An introduction to Boon Wurrung language from Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir

Dance is important to Aboriginal people and tells stories of exciting events that occur at certain times in their lives – hunting, a child born. It also has a lot to do with where you live on country.

This is very important when the Elders are passing on knowledge to children. If you don’t listen you miss part of the story and it won’t be repeated.

With asking a name we also ask whose mob they belong to, as they could be related. It’s the first thing we ask of a Koori person.

A gathering place for many special occasions for our mob to get together to barter, arrange marriages, to create dances, to pass on knowledge and to catch up with extended families and for new additions to family to be introduced.

This is an invitation to share food with each other and sit around and share stories.

We have two moieties in our traditional group.  There is Bundjil the eagle, creator of all that you can see on country – the hills and mountains, waterways, rivers, creeks and billabongs. The trees that give shelter to various creatures, and wood and bark for the houses or weelams of the Boon Wurrung peoples. He also was called upon to settle disputes between people.

The other moiety is Waang the black crow. He is our protector of the waterways, rivers, creeks and billabongs. He makes sure that fresh water would run and be in plentiful supply for our people and the birds and animals.

This is a tracking device when out hunting but also to see what animals or birds have been down to the waterhole to drink.

Finding out about family and people in the family, who you are connected to.

When in discussion about country (home).

It’s a location of where you live. Country to First Nations people is very important to them. It’s our mother; she provides the food for us to survive. If we do not look after our mother she will not look after us.