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William Barak, named Beruk by his parents, (1823 – 15 August 1903), the "last chief of the Yarra Yarra tribe", was the last traditional
ngurungaeta An Ngurungaeta is a Woiwurrung head man or tribal leader of clans of the Woiwurrung tribes and Taungurung Ngurai-illum Wurrung. Ngurungaeta held the same tribal standing as an Arweet of the Bunurong and Wathaurong people. The current Ngurungaeta is ...
(elder) of the
Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourne ...
-willam clan, the pre-colonial inhabitants of present-day
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. He became an influential spokesman for Aboriginal social justice and an important informant on Wurundjeri cultural
lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in Lau ...
. In his later life Barak painted and drew Wurundjeri
ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...
and carved weapons and tools. He is now considered a significant Aboriginal artist of the nineteenth century.


Early life and education

Barak was born in March 1823 (some sources say 1824) at Brushy Creek, near present-day
Wonga Park Wonga Park is a locality on the edge of Greater Melbourne, beyond the Melbourne Metropolitan Urban Growth Boundary area, 28 km north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Manningham and Maroondah an ...
(named after Barak's cousin
Simon Wonga Simon Wonga (1824–1874), ngurungaeta and son of Billibellary, was an Aboriginal Australian elder, elder of the Wurundjeri people, who lived in the Melbourne area of Australia before European settlement. He was resolute that his people would su ...
), at the Barngeong Birthing Site, His mother, Tooterrie, came from the Nourailum bulluk at
Murchison, Victoria Murchison is a small riverside rural village located on the Goulburn River in Victoria, Australia. Murchison is located 167 kilometres from Melbourne and is just to the west of the Goulburn Valley Highway between Shepparton and Nagambie. The surr ...
. His father, Bebejan (or Bebejern), was an important member, or ngurunaeta, of the Wurundjeri people.PDF
/ref> His parents named him Beruk. Barak was said to have been present as a boy when
John Batman John Batman (21 January 18016 May 1839) was an Australian grazier, entrepreneur and explorer. He is best known for his role in the founding of Melbourne. Born and raised in the then-British colony of New South Wales, Batman settled in Van Die ...
met with the tribal elders to "purchase" the Melbourne area in 1835. Ninggalobin, Poleorong and
Billibellary Billibellary (c. 1799–10 August 1846) was a song maker and influential ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan during the early years of European settlement of Melbourne. He was known by various names including Billi-billeri, Billibellary, Jik ...
were the leading song makers and principal Wurundjeri leaders in the Melbourne region of the
colony of Victoria In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
. European colonisation had caused disruptions to initiation ceremonies. In response these three men gathered at South Yarra in the late 1830s and inducted the young Barak into Aboriginal lore. This entailed formally presenting him with the symbols of manhood: strips of possum skin tied around his
biceps The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join ...
; the gombert (reed necklace) around his neck; given his ilbi-jerri, a sharp and narrow bone or nose-peg; and his branjep, the apron worn by men to cover their genitals. At the end of the ceremony Barak presented his uncle, Billibellary, a
possum-skin cloak Possum-skin cloaks were a form of clothing worn by Aboriginal people in the south-east of Australia – present-day Victoria and New South Wales. The cloaks were made from numerous possum pelts sewn together with kangaroo sinew, and often dec ...
. Barak attended the government's Yarra Mission School from 1837 to 1839. When he joined the
Native Mounted Police Australian native police units, consisting of Aboriginal troopers under the command (usually) of at least one white officer, existed in various forms in all Australian mainland colonies during the nineteenth and, in some cases, into the twentie ...
in 1844, he adopted the name "William". He had excellent skills as a tracker, and on one occasion helped to find
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...
and his gang.


Leader and spokesperson

Barak was an influential figure in petitioning for and setting up the Aboriginal farming community known as
Coranderrk Coranderrk was an Aboriginal reserve run by the Victorian government between 1863 and 1924, located around north-east of Melbourne. The residents were mainly of the Woiwurrung, Bunurong and Taungurong peoples, and the first inhabitants chose ...
, near
Healesville, Victoria Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. H ...
, where he settled in 1863. He attended the mission school and converted to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
there. Upon the death of his cousin
Simon Wonga Simon Wonga (1824–1874), ngurungaeta and son of Billibellary, was an Aboriginal Australian elder, elder of the Wurundjeri people, who lived in the Melbourne area of Australia before European settlement. He was resolute that his people would su ...
in December 1874, Barak became the Ngurungaeta of the clan. He worked tirelessly for his people and was a successful negotiator on their behalf. He was a highly respected man and leader, with standing amongst the Indigenous people and the European settlers. In the role of Ngurungaeta, Barak invited settlers to the reserve, and developed relationships with key colonial figures, including governors, politicians and men and women who became his friends and patrons. Scottish philanthropist
Anne Fraser Bon Anne Fraser Bon (9 April 1838 – 5 June 1936) was a Scottish-born Australian pastoralist, philanthropist and advocate for Aboriginal people. She was born in Perthshire, Scotland and was the second daughter of physician David Dougall. In 1858, s ...
was a long time supporter and friend of Barak, including during the campaigns to prevent the closure of Coranderrk reserve. Graham Berry was also a key contact during the 1880s when the
Aboriginal Protection Board Aboriginal Protection Board, also known as Aborigines Protection Board, Board for the Protection of Aborigines, Aborigines Welfare Board (and in later sources, incorrectly as Aboriginal Welfare Board), and similar names, refers to a number of hi ...
sought to have Coranderrk closed, and Barak was welcomed at government house by Sir
Henry Brougham Loch Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch, (23 May 1827 – 20 June 1900) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. Military service Henry Loch was the son of James Loch, Member of Parliament, of Drylaw, Midlothian. He entered the Royal Navy ...
. Barak and other elders walked from Coranderrk to
Parliament House, Melbourne Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Victoria, one of the parliaments of the Australian states and territories. Located on Spring Street on the edge of the Hoddle Grid, the grand colonnaded front dominates the vista up ...
to approach parliamentarians directly several times, as well as using newspapers to further their cause. In the meantime, Barak became widely known both at home and abroad, for his art and maintenance of culture as well as a singer and storyteller.


