Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council
Encyclopedia
The Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council was established in 1985 by descendants of the Wurundjeri
people who are the traditional owners of the country around Melbourne
. There are three family groups in the council: the Nevins, Terricks and Wandins with 30 elders and about 60 members.
The members of the Council are all descendants of a Woiwurrung
/ Wurundjeri man named Bebejan, through his daughter Annie
Borate (Boorat), and in turn, her son Robert Wandin (Wandoon). Bebejan was a Ngurungaeta
of the Wurundjeri people and was present at John Batman
’s ‘treaty’ signing in 1835.
The Victorian Government has granted land of cultural significance for the Land Council to manage. These sites include:
The Council had a statutory role under Commonwealth legislation that gave it the power to grant or refuse consent to disturb Aboriginal sites. This gave the Council members a significant say in how their important cultural places were managed.The Victorian state government introduced the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and the Wurundjeri Council is now approved as a Registered Aboriginal Party under that Act, which will allow the Council to continue to make decisions about its cultural places. However the decision recognised only the area not under dispute with other parties. The other parties include the Wathaurung/ Wathaurong people to the west, the Dja Dja Wurrung/ Jaara Jaara people to the north-west, the Taungurung people to the north, the Gunai
/Kurnai people to the east and the Boon Wurrung/ Bunurong
people to the south. The dispute over territorial boundaries has been under challenge since they were set down in 1984 legislation.
In 2007 the Land Council opened an office at the refurbProtector of Aborigines|ished Abbotsford Convent
to engage with members of the wider community and provide community space for members. The site is on the Yarra River Dreaming Trail, an important part of the bigger creation story of the Wurundjeri people and their country. There are important Wurundjeri camping sites located nearby which have been used for thousands of years. A little way north is the confluence of the Merri Creek
and Yarra River
near Dights Falls
; the burial site of Billibellary
; the location of the Aboriginal Protectorate
, Native Police Corps
headquarters and Merri Creek Aboriginal School.
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
people who are the traditional owners of the country around Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. There are three family groups in the council: the Nevins, Terricks and Wandins with 30 elders and about 60 members.
The members of the Council are all descendants of a Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung
Woiwurrung is an Indigenous Australian language spoken by some of the Kulin Nation clans, the Wurundjeri people, of Central Victoria, from Mount Baw Baw in the east to Mount Macedon, Sunbury and Gisborne in the west.The Woiwurrung clans inhabited the Yarra River, called Birrarung in Woiwurrung,...
/ Wurundjeri man named Bebejan, through his daughter Annie
Borate (Boorat), and in turn, her son Robert Wandin (Wandoon). Bebejan was a Ngurungaeta
Ngurungaeta
Ngurungaeta is a Wurundjeri word meaning 'head man' or 'tribal leader'. Ngurungaeta held the same tribal standing as an Arweet of the Bunurong and Wathaurong people...
of the Wurundjeri people and was present at John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
’s ‘treaty’ signing in 1835.
Roles
The Wurundjeri Land Council has a number of different roles:- to raise awareness of Wurundjeri culture and history within the wider community.
- actively managing archaeological sites and sites of cultural significance
- benefiting the lives of present day Wurundjeri people and families.
- Welcome to Country ceremonies that can include speaking in language, traditional dancing, gum leaf and smoking rituals.
The Victorian Government has granted land of cultural significance for the Land Council to manage. These sites include:
- the Sunbury earth ringsSunbury earth ringsThe Sunbury earth rings are prehistoric aboriginal sites located on hills to the west of Jacksons Creek near Sunbury, Victoria.-Description and identification:...
, an important ceremonial place. - CoranderrkCoranderrkCoranderrk was an Indigenous Australian mission station set up in 1863 to provide land under the policy of concentration, for Aboriginal people who had been dispossessed by the arrival of Europeans to the state of Victoria 30 years prior. The mission was formally closed in 1924 with most residents...
Aboriginal Station Cemetery in Healesville (1991)
The Council had a statutory role under Commonwealth legislation that gave it the power to grant or refuse consent to disturb Aboriginal sites. This gave the Council members a significant say in how their important cultural places were managed.The Victorian state government introduced the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and the Wurundjeri Council is now approved as a Registered Aboriginal Party under that Act, which will allow the Council to continue to make decisions about its cultural places. However the decision recognised only the area not under dispute with other parties. The other parties include the Wathaurung/ Wathaurong people to the west, the Dja Dja Wurrung/ Jaara Jaara people to the north-west, the Taungurung people to the north, the Gunai
Gunai
The Gunai or Kurnai is an Indigenous Australian nation of south-east Australia whose territory occupied most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slopes of the Victorian Alps. The nation was not on friendly terms with the neighbouring Wurundjeri and Bunurong nations...
/Kurnai people to the east and the Boon Wurrung/ Bunurong
Bunurong
The Bunurong are Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who occupy South-Central Victoria, Australia. Prior to European settlement, they lived as all people of the Kulin nation lived, sustainably on the land, predominantly as hunters and gatherers, for tens of thousands of years...
people to the south. The dispute over territorial boundaries has been under challenge since they were set down in 1984 legislation.
Administration
In 2003 questions were raised over claims of missing funds. Wurundjeri Land Council revenue is predominantly from rental of buildings on the 38-hectare former Army School of Health site in Healesville and a $550 a day fee paid by developers for cultural "site monitoring" by the association to obtain approval for work on culturally sensitive areas.In 2007 the Land Council opened an office at the refurbProtector of Aborigines|ished Abbotsford Convent
Abbotsford Convent
The Abbotsford Convent is located in Abbotsford, Victoria, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The Convent is in a bend of the Yarra River west of Yarra Bend Park, with the Collingwood Children's Farm to its north and east, the river and parklands to its south and housing to its...
to engage with members of the wider community and provide community space for members. The site is on the Yarra River Dreaming Trail, an important part of the bigger creation story of the Wurundjeri people and their country. There are important Wurundjeri camping sites located nearby which have been used for thousands of years. A little way north is the confluence of the Merri Creek
Merri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
and Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
near Dights Falls
Dights Falls
Dights Falls is located in Melbourne, Victoria just downstream of the junction of the Yarra River with Merri Creek. At this point the river narrows and is constricted between 800,000 year old volcanic, basaltic lava flow and a much older steep, silurian, sedimentary spur...
; the burial site of Billibellary
Billibellary
Billibellary was a song maker and influential ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan during the early years of European settlement of Melbourne. He was known by various names including Billi-billeri, Billibellary, Jika Jika, Jacky Jacky and Jaga Jaga...
; the location of the Aboriginal Protectorate
Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protectors of Aborigines resulted from a recommendation of the report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Aborigines . On 31 January 1838, Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies sent Governor Gipps the report.The report recommended that Protectors of...
, Native Police Corps
Native Police Corps
An Australian Native Police Corps was first established in 1842 in the Port Phillip District of the Australian colony of New South Wales...
headquarters and Merri Creek Aboriginal School.