People, cultures, communities and organisations
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Kaarwin kuunawarn
Kaarwin kuunawarn (hissing swan) was the
clan-head of the Gunaward
gundidj clan of Lake
Connewarren, west of Mortlake. In 1838,
immediately
prior to the occupation of Girai
Wurrung lands by settlers, he summoned
1000
people to a meeting there (presumably to
discuss their response to
the invasion).
The Girai Wurrung (translation = Blood Lip) language-culture group included 21 clans occupying estates east of the Hopkins River and it’s Salt Creek tributary, west of Mount Emu Creek, the Heytesbury region and the coast between the mouth of the Hopkins and the Gellibrand River at the western edge of the Otway Ranges. The former Framlingham mission and current Framlingham community are on the estate of the Gilidmurar gundidj clan.
Alternative names and name spellings
Kirrai Wuurong, Kiri Wurru, Girriwurru, Kiri Woorong, Kirrae Whurrong, Keerraywoorroong.
Language
A great deal of the Girai Wurrung language that is known was recorded by the settler James Dawson who, along with his daughter, learnt the language (Dawson 1881).
The language is one of a group of closely related languages or dialects that included Djargurd Wurrung to the immediate east, along with others spoken across the coastal plains as far west as the Glenelg River near the South Australian border and north to Hamilton and the Wannon River. Less than a third of the vocabulary is shared with the languages of peoples to the north and east.
A dictionary of the language is available - Sharnthi
and
Krishna-Pillay (1996).
Relationships with other language-culture groups
It is probable that some Girai Wurrung clans intermarried with Djargurd Wurrung and Dhauwurd Wurrung clans.
Beliefs and laws
Little is known of the traditional beliefs and laws of the Kirai Wurrung. However, like the Djargurd Wurrung, it is likely that clans were organised into two moieties - Gabadj (Black Cockatoo) and Guragidj (White Cockatoo). The moieties were inherited matrilineally (i.e. from the mother).
Way of life
The Girai Wurrung occupied lands that included bountiful coasts where shellfish were plentiful, estuaries and waterways where waterfowl and fish were abundant, woodlands and forests to the south and grassy woodlands to the north with an abundance of game. Throughout the woodlands and grassy plains, murnong tubers would have provided the starchy staple of the diet. Other plants provided plenty of seasonal variety.
The lands of the Girai Wurrung
The numbers on this map indicate the approximate locations of clan estates. The entire landscape was a mosaic of such estates. Through intermarriage and other alliances people were able to access land and resources far beyond their own estates. Access to land and resources was negotiated through discussion, marriage, ceremony and adherence to law.
It is possible that there were more clans than listed here.
This map is derived from Clark(1990)
| No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. |
Clan name Baradh gundidj Badadgil gundidj Burug gundidj Duram gundidj Flat Topped Hill Clan Garar gundidj Garngigung gundidj Gilambidj gundidj Gilidmurar gundidj Gulag gundidj Gular gundidj Gun gundidj Gunawurd gundidj Gunindarar Ngalug barar balug Mt. Noorat Clan Ngaragurd gundidj Purteet chowel gundidj Lake Terang Clan Warnambul gundidj Yelingamadj guadidj |
Approximate location Mouth of Curdies River 'Allandale' station Mt. Shadwell 'Tooram' station Flat Topped Hill North of Mt. Warrnambool Southwest of Lake Terang Lake Keilambete Framlingham 'Konawarren and 'Merrang' stations on the Hopkins River Southwest of Lake Keilambete Between Mt. Warrnambool and Terang Lake Connewarren The Sisters Midway between Mt. Shadwell and Lake Bolac Mt. Noorat and Pejerk Marsh East of Curdie River Southeast of Lake Bolac, incl. Mt. Hamilton Lake Terang Mt. Warrnambool Lake Elingamite |
Bibliography
>> Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An historical atlas of western and central Victoria
Ian D. Clark (1990)
A research publication based on evidence found in official archives and other written records.
(Does not include oral history from Victorian Koorie communities.)
>> Aboriginal Victorians: A history since 1800
Richard Broome (2005)
Allen & Unwin“The first history of black-white interaction in Victoria to the present, Aboriginal Australians offers new insights into the frontier conflict, attempts at control and assimilation, the Stolen Generation and Aboriginal survival and identity in modern Australia.”
>> Australian Aborigines: The languages and customs of several tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia.
James Dawson (1881)
Reprinted as a facsimile edition in 1981 by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
From the introduction to the reprint: “Among the nineteenth century pioneers of the Western District of Victoria, James Dawson was outstanding. He was well known as a friend and protector of the Aborigines ... was greatly interested in Aboriginal Culture, strongly committed to speaking out about justice to the Aborigines, and had respect for the Aborigines and their culture.”
>> The Life and Adventures of William Buckley
A. MacDougall (1852)
The original account of the life of William Buckley - an English convict who escaped from an early Port Phillip convict settlement and lived for thirty years with the Wada Wurrung of central south west Victoria.
>> Dictionary of Keeraywoorroong and related dialects
Sharnthi and Krishna-Pillay (1996)
Published by the Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperation