The traditional Aboriginal name of Melbourne is, ‘Naarm’ which is the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. The Kulin Nation is a collective of five Aboriginal nations: Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Wathaurrung, Daungwurrung and Dja DjaWrung. Their collective territory extends around Port Phillip and Western Port bays, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. The Kulin nation has inhabited the area for an estimated 60,000 plus years and prior to colonisation was a nation or more than 20,000 people.
Beruk, or William Barak, (c. 1824 – 15 August 1903), was a traditional elder of the Wurundjeri clan, first inhabitants of Naarm. He became an influential spokesman for Aboriginal social justice and an important story teller on Wurundjeri cultural lore. In his later life Barak painted and drew.
