Gunditjmara

Gunditjmara, or Gundidj for short, are an Indigenous Australian group from western Victoria (Gunditj = belonging to, mara = person). Their neighbours to the west were the Buandig people, to the north the Jardwadjali and Djab wurrung peoples, and in the east the Girai wurrung people.

The name may also be spelt Gournditch-Mara. Sub-groups, based on differing dialects, include Dhauwurd wurrung. Alternative names include Dhauhurtwurru (language name), Kunditjmara, Gournditch-mara, Kuurn-kopan-noot (language name) Kirurndit, Tourahonong, Weeritch-Weeritch, Ngutuk ("thou" by adjacent tribe), Villiers tribe, Spring Creek tribe (a grp), Port Fairy tribe (a grp), Gournditch-Mara, Gurndidy, Dhaurwurd-Wurrung.

They were traditionally river and lake people, with Framlingham Forest, Lake Condah and the surrounding river systems being of great importance to them economically and spiritually. They had a sophisticated system of aquaculture and eel farming as well as stone dwellings. They built stone dams to hold the water in these areas, creating ponds and wetlands in which they grew Short-finned eels and other fish. They also created channels linking these wetlands.These channels contained weirs with large woven baskets made by women to harvest mature eels.

In 1833, whalers clashed with the Kilcarer Gundidj on the beach at Portland. Under dispute was the carcass of a beached whale. There is some current debate as to the veracity of reports regarding this massacre. However, diary reports of the time refer to a skirmish, involving Gunditj throwing spears and whalers firing guns. Though no mention of any fatalities were first recorded by Robinson, he later surmised in his official report that there were many killed, with only two surviving. This surmise being based upon his Aboriginal interpreters who did not speak the local dialect. Not two months after writing his interpretation of this clash, stating of no incidence of any remaining local Aboriginals, a letter from the Portland Police Magistrate to Governor Latrobe stating of up to 200 Aboriginals amassing at the Convincing Ground contradicts Robinson's journal.

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