Waranga Dreaming
In the previous story, mention was made of one of the Assistant Protectors of Aborigines who worked in the Port Phillip district (then still part of NSW) in the 1830s and 1840s. William Thomas spent most of his time with the Wathaurong people, in the Port Phillip Bay area. The
Waranga Dreaming
William Thomas, one-time Assistant Protector of Aboriginal people in Victoria, had more to say about the marriage customs of the people.1 He did not serve in that role in the Waranga area, but after the Protectorate system ended, he had contact with former residents of this area in his
Waranga Dreaming
After a couple of stories on the deaths of Ngurai-illum Wurrung Aboriginal people in pre-colonial times, the focus in this story will be on another important life event - marriage. Earlier stories in the series have established a few basic facts e.g. a couple who married had to be
Waranga Dreaming
The previous Waranga Dreaming story cited William Thomas, a former Assistant Protector of Aborigines, providing details of what he thought were standard practices after the death of an Aboriginal person. It is worth noting that practices varied widely across Australia prior to European colonisation – perhaps even within Ngurai-illum Wurrung country
Waranga Dreaming
Previous Waranga Dreaming stories have focussed on three Aboriginal people who are buried in the Murchison cemetery – King Charles Tattambo, his second wife “Queen Mary” and his son by his first marriage, known as “Captain John”. All three were born before European colonisation of the Waranga area and were deeply
Waranga Dreaming
The Aboriginal man called “Captain John” by the Europeans was the son of Tattambo and his first wife. We do not know John’s Aboriginal birth name or where he was born. When he died in 1874, it was estimated at the time that he was in his late 40s.
Waranga Dreaming
When Tattambo died on 1.1.1868, it was reckoned that he was at least 70. If this was accurate, then he was born prior to 1800. This was well before any first contact with Europeans on Ngurai-illum Wurrung country in northern Victoria. There was a short-lived European settlement at
Waranga Dreaming
Mentioned in the previous story, Tattambo (often referred to by Europeans as King Charles) was apparently born into a clan of the Ngurai-illum Wurrung people called the Gunung Willam, whose home country was on the Campaspe River south of Elmore.1 The names of his parents are unknown. Like his
Waranga Dreaming
Possibly the best-known 19th century Aboriginal person from this area is the man usually referred to as “King Charles” Tattambo, who died in 1868 and is buried at the Murchison cemetery. He had lived right through the period of European colonisation and witnessed monumental changes. There are a number of
Waranga Dreaming
Closely linked to the systems of kinship that were briefly discussed in the previous Waranga Dreaming story are the advanced notions of spirituality that were evident in the lives of Aboriginal people of this area prior to European colonisation. Compared to some of the major religions of today, Aboriginal spirituality
Waranga Dreaming
Each member of the Ngurai-illum Wurrung Aboriginal people belonged to one of two moieties, Bunjil or Waa. Moiety means “half” in Latin, and in the local Aboriginal context means there are two social or ritual groups into which all people are divided. “A person’s affinity with either Bunjil or
Waranga Dreaming
The last story talked about the essential items that the Ngurai-illum Wurrung women would have carried around with them as they moved around country. Similarly, the men would need to select just a few easily-carried items e.g. spears and clubs. Heavy items, such as grinding stones, would be left