Gulidjan
Encyclopedia
The Gulidjan, also known as the Colac tribe, Colijan, Colagdians, Kolakgnat, are an indigenous Australian tribe whose traditional lands cover the Lake Colac
region of Victoria, Australia. They occupied the grasslands, woodlands, volcanic plains and lakes region east of Lake Corangamite
, west of the Barwon River
and north of the Otway Ranges. Their territory bordered the Wada wurrung to the north, Djargurd Wurrung
to the west, Girai Wurrung
to the south-west, and Gadubanud
to the south-east.
The Gulidjan people were hit hard by the European invasion and settlement with most of their lands occupied by squatters by 1838, just 3 years after the Foundation of Melbourne
. The Gulidjan actively resisted settlement by driving off livestock and raiding stations. Such raids inevitably brought retribution by parties of settlers with violent clashes ensuing. Ian Clark reports on three documented attacks in 1839-1840 resulting in aboriginal deaths. More often squatters destroyed campsites and took implements as revenge.
The deaths of Joseph Gellibrand
and George Hesse in 1837 - their fate remains a mystery to this day - were blamed on the Gulidjan with retribution delivered by a settler party accompanied by several Wada wurrung people killing several Gulidjan people.
In September 1837 Gulidjan numbers were estimated at between 35 and 40, with their numbers staying relatively stable into the 1850s where their population was estimated at 78 (43 males and 35 females). With the influx of people searching for gold in the Victorian gold rush during the early 1850s, by 1857 only 16 Gulidjan survived according to Aldo Massola
. Causes of this decline were identified in 1862 as starvation due to European occupation of the best grassed areas of their lands; European diseases such as chicken pox, measles and influenza; association with convicts; and tribal enmity.
The Reverend Francis Tuckfield from the Weslayan Mission Society established a mission station at Birregurra
called Buntingdale on the border of Gulidjan, Gadubanud and Wada Wurrung territory in 1838. Early conflicts between the Gulidjan and Wada Wurrung peoples at the mission persuaded the missionaries to concentrate on one language group - the Gulidjan - in 1842. His efforts at converting the Gulidjan to Christian values and a sedentary lifestyle did not meet with much success, and the mission was closed in 1848 with the Government cancelled the grazing licence in 1850.
In the 1860s a small reserve was established on the Barwon River
at Winchelsea
for the Gulidjan people. The reserve became known as Karngun and was maintained until 1875. A house was built for them on the present Colac hospital site, but they preferred living in their traditional mia-mias. In 1872 16 hectares of land were reserved at Elliminyt, south of Colac for the Gulidjan with a brick house erected on the site. The Gulidjan preferred to use the house as a windbreak. Richard Sharp and Jim Crow, both Gulidjan people, established working leases on the site, and their families continued to hold their respective lots until 1948 when the land was sold by the Victorian Lands Department. Descendants of these families continue to live in the local area.
, Djargurd Wurrung
and Wada wurrung and also had interaction with the Gudabanud. Each person belonged to a moiety of Gabadj (Black Cockatoo) or Guragidj (White Cockatoo).
Lake Colac
Lake Colac is situated to the north of the Colac town centre in Victoria, Australia. The lake provides a home for the Yacht Club, Rowing Club and water skiers during the summer months and has many birds. The foreshore has a playground, boat ramp and the Colac Botanical Gardens. Midway through...
region of Victoria, Australia. They occupied the grasslands, woodlands, volcanic plains and lakes region east of Lake Corangamite
Lake Corangamite
Lake Corangamite is Victoria’s largest natural lake, located near Colac in south-west Victoria, Australia in the Lakes and Craters region of the Victorian Volcanic Plains. The lake is hypersaline, and salinity levels have increased dramatically as the lake level has dropped in recent decades...
, west of the Barwon River
Barwon River (Victoria)
The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...
and north of the Otway Ranges. Their territory bordered the Wada wurrung to the north, Djargurd Wurrung
Djargurd Wurrung
The Djargurd wurrung are Indigenous Australian people who traditionally occupied the territory between Mount Emu Creek and Lake Corangamite, extending to Mount Emu and Cressy in the North, and to Cobden and Swan Marsh in the South in central Victoria and are still represented in the region. The...
to the west, Girai Wurrung
Girai wurrung
The Girai wurrung are Indigenous Australian people who traditionally occupied the territory between Mount Emu Creek and the Hopkins River up to Mount Hamilton, and the Western Otways from the Gellibrand River to the Hopkins River...
to the south-west, and Gadubanud
Gadubanud
The Gadubanud people occupied the rainforest plateau and rugged coastline of Cape Otway in Western Victoria covering the present towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay. The Gellibrand and Barwon Rivers are likely territorial borders with the Wada wurrung to the north east, Gulidjan to the north and Girai...
to the south-east.
