Our Elder Advisor Uncle Shane Charles says:
Wominjeka. Welcome to the lands of the Eastern Kulin Nation. This is my country. This is your country. This is our country.
The one thing I see is missing is cultural intelligence. Let’s bring back the spirit, let’s bring culture out of the box and walk this ancient journey together. Throw away that deficit lens! Talk about deep listening, you’ve got to feel it first. That’s the most profound experience. Explore the migration journey of the eel; connect with the land and the heavens, respect and enjoy this beautiful land of Bunjil and Waa, the country of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong. Us Indigenous people can’t do it all for you.
Deconstruct, reconstruct. Feel the energy and learn from Mother Earth.
The greater Melbourne area is home to two main groups of Traditional Owners.
Our local area, in and around the City of Stonnington/Federal electorate of Higgins, sits at the meeting of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong/Boonwurrung country. The Bunurong people are recognised as Traditional Owners across a large part of Stonnington, with areas to the north and northeast acknowledged as Wurundjeri land. Both groups are peoples of the East Kulin Nations, sharing ancestors, kinship networks and common elements of language and cultural practice.
Before European settlement this was bountiful country, rich in waterways and plant life, teeming with animals and fish including migratory eels, a major food source.
People gathered here for trade and ceremony, to exchange goods, deepen kinship ties and care for country including through song, dance and story.
We in Rewilding Stonnington acknowledge Aboriginal culture as a living culture. We want to play our part in restoring and regenerating connections lost in the course of wholesale and often thoughtless changes over the past two hundred years. We do what we can to combat the impact of climate change. Respecting and learning from the wisdom of Elders past, present and emerging. Listening to country, helping it heal, helping all living things grow and thrive.
For more information contact City of Stonnington: Aboriginal Liaison Officer
Reconciliation Stonnington
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation
Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
