murrup biik (Spirit Country)
Interpretive signage along the Country theme
dhangidj (Food)
“You take Country with you also in your murrup [spirit] as Country is spiritual as well as physical. There is not only one layer of Wurundjeri Country, but there are six that are all interconnected and woven through your murrup or your spiritual self.”
– Mandy Nicholson, Wurundjeri-willam woman
Wurundjeri woiwurrung people have a deep spiritual connection to Country. For generations they lived on, travelled along and cared for Country, never taking more than they needed. Wurundjeri woiwurrung people believe that there are spirits within all aspects of Country – the animals, plants, mountains, rivers and rocks. Tikilara (spirit of place) is why, whenever they travelled anywhere, the Wurundjeri woiwurrung people would follow songlines, ‘singing Country’, respectfully communicating with the tikilara of each place.2 Wurundjeri woiwurrung Country was created in the Dreaming by Bunjil the creator spirit, who crafted the land, the sacred sites and the cultural and spiritual laws and took the form of an eagle.