WHY KURNAI TRIBESMEN FROM GIPPSLAND HAD ATTACKED THE BUNURONG CLANS AND KILLED HALF OF THEM

The first Australians who lived in the Mordialloc district were the Bunurong people who formed part of what was the Kulin nation, a group of five tribes that occupied Victoria’s central district surrounding Port Phillip Bay and its hinterland.

The Kulin nation comprised the Jajowrong tribe that lived in the western area north of Ballarat, the Wathaurung people from the Geelong district, the Woiworung tribe of the lower Yarra valley (including the Wurundjeri clan), the Taungurongs from the hilly district surrounding Seymour, and the Bunurong tribe of the coastal lands around Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay and Wilsons Promontory. Mordialloc was important for the Bunurong tribe, because part of the upstream creek valley acted as a boundary with the neighbouring Woiworungs, and the creek provided fresh water and plentiful food as well. Bunurong people traversed the whole coastal fringe of Port Phillip around as far as the Geelong area.

When the first whites came to Port Phillip Bay just after 1800 the Bunurong tribe was small in number, estimates putting their total population at around 300. There is evidence that about this time the Kurnai tribesmen from Gippsland had attacked the Bunurong clans and killed up to half of them. Kurnai people seem to have been long-term enemies of the Bunurong tribe.

The Warrowen massacre was an apparent mass killing of Bunurong people by a group of Kurnai people in the vicinity of present-day Brighton, Victoria, Australia. It is dated to the early 1830s, close in time to the founding of Melbourne. The killing was recorded separately several years later by William Thomas and George Augustus Robinson, based on testimony from Aboriginal sources. Thomas stated that at least 60 people had been killed. According to Robinson, the massacre contributed to the end of an entire Bunurong clan, the Yowengerre, allowing a Kurnai clan to take over their territory.

POSSIBLE REASONS:

• Resource Competition: Indigenous groups relied on the land’s resources for their survival, including food, water, and materials for tools and shelter. Competition for these resources could lead to conflict.
• Territorial Boundaries: Different groups often had well-defined territorial boundaries, and disputes over land and territory could result in conflicts.
• Cultural Differences: Indigenous groups had distinct languages, customs, and cultural practices. Differences in culture and social norms could lead to misunderstandings and tensions.
• Environmental Factors: Changes in the environment, such as shifts in resources due to climate or other factors, could lead to disputes over access to these resources.
• Social Factors: Personal disputes or conflicts between individuals within or between groups could escalate into larger conflicts.