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Wurundjeri

One of the Koorie clans in the Port Phillip region at the time of European settlement, Wurundjeri clanspeople spoke a language called Woi wurrung which united them with three other clans in the region. Collectively, the estates of these four clans occupied the drainage basin of the Yarra River and its tributaries. Because it was the Wurundjeri who were seen around the settlement more than other groups (it being in their estate), the term 'Wurundjeri' has passed into the historical literature as the name of the language group or tribe, and is often used today as an alternative for Woi wurrung. Descendants of the original clans are recognised today as the land-holders in the Melbourne area, and refer to themselves as Wurundjeri. Wurundjeri elders conduct the gum leaf welcoming ceremony on official occasions.

Gary Presland