The Ngurelban or Ngurai-illamwurrung are an
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...
people of the
state of Victoria
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state i ...
.
Language
The
Ngurelban language was similar to
that of the Taungurung, the neighbouring tribe to their east.
Country
Ngurelban tribal territory takes in an estimated 3,000 sq. miles of land. According to
Norman Tindale
Norman Barnett Tindale AO (12 October 1900 – 19 November 1993) was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist.
Life
Tindale was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1900. His family moved to Tokyo and lived ther ...
, it runs along the
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River, an inland intermittent river of the northcentral catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The h ...
, has its northern boundary edging on
Echuca
Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...
, its western frontier probably not beyond
Gunbower. It extended south of
Tatura
Tatura is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia, and is situated within the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital (Melbourne) and west of the regional centre of Shepparton. At the ...
along the
Goulburn River
The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...
to Old Crossing (Mitchellstown), and north of
Seymour.
Social organisation
Ngurelban were organised according to three
groups
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
or clans:
* Pimpandoor to the northwest, at
Colbinabbin
Colbinabbin is a town in central Victoria, Australia. The name is derived from aboriginal meaning "the meeting of the black and red soils". At the , Colbinabbin and the surrounding area had a population of 297.
History
Located on the banks of C ...
, known for keeping their distance and for having a relationship of tense rivalry with other groups;
*
Ngooraialum, a northern clan; and
* Paboinboolok, the group at
Lake Cooper.
History of contact
By the late 1830s the pressure of the effects of grazing on their pastoral lands from livestock introduced by squatters had started to create serious problems for the Ngurelban. In 1839 one of them, Moonin Moonin, complained that:
''Jumbuck'' and ''Bulgana'' (sheep and cattle) were eating and destroying Aboriginal game pastures and staples like yams and ''mirr-n'yong'' roots.'
Alternative names
* ''Gunn-el-ban''
* ''Gnurellean.''
* ''Nouralung-bula,''
* ''Nguralung-bula.''
* ''Noorillim.''
* ''
Ngooraialum''
* ''Ngurilim.''
* ''Ooraialum'' ( a mishearing that dropped the initial ng-).''Oorilim. Oorallim.''
* ''Woo-ral-lim.''
* ''Panyool.''
* ''Paboinboolok''. ''Panpandoor.''
Notes
Citations
References
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{{authority control
Aboriginal peoples of Victoria (state)
History of Victoria (state)