The Kulin nation is an alliance of five Aboriginal nations in south central

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. Their collective territory extends around Port Phillip and

Western Port Western Port, ( Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is ...

, up into the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

and the

Loddon Loddon may refer to: *Loddon, Norfolk in England, UK *Shire of Loddon in Victoria, Australia (since 1995) **Bridgewater On Loddon, Victoria in Australia *River Loddon, flows into the River Thames near Reading * Loddon River, flows north from south o ...

and

Goulburn River The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...

valleys. Before British colonisation, the tribes spoke five related languages. These languages are spoken by two groups: the Eastern Kulin group of

Woiwurrung The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria extended from north o ...

Boonwurrung The Boonwurrung people are an Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional owners of the land from the Werribee River to Wilsons Promontory in the Australian state of Victoria. Their territory includes part of what is now the c ...

Taungurung The Taungurung people, also spelt ''Daung Wurrung'', are an Aboriginal people who are one of the Kulin nations in present-day Victoria, Australia. They consist of nine clans whose traditional language is the Taungurung language. Their Country ...

and Ngurai-illam-wurrung; and the western language group of just Wathaurung. The central Victoria area has been inhabited for an estimated 40,000 years before European settlement. At the time of British settlement in the 1830s, the collective populations of the Woiwurrung, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong tribes of the Kulin nation was estimated to be under 20,000. The Kulin lived by fishing, cultivating

murnong The murnong or yam daisy is any of the plants ''Microseris walteri'', '' Microseris lanceolata'' and ''Microseris scapigera'', which are an important food source for many Aboriginal peoples in southern parts of Australia. The roots of the murnong ...

(also called yam daisy; ''

Microseris ''Microseris'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, native to North America, Australia, and New Zealand. It contains the following species: *'' Microseris acuminata'' – Sierra foothill silverpuffs – CA ...

'') as well as hunting and gathering, and made a sustainable living from the rich food sources of Port Phillip and the surrounding

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

s. Due to the upheaval and disturbances from British settlement from the 1830s on, there is limited physical evidence of the Kulin peoples' collective past. However, there is a small number of registered sites of cultural and spiritual significance in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

area.

Nations

* Woiwurrung (Woy-wur-rung) – the

Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm ( Melbo ...

people * Boonwurrung – the

people * Wathaurong (Wath-er-rung) – the Wathaurong people * Taungurung (Tung-ger-rung) – the

people * Dja Dja Wurrung (Jar-Jar-Wur-rung) – the

Dja Dja Wurrung Dja Dja Wurrung (Pronounced Ja-Ja-war-rung), also known as the Djaara or Jajowrong people and Loddon River tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people who are the Traditional owners of lands including the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca riv ...

or Jaara people At certain times of the year, these nations would meet at

Yarra Falls Yarra Falls was a waterfall on the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia that was demolished in 1883 through the use of dynamite in order to prevent a repeat of the floods of 1863 and 1878. It formed a low barrier, separating the brackish tidal wat ...

to settle disputes, to trade, and to hold

corroborees A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the ...

Diplomacy

When foreign people passed through or are invited onto tribal lands, the ceremony of

Tanderrum A tanderrum is an Aboriginal Australian ceremony enacted by the nations of the Kulin people and other Aboriginal Victorian nations allowing safe passage and temporary access and use of land and resources by foreign people. It was a diplomatic ri ...

– freedom of the bush – is performed. This is intended to allow for safe passage and temporary access and use of land and resources by foreign people. It is a diplomatic rite involving the landholder's hospitality and a ritual exchange of gifts.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Kulin nation

{{authority control Aboriginal peoples of Victoria (Australia) Kulin nation