DJA DJA WURRING PEOPLE OF ADEKATE

DJA DJA WURRUNG PEOPLE OF ADEKATE

In the words of the Dja Dja Wurrung people Womin-dji-ka | Welcome

Quoting the words of Aunty Fay Carter OAM, Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, “all that we do is dedicated to our Dja Dja Wurrung Martiinga kuli (Ancestors)”. “I’d like the rest of the world to know that Dja Dja Wurrung still exist. We are still here as a People. And, we are proud and value our Culture. Furthermore, we honour our Martiinga kuli, and everything that we do, we are doing on behalf of our Martiinga kuli, who didn’t have the voice that we have today.”

WHERE IS OUR LAND

Most important, we should all make ourselves aware of the land that encompasses the Dja Dja Wurrung people. This map shows the distibution of our lands.

Dja Dja Wurrung map

Thank you to Djandak website for this detailed map. You can find more information on Djandak, click here.

GIYAKIKI | OUR STORY

Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) ( (Pronounced Ja-Ja-war-rung)) have lived on our traditional lands and cared for djandak (Country) over many thousands of years.

Tor us, Djandak is more than just a landscape, it is more than what is visible to the eye. It is a living entity which holds the stories of creation and histories that cannot be erased.

Our Martinga kuli (Ancestors) looked after this Country and it is for this reason, we are duty bound to look after it for the future generations.

FURTHERMORE:

“For my People, our djandak is our being. It is a landscape in which the tangible is interwoven with our dreaming stories, our Lore and our Martinga kuli murrup (Ancestral spirits). It is the land that gave birth to our Martiinga kuli and nourished and sheltered them. In return they were the guardians of djandak, in the care of the waterways and woodlands, ensuring the health and future of both djandak and Djaara.”

Trent Nelson, Chairperson

TRAGIC EVENTS IN HISTORY

In light of the historical tragedies of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, we have chosen only to mention a few points in time. There are records of many contracting Small Pox between 1789 -1825. According to a census undertaken in 1840, there were 282 Djadja wurrung, all that remained of the 900–1900 people estimated to be in Djadja wurrung territory in 1836 when the first white colonizer, Thomas Mitchell, passed through their territory.

The Dja Dja Wurrung peoples experienced two waves of settlement and dispossession: from the south from 1837 and from the north from 1845.

On behalf of The Uniting Church, I urge you to read our ‘Walking Together as First and Seconds Nation People’ where you can find more information click here.