William Barak

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William Barak , also Beruk , (* 1824 in Croydon ; † August 15, 1903 in Coranderrk ) was the last Ngurungaeta (tribal leader) of the Wurundjeri- Willam clan, whose members still live in the Melbourne area in Australia to this day . Barak campaigned resolutely for social justice and for the preservation of the Wurundjeri culture.

Barak outlines a corroboree .

Life

Bebejan was his father, a tribal leader (elder or ngurungaeta). Barak was born the sixth child in his family, married three times and had three children of his own. Barak is said to have been there with his father when eight tribal leaders and John Batman reportedly signed the Batman Treaty in 1835.

Ninggalobin, Poleorong and Billibellary were not only important Wurundjeri tribal leaders but also song singers. The European colonization disrupted the holding of initiation ceremonies of the Aborigines. In response, the three tribal leaders met in southern Yarra in the late 1830s and instructed young William Barak on this secret knowledge. Barak was presented with the symbols of masculinity: strips of possum skin that were wrapped around his biceps, the gombert, a necklace made of reed grass, and a branjep, the apron that men wore to cover their genitals. At the end of the ceremony, Barak presented his uncle Billibellary with a possum skin coat.

Berak attended the state-run Yarra Mission School from 1837 to 1839. When he entered the Native Police Corps in 1844 , he was given the name William and Baruk (which became William Barak) and he was given Police Trooper No. 19. At the beginning of 1863 Barak went with 30 other Aborigines to Coranderrk Station , near the town of Healesville .

After the death of tribal leader Simon Wonga in 1875 he became a clan leader. He stood up for his tribe and was a successful negotiator. He was highly regarded, both among the Aborigines and among the European settlers.

Figures in possum skin mantle, 1898 by William Barak.

painter

His works of art, which show the traditional life of the Aborigines and the encounter with the European ethnic groups, are reminiscent of Barak. He had not completed any formal training as an artist. Most of his paintings were created in Coranderrk in the 1880s and 1890s. They are extremely valuable and are featured in Australia's leading galleries. His work is in permanent exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Ian Potter Center in Federation Square in Melbourne. His work Ceremony from 1895 is exhibited in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery in Ballarat .

Barak died in Coranderrk in 1903 and was buried in Coranderrk Cemetery.

The grave and headstone of Barak in Coranderrk Cemetery.

Naming

In 2005 the 525 meter long footbridge in the center of Melbourne was named William Barak bridge . A song "Proximities" is installed on the bridge, which plays a welcome song, partly sung by a descendant of Barak, Joy Murphy Wandin , in the language of the Voivurung. Victor de Pury portrayed Barak and named him King Barak .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Report by Joy Murphy-Wandin ( Memento of the original dated December 13, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 22, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ngv.vic.gov.au
  2. ^ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen: People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , p. 52, Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
personal data
SURNAME Barak, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beruk, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Aboriginal leader
DATE OF BIRTH 1824
PLACE OF BIRTH Croydon , Australia
DATE OF DEATH August 15, 1903
Place of death Coranderrk , Australia