Jardwadjali facts for kids

The Jardwadjali (also called Yartwatjali or Jaadwa) are an Aboriginal Australian people. Their traditional lands are in the state of Victoria. These lands include the area around the upper Wimmera River, stretching east to Gariwerd (which is now known as the Grampians) and west to Lake Bringalbert.

Understanding the Jardwadjali Language

The Jardwadjali language was very similar to the Djab wurrung language. They shared about 90 percent of their words! There were also different ways of speaking Jardwadjali, like Jagwadjali, Mardidjali, and Nundadjali.

Traditional Lands of the Jardwadjali

Norman Tindale, a researcher, found that the Jardwadjali lived around Horsham and the Upper Wimmera River. Their land was quite large, covering about 3,500 square miles (9,065 square kilometers). It reached south to the Morton Plains and the Grampians. To the west, their land went as far as Mount Arapiles and Mount Talbot. The eastern border was beyond Glenorchy and Stawell. Northwards, their territory extended to places like Warracknabeal and Lake Buloke. Tindale also noted that by the time European settlers arrived, the Jardwadjali had moved south, almost reaching Casterton and Hamilton.

How Jardwadjali Communities Were Organized

The Jardwadjali people lived in different groups called hordes. These groups were like smaller communities within the larger Jardwadjali nation.

• Djappuminyou was one of these groups.
• Bulukwuro lived around Lake Buloke.
• Portbulluc was centered near Mount Zero.
• Murra-murrabarap lived around Glenorchy.

Lake Buloke was an important meeting place. Several different Aboriginal tribes would gather there with the Jardwadjali to hold special ceremonies.

A Look at Jardwadjali History

Map of Victorian Aboriginal language territories

For a long time, people thought that humans had only lived on traditional Jardwadjali land for about 5,000 years. However, newer studies show that people have lived there for much longer. Evidence from Gariwerd (Grampians) shows people lived there thousands of years before the last ice age. One site in the Victoria Range has been dated to 22,000 years ago!

It's believed that the first contact with Europeans for the Jardwadjali might have been through smallpox epidemics. These diseases arrived with the First Fleet in 1788. They quickly spread through the trading paths of Indigenous Australians. Many people died in two waves before the 1830s. One account from the Wotjobaluk people described the disease as thinba micka. They said it killed many people and left others with pock-marked faces. They believed it came down the Murray River from sorcerers in the north.

European Arrival and Changes

In 1836, a European settler named Edward Henty began exploring Jardwadjali land from the south. This marked the start of European settlement in the area. Another group of Europeans arrived from the north in 1840. Lieutenant Robert Briggs, for example, started a sheep station near Lake Lonsdale.

The explorer Major Thomas Mitchell traveled through Jardwadjali lands in 1836. He gave many places English names, like the Grampian mountains, which he named after mountains in Scotland. The Jardwadjali people called these mountains Gariwerd. In their language, gar meant 'pointed mountain', i meant 'the', and werd meant 'shoulder'.

For the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung peoples, Gariwerd was a very important place in their Dreaming stories. It was where the creator, Bunjil, and buledji Brambimbula (the two Bram brothers) created and named many features in the landscape of western Victoria.

An Aboriginal cricket team with their captain Tom Wills at the MCG in late December 1866

Many Jardwadjali people were part of the Australian Aboriginal cricket team in England in 1868. This team was very famous! Even though some groups tried to stop the tour, the team played 47 matches. They won 14, lost 14, and had 19 draws.

There were no special missions built on Jardwadjali land. So, by the 1860s and 1870s, many Jardwadjali people had to move. They went to places like the Ebenezer Mission in Wergaia country, near the Wimmera River. Others went to the Lake Condah mission in Dhauwurd Wurrung country.

Challenges and Dispossession

When European settlers arrived, there was often conflict. Sometimes, Aboriginal people would take sheep, which led to clashes. These clashes sometimes resulted in many Aboriginal people losing their lives.

It was rare for settlers to be brought to court for these incidents. After a major incident at Fighting Hills, John Whyte traveled to Melbourne to tell Governor La Trobe about it. However, the evidence from the Aboriginal Protector, Charles Sievwright, was not allowed. No trial ever happened. At that time, Aboriginal people were not allowed to give evidence in courts. The incidents listed below are only those that were reported. It is likely that many more happened that were never written down.

Niel Black, a settler in Western Victoria, wrote in 1839 about the common attitude of many settlers:

"The best way [to get land] is to go outside and take up a new run, if you don't mind killing natives. It's well known that you probably won't keep your land and property without doing so."

George Robinson, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, wrote in his journal in 1841 about the Portland Bay area:

"The settlers spoke of killing natives as calmly as if they were talking about cows. Indeed, they are spreading the idea that Aboriginal people are not human, or barely so, which makes killing them seem okay."

Table: Reported Incidents of Conflict in Jardwadjali Country to 1859

Recent History and Recognition

In 1989, the Victorian Minister for Tourism, Steve Crabb, suggested changing many place names in the area to reflect their Aboriginal heritage. Many European descendants did not agree with this idea. The Brambuk centre, which represents five Aboriginal communities, suggested using both names for the main area: Gariwerd/Grampians.

Some of the suggested changes included:

• Grampians to Gariwerd (for the mountain range)
• Mount Zero to Mura Mura (meaning 'little hill')
• Hall's Gap to Budja Budja

The Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre in Halls Gap is a special place. It is owned and managed by Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung people. These people come from five Aboriginal communities that have historical connections to the Gariwerd-Grampians ranges and the plains around them.

Native Title Recognition

The Indigenous peoples of the Wimmera region achieved an important victory on December 13, 2005. After a ten-year legal process, they won native title recognition. This meant their traditional ownership of the land was officially recognized.

Descendants of the Jardwadjali, along with the Wotjobaluk, Wergaia, and Jupagalk peoples, received partial recognition in 2005. A settlement was reached, and the ownership of several areas was given back to the traditional owners.

This was the first successful native title claim in south-eastern Australia and in Victoria. Justice Ron Merkel made the decision. He explained how important his orders were:

"The orders I am making are very important. They are the first time native title has been recognized and protected, allowing Aboriginal people to continue enjoying their native title in Victoria. This is also true for the South-Eastern coast of Australia. These were areas where Aboriginal peoples suffered greatly and lost much of their land when the British took control in the 1800s."

Notable Jardwadjali Individuals

• Unaarriman, also known as Johnny Mullagh, was a famous Jardwadjali man born around 1843. He was a talented cricketer.

Other Names for the Jardwadjali

A Few Jardwadjali Words

• daruaj (man).