Taungurung facts for kids
The Taungurung people (also called Daung Wurrung) are an Aboriginal group from Victoria, Australia. They are part of the Kulin Nations. The Taungurung have nine different family groups, called clans. Their traditional language is the Taungurung language.
Their traditional lands are in northern Victoria. These lands are north of the Great Dividing Range. They include areas around the Broken, Delatite, Coliban, Goulburn, and Campaspe Rivers. They lived near and were connected to the Wurundjeri people. Early European settlers sometimes called them the Devil's River Tribe or Goulburn River Tribe.
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Taungurung Family Groups
The Taungurung people have a special way of organizing their families. They have two main groups called moieties. These moieties are like two big teams. All nine Taungurung clans belong to one of these two teams.
One team is the Bunjil (Eaglehawk) moiety. The other team is the Waang (Crow) moiety.
Bunjil (Eaglehawk) Moiety
There are five clans in the Bunjil moiety:
- Buthera balug: This clan lived in the Upper Goulburn area. This is near the towns of Yea and Seymour.
- Moomoom Gundidj: This clan was found around the Campaspe River. They lived north-west of Mitchellstown.
- Warring-illum balug: This clan lived near the Upper Goulburn River. Their area included Yea and Alexandra.
- Yarran Illam: This clan lived along the Goulburn River. Their lands were below Seymour.
- Yeerun-Illam: This clan was found around the town of Benalla.
Waang (Crow) Moiety
There are four clans in the Waang moiety:
- Look (w)illam: This clan lived near the Campaspe River. Their area was close to Kilmore.
- Nattarak balug: This clan was connected to the Coliban and Upper Campaspe Rivers.
- Nira balug: This clan lived next to the Wurundjeri lands. Their area included hills near Kilmore, Broadford, Pyalong, Mount Macedon, and Heathcote.
- Yowung-Illam balug: This clan was linked to Alexandra, Mansfield, and the Upper Goulburn River.
Taungurung History
The Taungurung people used the King and Howqua River valleys. These valleys were important routes for trading goods or for travel between different Aboriginal groups. The Howqua River valley has many old sites. Some of these sites are quarries where they dug for greenstone. Greenstone is a very hard rock. It was used to make tools like stone axes and spears. The Taungurung traded these tools with other groups.
Early European Contact
In 1839, a group of Taungurung people were killed. This happened on Dja Dja Wurrung lands at the Campaspe Plains massacre.
In 1859, some Wurundjeri leaders asked for land for the Kulin people. These leaders included Simon Wonga and his brother Tommy Munnering. They asked a government official, William Thomas, for land. They wanted land at the meeting point of the Acheron and Goulburn rivers. This area was in Taungurung territory.
The government first agreed to help. But a powerful landowner, Hugh Glass, stopped the plan. The Kulin people were then moved to a colder place called Mohican Station. This land was not good for farming, so they had to leave it.
Coranderrk Station
After three difficult years, the Kulin leaders found a new place. In 1863, Simon Wonga and William Barak led about forty Wurundjeri, Taungurung, and Boonwurrung people. They traveled over the Black Spur mountains. They settled on a traditional camping site. This site was near Badger Creek and Healesville. They asked to own this land. This place later became known as Coranderrk Station.
Today, the Taungurung Clans Aboriginal Corporation works to protect their heritage. It was officially recognized in 2009.
