The History of the Kulin Nation: Culture, Country, and Colonisation
The Kulin Nation is a confederacy of Aboriginal peoples whose lands cover much of central Victoria, including Melbourne (Narrm), the Yarra and Maribyrnong River valleys, and the surrounding plains and ranges. For tens of thousands of years before colonisation, the Kulin shared cultural law, ceremony, and kinship ties while managing Country sustainably through fire, seasonal movement, and complex governance systems (Broome, 2005; Clark, 1990).
The word “Kulin” itself comes from local Aboriginal languages, meaning “man” or “people” (Clark & Heydon, 2002). The use of the word “Nation” to describe the confederacy is a later colonial and English framing. Aboriginal communities described themselves through clan, moiety, and language groups, but Europeans adopted the term “nation” to describe the collective alliance of the five groups.
With the arrival of Europeans in the 1830s, the Kulin were among the first Aboriginal peoples in Victoria to experience colonisation. They faced violence, dispossession, and population collapse (Critchett, 1990), yet their cultural identity endures and continues to shape Victoria today.
The Peoples of the Kulin Nation
The Kulin Nation is made up of five closely related language groups (Clark, 1990):
Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri people) — the upper Yarra and Plenty River valleys, around present-day Melbourne.
Boonwurrung — the coastal areas around Port Phillip Bay and Western Port.
Taungurung — the Goulburn River valley and surrounding highlands.
Wadawurrung (Wathaurong) — Geelong, Ballarat, and the Bellarine Peninsula.
Dja Dja Wurrung — the Loddon River valley and central Victorian goldfields.
Together, these people formed a confederacy bound by shared cultural law and intermarriage, while still maintaining distinct identities and Country (Broome, 2005).
Culture and Law
Moieties and Kinship
Kulin society was organised into two main moieties: Bunjil (the wedge-tailed eagle) and Waa (the crow).
Every person belonged to one moiety, and marriage had to occur across moieties, creating balance and interconnection between clans (Broome, 2005).
Ceremony and Corroboree
The Kulin gathered for large ceremonial meetings at sites such as Merri Creek and Mount William (Barwick, 1998).
Corroborees, songlines, and dance reaffirmed law and kinship ties across the confederacy.
Country and Fire Management
Kulin peoples practised seasonal burning to encourage grass growth, attract kangaroos, and maintain biodiversity (Gammage, 2011; Reynolds, 1987).
Staple food sources included murnong (yam daisy), hunted game, fish, and eels (Clarke & Heydon, 2002).
Spiritual and Ecological Worldview
Bunjil (the eagle) was revered as the creator and lawgiver, while Waa (the crow) was his counterpart, shaping social rules and balance (Broome, 2005).
Songlines connected sites across Kulin Country, linking people spiritually to land and sky (Clark & Heydon, 2002).
Waterways, such as the Yarra (Birrarung), were central to both cultural and physical life.
First Encounters with Colonisation
Early Contact
European ships entered Port Phillip Bay in 1802–03, but permanent settlement did not begin until 1835 with Batman and Fawkner’s rival expeditions (Broome, 2005).
John Batman’s so-called “treaty” with Wurundjeri elders exchanged blankets and goods for vast tracts of land. The Kulin may have understood this as a tanderrum (ceremonial welcome), not a permanent sale (Reynolds, 1987).
Case Study: The Batman “Treaty” (1835)
In June 1835, John Batman claimed to have negotiated a treaty with Wurundjeri Elders along the Merri Creek.
The Exchange: Batman presented blankets, knives, flour, and other goods in return for a signed document granting him over 200,000 hectares of land (Reynolds, 1987).
Kulin Perspective: Evidence suggests the Wurundjeri Elders believed this was a tanderrum — a temporary diplomatic welcome — rather than an outright land sale (Broome, 2005).
Colonial Response: Governor Bourke declared the treaty invalid under British law, issuing the Proclamation of Terra Nullius in August 1835 (Critchett, 1990).
Legacy: Despite its illegitimacy, the Batman “treaty” remains the only recorded attempt at treaty-making between colonists and Aboriginal peoples in mainland Australia until modern times. It highlights the clash of cultural understandings about land, law, and authority.
Dispossession and Conflict
Within a decade, most Kulin lands were seized for sheep and cattle grazing (Critchett, 1990).
The destruction of murnong by livestock caused widespread hunger (Broome, 2005).
Violence followed: massacres occurred at sites such as Mt Cottrell (1836) and across the Western District frontier (Critchett, 1990).
Population Collapse
In 1835, the Kulin population was estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 across central Victoria (Broome, 2005).
By 1850, the numbers had fallen below 2,000 due to introduced diseases, killings, and displacement (Clark, 1990).
Survivors were forced onto missions such as Nerre Nerre Warren and later Coranderrk.
Early 1900s: Only a few hundred recorded on missions (Critchett, 1990).
Today: Thousands of Kulin descendants live in Victoria, many active in community and cultural organisations.
Missions and the Fight for Survival
Coranderrk Mission (1863–1924) near Healesville became a refuge for many Woiwurrung, Taungurung, and other Kulin survivors (Barwick, 1998).
Coranderrk residents fought for land rights and self-determination, petitioning the government and gaining national attention (Broome, 2005).
Despite oppressive policies such as the Half-Caste Acts (1869, 1886), the Kulin maintained community and cultural practices (Reynolds, 1987).
Case Study: Coranderrk — Survival and Resistance
Foundation: Established in 1863 after survivors were displaced from Nerre Nerre Warren, Coranderrk became a multi-clan refuge (Barwick, 1998).
Economic Success: Residents established a thriving farm, producing hops, vegetables, and livestock for the Melbourne market (Broome, 2005).
Political Resistance: Leaders such as William Barak and Simon Wonga petitioned the colonial government for land rights and autonomy, pioneering Aboriginal political activism (Barwick, 1998).
Government Retaliation: Settlers and politicians undermined Coranderrk through restrictive laws, such as the Half-Caste Acts (Reynolds, 1987).
Legacy: Coranderrk remains a symbol of Aboriginal resilience and political struggle. Today, it is recognised as a key site of truth-telling in Victoria.
Modern Kulin Nation
Today, the Kulin peoples are represented through cultural and land management organisations, including:
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
Bunurong Lan Council Aboriginal Corporation and Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council.
Taungurung Land and Waters Council.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Wathaurong Aboriginal Corporation.
Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation.
These organisations work on:
Cultural revival: language, ceremony, and education.
Land management: fire practices, waterway restoration, and conservation.
Truth-telling and Treaty: The Victorian Treaty process and the Yoorrook Justice Commission (Broome, 2005).
Conclusion
The history of the Kulin Nation is one of deep cultural continuity, devastating colonisation, and survival. For tens of thousands of years, the Woiwurrung, Boonwurrung, Taungurung, Wadawurrung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples managed Country through ceremony, kinship, and law (Broome, 2005).
Colonisation brought dispossession, massacres, population collapse, and missions. Yet, as the Batman “Treaty” and Coranderrk case studies show, the Kulin responded with diplomacy, resilience, and political struggle. Today, the Kulin peoples lead cultural revival, environmental stewardship, and truth-telling, ensuring that Narrm and Victoria recognise their past, present, and future as Kulin Country.
Reference List
Barwick, D. (1998). Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal History Monograph.
Broome, R. (2005). Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I. (1990). Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.
Clark, I. & Heydon, T. (2002). Dictionary of Aboriginal Placenames of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages.
Critchett, J. (1990). A Distant Field of Murder: Western District Frontiers, 1834–1848. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Reynolds, H. (1987). The Law of the Land. Ringwood: Penguin.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
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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.