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
Waranga Dreaming
Although it is well established that Aboriginal people in the Waranga area were much more than just hunter-gatherers, there is plenty of evidence of seasonal migration around Ngurai-illum Wurrung country. Before times of travel, the women had to decide what items they would need to always carry with them. There
Waranga Dreaming
Another local resource that has been mentioned in relation to the making of possum skin cloaks are the shells of freshwater mussels. Apparently, the shells were used to scrape excess animal fat from the inside of the possum skins before they were dried. They were also used to incise patterns
Waranga Dreaming
In recent stories about corroborees and possum-skin cloaks, mention was made of the use of ochre. Ochre is a natural clay earth pigment containing iron oxide that the local Aboriginal people used to produce paint. The paint was then used for all sorts of artistic decoration and for cultural purposes.
Waranga Dreaming
As noted in the previous story, perhaps the most prized possessions of local Aboriginal people were their possum skin cloaks. Over time, a person’s possum skin cloak would grow in size, and as well as being a practical item, was an important cultural object. The decoration on the leather