Later life and death

In 1882 Barak's wife and child died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. At this time he provided key information on
Kulin Kulin may refer to: Places *Kulin, Western Australia, a small town in Australia ** Shire of Kulin, a local government area *Kulin, Iran, a village near Tehran *Kulin, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, a village in south-west Poland *Kulin, Kuyavian-Pome ...
traditions and kinship to anthropologist
Alfred William Howitt Alfred William Howitt , (17 April 1830 – 7 March 1908), also known by author abbreviation A.W. Howitt, was an Australian anthropologist, explorer and naturalist. He was known for leading the Victorian Relief Expedition, which set out to es ...
. From the 1880s until his death Barak painted and drew, using a combination of European and traditional materials and techniques, including
ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
,
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
,
watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
and pencil. Barak died at Coranderrk on 15 August 1903 and is buried at the Coranderrk cemetery. He was about 85 years old.


Artworks

Barak is remembered for his artworks, which show both traditional Indigenous life and encounters with
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
s. Most of Barak's drawings were completed at Coranderrk during the 1880s and 1890s, and many depicted and preserved important Wurundjeri stories and traditions, such as
corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...
s and
ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...
, showing Wurundjeri people wearing intricate ochre-coloured possum-skin cloaks. A descendant of Barak, elder Ron Jones, said in 2022: Barak's works are now highly prized and exhibited in leading public galleries in Australia and several international collections. ''Ceremony'' (1895) is housed at the
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery The Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by the citizens of Ballarat, both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian H ...
, donated by Anne Fraser Bon. Bon's donation to the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery represents the first Indigenous artwork to enter a major public art gallery. Other state and national galleries also include one or more paintings by Barak in their collections, including the
South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...
,
State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...
,
Museums Victoria Museums Victoria is an organisation which operates three major state-owned museums in Melbourne, Victoria: the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum. It also manages the Royal Exhibition Building and a storage facil ...
,
National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...
,
National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...
, and
QAGOMA The Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, colloquially known as QAGOMA, is an art museum in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It consists of the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG), which is the main building, and a second gallery, the Ga ...
. Barak's paintings are also located in international collections including the
Ethnological Museum of Berlin The Ethnological Museum of Berlin (german: Ethnologisches Museum Berlin) is one of the Berlin State Museums (german: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin), the de facto national collection of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is presently located in ...
, the Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut, and the Musée D’ethnographie De Neuchâtel. In 2003 the
National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
held an exhibition ''Remembering Barak'' to commemorate his life and work. An education resource was developed to accompany the exhibition. A shield and a painting, gifted by Barak in 1897 to his friends, a Swiss family who owned vineyards in the
Yarra Valley The Yarra Valley is the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The name Yarra Valley ...
, were auctioned by
Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
in May 2022, by descendants living in Switzerland. The artworks were purchased by the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Corporation with raised by
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
, given by the
Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...
, and donations from the
City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. In 2018, the city has an area of and had a population of 169,961. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. The ci ...
and
Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is t ...
. Another branch of the de Pury family who lived in Victoria had earlier donated all the William Barak works in their possession to the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum.


Recognition and legacy

In 1885 Anne Fraser Bon commissioned a portrait of Barak, which was painted by Florence Ada Fuller. It now hangs in the State Library Victoria. In 2004 Nillumbik Shire Council registered the place name Barak Bushlands, previously known as the Falkiner Street Reserve, along the
Diamond Creek Diamond Creek is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Nillumbik local government area. Diamond Creek recorded a population of 12,503 at the 20 ...
in
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...
. In 2005 a footbridge called the "William Barak Bridge" was constructed stretching from Birrarung Marr to the
MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...
, improving the link between some of Melbourne's biggest sports and entertainment venues and the heart of the CBD. In 2006 a permanent sound installation called "Proximities" was installed on the bridge. It was designed by
David Chesworth David Chesworth (born 1958, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) is an Australian-based interdisciplinary artist and composer. Known for his experimental and at times minimalist music, he has worked solo, in post-punk groups (Essendon Airport, Whadya ...
and Sonia Leber. Its central section features a welcome song sung in
Woiwurrung The Woiwurrung, also spelt Woi Wurrung, Woiwurrong, Woiworung, Wuywurung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin people, Kulin alliance. The Woiwurrung people's territory in Central Victoria (Austral ...
by
Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourne ...
Elder, and Barak's descendant,
Joy Murphy Wandin Joy Murphy Wandin is an Indigenous Australian, Senior Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin alliance in Victoria, Australia. She has given the traditional ''welcome to country'' greeting at many Melbourne events and to many distinguished visitors where ...
. In 2011 Barak was inducted on to the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Roll. In 2015 a image of Barak was used to form the facade of an apartment building called Swanston Square in Melbourne. The portrait is formed by the white balconies against a black wall.


References


External links

*
William Barak
by Joy Murphy-Wandin
William Barak
"A brief essay about William Barak drawn from the booklet ''William Barak - Bridge Builder of the Kulin'' by Gibb Wettenhall, and published by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria." {{DEFAULTSORT:Barak, William Australian Aboriginal artists 19th-century Australian artists 1820s births 1903 deaths Australian indigenous rights activists Wurundjeri Activists from Melbourne Australian Aboriginal elders