Wurundjeri Tribe Essay

In the Ulladulla area the Budawang Tribe inhabited the Conjola, Lake George to Moruya, the Budawang tribe spoke Dhurga, which is an Aboriginal language spoken from Jervis Bay to Wallaga Lake. The Aboriginal tribal group from Jervis Bay to Twofold Bay was Yuin. Captain Cook first sighted the Budawang Tribe on the shores of Murramarang at Koorbrua Beach in 1770, yet the earliest settlers for the area were in 1828 in the Ulladulla Harbour. (C. Dunn, 2000).

The traditional owners of the land in which I live, being Rockdale city council, consisted of the Cadigal (Gadigal), the Gweagal and the Bidjigal tribes. These tribes were referred to as the ‘water people’ as they lived by the bay for thousands of years. Within the Gweagal tribe there were two clans, the Gameygal (or Camerigal) who lived along the Georges river and spread around sans souci, the southern part of Rockdale and then there were the Bidjerigal (or Gidgerigal) people who were located around the Cooks river and toward Kingsgrove and Earlwood.

The Australian Indigenous community hold extremely significant corrections to the land of Australia, of which they refer to as ‘Country.’ Indigenous people acquire deep meaning from the land, sea and the countless resources derived from them. This special relationship has formed for many centuries. To them ‘Country’ is paramount for overall wellbeing; the strong, significant, spiritual bonds embody their entire existence. Knowledge is continually passed down to create an unbroken connection of past,

There are hundreds of Native American tribes and millions of people that are within North America that identify themselves as Native Americans. Each tribe has their own unique customs, language, and myths. However, within the confines of this paper I will take a broad view with regards to Native American customs and traditions from a small sample of tribes that were observed prior to the vast expansion of colonizing the west.

The Chumash lived along the southern part of California’s warm coastal region. Chumash Indians lived in dome- shaped houses, called aps. Some of the houses could fit up to 70 people. The house was made out of bent willow branches and surf grass. The doorway was covered with a mat of weeds. A fire was usually built in the center of the ap to keep it warm. The ap, therefore, had an opening in the roof to allow smoke from cooking to come out. Each Chumash village usually had houses, a sweat lodge, buildings for storing food, and an area for ceremonies.

The City of Boroondara acknowledges the people of the Kulin Nation as Traditional Owners of the land of Boroondara. Today, two community organisations represent the interests of Indigenous people in Boroondara and the Eastern Metropolitan Region. They are the Wurundjeri Land Tribe and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Inc. (Wurundjeri Council) and the Inner East Local Indigenous Network (LIN). The Wurundjeri people are recognised as the Traditional Owners of land in the northern area of Boroondara. The Wurundjeri Council represents the Wurundjeri people and is the key contact for activities occurring in the northern area that can only be performed by Traditional Owners. The Inner East LIN is an Indigenous community organisation representing the interests of Indigenous people in Boroondara and the Eastern Metropolitan Region.

Neville Bonner and Mandawuy Yunupingu are known for being resilient Indigenous Australian leaders, paving the way for the improvement in quality of life for generations of Indigenous Australians, and becoming ‘firsts’ in their respective fields (National Portrait Gallery, 2016). Bonner was the first Indigenous member of Australian Federal Parliament, representing Queensland as the Liberal Party Senator in the 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1980 elections (National Film and Sound Archive, 2015). While Yunupingu was the first Indigenous Australian to become a school principal, and shed light internationally on the mistreatment of Australian Indigenous people through his band ‘Yothu Yindi,’ (National Library of Australia, n.d.). Both men were strong Indigenous rights activists, and inspired a nation to bridge the gaps between Indigenous Australians, and contemporary Australian society.

I respectfully acknowledge the past and present Nooongar Whadjuk people on which land Curtin University is based and of the Bindjareb Noongar people, the traditional custodians of Mandjoogoodrap (Mandurah) the land on which I live and work. Mandjoogoordap means meeting place of the heart and is a unique, distinctive and authentic place within the Gnaala Karla Boondja region, consisting of waterways, rivers, lakes, the estuary, ocean and coastal plains, and a rich history of Aboriginal people’s lives and stories. I respect the vibrant, endless culture that past and present Noongar people bring to this boodja (country).

“However, Aboriginal people still struggle for more than words on paper. They require the enactment of visible justice, where aboriginal people have a pride of place and heritage that can be shared as well as respected.” (king, 2010, p.216).

One of our local Aboriginal Communities is located at Inala, Queensland. The organisation that managed the community is called Inala Elders A&TSI Corporation. The Organisation (Our Community, 2015) is aiming to help the older indigenous people in their home and community with local state or federal governments. They provide services to keep the elderly living safely, happily and comfortable at their own home. It is also a place where they can have social gathering, a place to laugh, listen to one another and to learn. They also has been successfully coordinate the biggest indigenous festival in Queensland for the 5 years.

The Wurundjeri Willum people have a strong connection to the land now known as the City of Whittlesea. They travelled the area in search of resources, fresh water, food and shelter; the

Aboriginal societies were admired for their sense of belonging; everybody in their language group was their family. Everybody helped in the raising, care and discipline of children in the group (Bourke and Edwards, 1994. p.97).

A government surveyor drew a line separating the Wallowa Valley. The Nez Perce objected. The Nez Perce claimed, “the Indians who signed the new treaty were the leaders of other bands and had no right to give up land that was not even theirs” (Williams & Youngs, 5). This is how the Non-Treaty came about. Soon the whites and Indians fought over the land and Indians were killed, one that was best friend with Joseph, he felt like he was is brother. Burial was granted to bury the Indian in the valley by General Howard.

Australian Aborigines believe that to destroy or damage a sacred site threatens not only the present inhabitants but also the spiritual inhabitants of the land. Broome described that "Each tribe believed that its boundaries were fixed and validated by the stories about the movements of their ancestors, and therefore there was no reason to desire or try to possess the country of another group: it would have seemed meaningless to them since their creation stories only related to their own piece of territory" (14). Australian Aborigines traveled around a land that was a symbolic and religious world. There were not simply rocks, trees, and watering holes but they were objects and places that the great ancestors had created and places where they still lived. The Aboriginal culture stressed continuity over change.

Ng, C. (2010). Symbols of Affinity: Ceremonial Costumes in a Minangkabau Village. The Heritage Journal, 5, 26-55.