Girai wurrung facts for kids

The Girai Wurrung people, also known as Kirrae Wuurong or Kirrae Whurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian group. They traditionally lived in the area between Mount Emu Creek and the Hopkins River in what is now Victoria, Australia. Their land also stretched to Mount Hamilton and the Western Otways, from the Gellibrand River to the Hopkins River. Some historians, like Ian D. Clark, suggest that much of their history is closely linked with the Djargurd Wurrung people.

Kaarwin Kuunawarn (hissing swan) was a leader of the Gunaward gundidj clan of the Girai Wurrung. This clan lived near Lake Connewarren, west of Mortlake.

Girai Wurrung Language

The Girai Wurrung people spoke a dialect of the Dhauwurd Wurrung language. This language is also called "the Warrnambool language." The name Girai wurrung itself means "blood lip language." It belongs to the Kulinic branch of the larger Pama-Nyungan language family.

Early researchers, including James Dawson and his daughter Isabella, wrote down many words from this language. In the 1990s, a dictionary of the language was created.

Traditional Lands of the Girai Wurrung

The traditional lands of the Girai Wurrung covered about 1,900 square miles (4,900 km²). This area stretched from Warrnambool and the Hopkins River down to the coast at Princetown.

To the north, their land reached Lake Bolac and Darlington. Eastward, it extended beyond Camperdown.

The Girai Wurrung shared borders with other Aboriginal groups:

• To the north: the Djab Wurrung and Wathaurong peoples.
• To the west: the Dhauwurd Wurrung and Djargurd Wurrung peoples.
• To the east: the Gulidjan and Gadubanud peoples.

Girai Wurrung History

The first European explorer to visit Girai Wurrung territory was Edward Eyre. As European settlers, known as pastoralists, began to move into their region, they started to claim land for their livestock. The Girai Wurrung resisted these claims. They fought to protect their traditional lands and way of life.

An Aboriginal reserve was later set up at Framlingham. This reserve was in Girai Wurrung territory and bordered the Gunditjmara (Dhauwurd Wurrung) people's land.

Girai Wurrung Clan System

The Girai Wurrung people had 21 different clans. Each clan had slightly different ways of speaking. Their social system was based on a male-led hierarchy. However, their family descent system was based on the mother's side. This system used two main groups, called moieties: the gabadj (which means Black Cockatoo) and the guragidj (which means White Cockatoo).

Girai Wurrung Clans and Locations

Here are some of the Girai Wurrung clans and their approximate locations:

Gatherings and Meetings

The Girai Wurrung clans often gathered with the Djab Wurrung, Dhauwurd Wurrung, and Wada Wurrung peoples. They would meet at Lake Bolac to harvest eels. They also met at Mirraewuae swamp near Hexham. These meetings were for hunting emus and other animals, and for trading or discussing important matters.

European Settlement and Its Impact

When the Girai Wurrung first saw a European ship off the coast, they believed it was a monster from their traditional stories. They called it Koorung and fled the area. European settlement began in their region around 1838. In the early 1840s, the Girai Wurrung fought against the settlers who were taking their land.

Losing their land meant they struggled to find food. Sometimes, they took sheep from the settlers, which led to violent conflicts. One tragic event happened in early 1839. Frederick Taylor, a station manager, gathered a group of settlers. They attacked a camp of the Jarcoort clan at Mount Emu Creek, near Camperdown. Many people, including men, women, and children, were killed. This place became known as 'Murdering Gully.'

In 1841, an Assistant Aboriginal Protector named Charles Sievwright tried to bring charges against a settler for killing two Gunawurd gundidj people. However, the judge, Supreme Court Judge Willis, found the settler not guilty. The judge stated that settlers had the right to remove anyone from their property. This decision was made even though settler licenses were supposed to allow Aboriginal people access for hunting and traditional uses.

Assistant Protector Sievwright set up temporary headquarters at Lake Keilambete and Lake Terang in 1841. But he was later ordered to move to Mount Rouse in February 1842.

In 1865, the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve was established near Warrnambool. Many of the remaining Girai Wurrung people moved to this reserve. Surviving Djargurd Wurrung people were also moved there, along with Gunditjmara people from Warrnambool. Some Gunditjmara from Portland and Lake Condah chose not to settle at Framlingham. This led to the creation of the Lake Condah reserve in 1869.

Historian Ian Clark notes that after 1868, the history of the Girai Wurrung became closely tied to the history of Framlingham.

Other Names for Girai Wurrung

The Girai Wurrung people have been known by several other names, including:

• Bolaga or Bolagher (possibly referring to a group at Lake Bolac)
• Colongulac tribe (a clan group)
• Dantgurt, Dautgart, Tantgort, Targurt, Dyargurt
• Jarcoort (may refer to a group at Jancourt)
• Kirawirung, Kirraewuurong
• Konoug-willam (possibly a spelling error)
• Manmait
• Mount Shadwell tribe
• Ngutuk, meaning "you"
• Ngutung
• Warn tallin (a name used by western tribes, meaning "rough language")