostly due to these attacks.

Dispossession: Losing Their Land and Way of Life

Yonki Yonka, a Boonwurrung man.

European seal hunters also affected the Boonwurrung people living along the coast. Sealers sometimes took Boonwurrung women to islands in Bass Strait and Tasmania. This could have caused problems between different Aboriginal groups. In 1830, a report suggested that the Boonwurrung were not on Phillip Island because of the sealers' actions. In 1833, nine Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung women, and a boy named Yonki Yonka, were taken to the sealers' island bases.

Contact with sealers also exposed coastal Aboriginal groups to European diseases. This had a big impact on their population and their social connections. For example, in 1803, a surveyor named James Fleming saw smallpox scars on several Aboriginal people, suggesting an epidemic might have happened before then. Some historians believe two smallpox epidemics in the 1790s and around 1830 greatly reduced the Kulin tribes' population. However, other experts think the symptoms might have been from other skin conditions like impetigo or ringworm.

Derrimut, a respected Boonwurrung Elder, played an important role during early European settlement in Victoria. In October 1835, he warned the new settlers about a planned attack by other Aboriginal clans. The settlers prepared, and the attack was avoided. Derrimut later became very sad about the changes happening to his people and died in 1864 at about 54 years old. Some colonists put up a tombstone for him in Melbourne General Cemetery to honor him.

By 1839, the Boonwurrung population had dropped significantly to only 80–90 people, with very few young children. Before European contact, their population was likely more than 500. By 1850, a Protector of Aborigines named William Thomas estimated only 28 Boonwurrung people were living on their traditional land.

In 1852, the Boonwurrung were given 340 hectares (840 acres) of land at Mordialloc Creek as a reserve. These reserves were not permanent camps but places where blankets and food were given out. The idea was to keep Aboriginal people away from the growing city of Melbourne. However, these reserves were closed in 1862–1863 because they were considered too close to Melbourne.

In March 1863, after many changes, surviving Kulin leaders like Simon Wonga and William Barak led about forty Wurundjeri, Taungurung, and Boonwurrung people to a traditional camping site near Healesville. They asked for ownership of this site, which became Coranderrk Station. Coranderrk was closed in 1924, and its residents were moved to Lake Tyers Mission in Gippsland.

Boonwurrung Law and Justice

There was often strong disagreement between the Boonwurrung and the eastern Gunai people. The Gunai were later seen as a major reason for the Boonwurrung population decline.

If a tribal member was hurt or killed, a meeting would be held to understand what happened. If it was considered wrong, revenge might be sought. For example, in 1839, after some Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung people were killed, a group of 15 men went to Geelong to get justice from the Wathaurong people.

In 1840, the Boonwurrung believed a man from a tribe in Echuca had used sorcery to cause the death of one of their warriors. They believed this happened when a possum bone, discarded after a Boonwurrung meal, was roasted while the warrior's name was sung. When the warrior died, the Boonwurrung took revenge on the first Echuca tribesman who visited their territory. A meeting was arranged at Merri Creek to settle the matter. Several of the killed Echuca tribesman's relatives threw spears and boomerangs at the Boonwurrung warrior, who used a shield. He was wounded, and an elder from another tribe ended the ordeal. Afterwards, everyone celebrated with a big corroboree (a traditional Aboriginal dance and ceremony).

Boonwurrung Dreaming Stories

Bunjil, the Wedge-tailed Eagle.

Dreaming stories are important to Aboriginal culture. They explain how the world was created and how people should live.

• Bunjil and Pallian Creation Story: Bunjil is the Creator spirit for the Kulin People.
• Birrarung Creation Story: This story explains how the Birrarung River (Yarra River) was formed.

Notable Boonwurrung People

Boonwurrung Elder N'Arweet Carolyn Briggs.

• Jack Charles (1943–2022): A well-known actor.
• Derrimut (c. 1810 – 1864): An arweet (headman) of the Boonwurrung people.
• Carolyn Briggs: A respected Boonwurrung Elder.
• Louisa Briggs
• Maree Clarke: An artist.

Other Names for Boonwurrung

The Boonwurrung people have been known by several different names over time, including:

• Boonerwrung
• Bunuron
• Bunurong, Bunwurrung, Boonwerung, Boonoorong, and Bururong
• Bunwurru
• Putnaroo, Putmaroo
• Thurung: An eastern tribal name for them, meaning "tiger snakes." This might refer to how they set up ambushes.
• Toturin: A Gunai term meaning "black snake," used for some western Boonwurrung tribes.

See also

• Australian Aboriginal enumeration
• Possum-skin cloak