History
The Gulidjan, like other Victorian tribes, lived for tens of thousands of years carrying out a semi-nomadic subsistence lifestyle with a system of lore and spirituality interwoven with a sense of place and their role in the geographical landscape.The Gulidjan people were hit hard by the European invasion and settlement with most of their lands occupied by squatters by 1838, just 3 years after the Foundation of Melbourne
Foundation of Melbourne
The city of Melbourne was founded in 1835. The exact circumstances of the foundation of Melbourne, and the question of who should take credit, have long been matters of dispute.-Exploration:...
. The Gulidjan actively resisted settlement by driving off livestock and raiding stations. Such raids inevitably brought retribution by parties of settlers with violent clashes ensuing. Ian Clark reports on three documented attacks in 1839-1840 resulting in aboriginal deaths. More often squatters destroyed campsites and took implements as revenge.
The deaths of Joseph Gellibrand
Joseph Gellibrand
Joseph Tice Gellibrand was the first attorney-general of Van Diemen's Land .-Early life:Joseph Tice Gellibrand was born in England, second son of William Gellibrand and Sophia Louisa, née Hynde...
and George Hesse in 1837 - their fate remains a mystery to this day - were blamed on the Gulidjan with retribution delivered by a settler party accompanied by several Wada wurrung people killing several Gulidjan people.
In September 1837 Gulidjan numbers were estimated at between 35 and 40, with their numbers staying relatively stable into the 1850s where their population was estimated at 78 (43 males and 35 females). With the influx of people searching for gold in the Victorian gold rush during the early 1850s, by 1857 only 16 Gulidjan survived according to Aldo Massola
Aldo Massola
Aldo Massola was an Italian-Australian anthropologist, a curator at the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne from 1954 to 1964, who overcame scandal in his personal life to author a number of influential books about Victoria's indigenous Koori population.Though his work has been superseded and...
. Causes of this decline were identified in 1862 as starvation due to European occupation of the best grassed areas of their lands; European diseases such as chicken pox, measles and influenza; association with convicts; and tribal enmity.
The Reverend Francis Tuckfield from the Weslayan Mission Society established a mission station at Birregurra
Birregurra, Victoria
Birregurra is a town in Victoria, Australia approximately 130 km south-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Birregurra had a population of 688....
called Buntingdale on the border of Gulidjan, Gadubanud and Wada Wurrung territory in 1838. Early conflicts between the Gulidjan and Wada Wurrung peoples at the mission persuaded the missionaries to concentrate on one language group - the Gulidjan - in 1842. His efforts at converting the Gulidjan to Christian values and a sedentary lifestyle did not meet with much success, and the mission was closed in 1848 with the Government cancelled the grazing licence in 1850.
In the 1860s a small reserve was established on the Barwon River
Barwon River (Victoria)
The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...
at Winchelsea
Winchelsea, Victoria
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong .- History :...
for the Gulidjan people. The reserve became known as Karngun and was maintained until 1875. A house was built for them on the present Colac hospital site, but they preferred living in their traditional mia-mias. In 1872 16 hectares of land were reserved at Elliminyt, south of Colac for the Gulidjan with a brick house erected on the site. The Gulidjan preferred to use the house as a windbreak. Richard Sharp and Jim Crow, both Gulidjan people, established working leases on the site, and their families continued to hold their respective lots until 1948 when the land was sold by the Victorian Lands Department. Descendants of these families continue to live in the local area.
Society
The Gulidjan are a matrilineal society who intermarried with the Djab WurrungDjab Wurrung
The Djab wurrung people are Indigenous Australians who occupy the volcanic plains of central Victoria from the Mount William Range of Gariwerd in the west to the Pyrenees range in the east encompassing the Wimmera River flowing north and the headwaters of the Hopkins River flowing south. The towns...
, Djargurd Wurrung
Djargurd Wurrung
The Djargurd wurrung are Indigenous Australian people who traditionally occupied the territory between Mount Emu Creek and Lake Corangamite, extending to Mount Emu and Cressy in the North, and to Cobden and Swan Marsh in the South in central Victoria and are still represented in the region. The...
and Wada wurrung and also had interaction with the Gudabanud. Each person belonged to a moiety of Gabadj (Black Cockatoo) or Guragidj (White Cockatoo).
Clans
Prior to European settlement, 4 separate clans existed| No | Clan Name | Approximate Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beeac Clan | Lake Beeac Lake Beeac Lake Beeac is a hypersaline lake in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located about northeast of Colac and covers an area of . Its high salinity gives it a milky-blue colour.-Wildlife:... |
| 2 | Birregurra Clan | Birregurra |
| 3 | Guraldjin balug | 'Ingleby' station, on the Barwon River |
| 4 | Gulidjan Balug | Vicinity of Lake Colac |
Language
The language was first identified in 1839, although much of the detail and vocabulary has been lost, there is sufficient to confirm that it constituted a separate language. About 100 words of the Gulidjan language have survived. Some analysis suggests it may be a mixed language or creole language having something in common with each of the neighboring languages. Earliest sources refer to the language as Gulidjan, although James Dawson favoured 'Kolakgnat' which means 'belonging to sand'.External links
- Aboriginal Heritage in Central South west Victoria
- Colac - Redreaming the Plain website