Indigenous History and Natural Science
Animals, Knowledge, and Cultural Law in Victoria and Australia
For Indigenous peoples across Victoria and Australia, zoology—the study and understanding of animals—has never been separate from culture, law, or ecology. Animals are kin, teachers, totems, and ancestors; knowledge of their lives is embedded in Country, ceremony, and governance (Rose, 1996; Broome, 2005; Clarke, 2007). In Victoria, groups such as the Kulin Nations, Gunditjmara, Wadawurrung, and Yorta Yorta developed complex zoological systems that guided hunting, ceremonies, and kinship (Clark, 1990; Presland, 1994).
Deep Time Zoological Knowledge
Observation and ecology. Aboriginal peoples observed animal behaviour with precision—migration, breeding cycles, calls, tracks—taught and retained through oral tradition and seasonal calendars (Flood, 2006; Broome, 2005). In the Kulin world, sky–country links tied animal cycles to astronomy; for example, emu egging aligns with the dark constellation “Emu in the Sky” (Stanbridge, 1857; Hamacher, 2012).
Totems as zoology. Totemic relations created obligations to protect species (e.g., eel, crow, kangaroo), embedding biodiversity care in social law (Rose, 1996; Clarke, 2007).
Animals in creation stories. Narratives of Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle) and Waa (crow) encode social law and ecological roles—teaching where, when, and how to take resources (Clark, 1990; Presland, 1994).
Victorian Indigenous Zoology
The Kulin Nations. Moieties of Bunjil and Waa structured marriage rules, ceremony, and ecosystem use. Kangaroos, emus, and possums were harvested under strict cultural regulation that balanced need and renewal (Clark, 1990; Broome, 2005; Gammage, 2011).
Gunditjmara (Western District). Zoology centred on kooyang (short-finned eel), whose life cycle informed the engineering of the Budj Bim aquaculture system—one of the world’s oldest landscape-scale food systems (McNiven & Bell, 2010; UNESCO, 2019). Hunting of emu and marsupials complemented water-based harvests (Broome, 2005).
Yorta Yorta (Murray–Goulburn). Riverine zoology structured diet, ceremony, and identity—long-necked turtles, Murray cod, and waterbirds were managed through seasonal law and place-based rules (Atkinson, 2002).
Animals in Ceremony and Law
Initiations, songs, and dances embody totem species and encode animal behaviour into cultural memory; funerary practices often invoke avian messengers such as owls or crows (Howitt, 1904; Barwick, 1998; Rose, 1996).
Impacts of Colonisation on Zoological Systems
Dispossession severed access to hunting grounds; commercial and recreational shooting eroded populations of kangaroos, emus, and waterbirds; missions curtailed ceremony and teaching (Broome, 2005; Critchett, 1990). Introduced species—rabbits, foxes, cats—and stock overgrazing destabilised ecosystems and cultural food webs (Gammage, 2011; DAWE, 2020).
Aboriginal Zoology and Western Science
Colonists depended on Aboriginal tracking and animal knowledge; early ethnographers recorded (and often appropriated) aspects of this science (Howitt, 1904; Dawson, 1881). Contemporary zoology increasingly recognises Aboriginal ecological expertise in conservation, fire management, and wildlife governance (McNiven & Bell, 2010; DELWP, 2023).
Contemporary Revival
Cultural education, totemic renewal, and on-Country programs now guide wildlife work—from kangaroo management to waterbird protection—led by Traditional Owner groups and community organisations (Wadawurrung TOAC, 2025; Yoorrook, 2025). Partnerships between zoologists and Elders integrate biotelemetry and genetic monitoring with seasonal and ceremonial law (DELWP, 2023).
Global Analogies
Comparable Indigenous zoologies embed animals in social law: Māori whakapapa and kaitiakitanga (Durie, 1998), North American clan systems (Deloria, 2006), and African totemic protections (Sheridan & Nyamweru, 2008). These parallels underscore zoology as a science of relationship.
Conclusion
Aboriginal zoology in Victoria reveals a science that is at once ecological, spiritual, and juridical. From the eagles and crows of the Kulin Nations to the eels of Gunditjmara and turtles of the Yorta Yorta, animals structure kinship, guide ceremony, and sustain ecosystems. Despite colonisation, Aboriginal zoology endures—alive in oral law, revival movements, and conservation partnerships—and reminds us that studying animals is also recognising obligations of care and responsibility.
References
Atkinson, W. (2002). Not One Iota: The Yorta Yorta Struggle for Land Justice. Melbourne: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Barwick, D. (1998). Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal History Monograph.
Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I.D. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.
Clarke, P.A. (2007). Aboriginal People and Their Plants. Sydney: Rosenberg Publishing.
Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers 1834–1848. Melbourne: MUP.
Dawson, J. (1881). Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria. Melbourne: George Robertson.
DAWE (Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment) (2020). Feral Cats in Australia—Impacts and Management. Canberra: Australian Government.
DELWP (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) (2023). Biodiversity 2037 Implementation and Traditional Owner Partnerships. Melbourne: VicGov.
Deloria, V. Jr. (2006). The World We Used to Live In: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men. Golden, CO: Fulcrum.
Durie, M. (1998). Te Mana, Te Kāwanatanga: The Politics of Māori Self-Determination. Auckland: Oxford University Press.
Flood, J. (2006). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Hamacher, D.W. (2012). ‘On Aboriginal Astronomy in Victoria.’ Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage, 15, 121–134.
Howitt, A.W. (1904). The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. London: Macmillan.
McNiven, I.J. & Bell, D. (2010). ‘Fishers and Farmers: Historicising Aboriginal Aquaculture and Agriculture in Victoria.’ Aboriginal History, 34, 165–193.
Presland, G. (1994). Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People. Melbourne: Harriland Press.
Rose, D.B. (1996). Nourishing Terrains: Australian Aboriginal Views of Landscape and Wilderness. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.
Stanbridge, W.E. (1857). ‘On the Astronomy and Mythology of the Aborigines of Victoria.’ Proceedings of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria.
UNESCO (2019). Budj Bim Cultural Landscape World Heritage Listing. Paris: UNESCO.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (2025). Programs & Caring for Country. Geelong: WTOAC.
Yoorrook Justice Commission (2025). Final Report on Truth-Telling and Colonisation in Victoria. Melbourne: Yoorrook.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land and community.
Copyright of MLA – 2025
Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.