By Denise Deason
KIRRIP Wurrung Biik Park is the name chosen by the Wyndham City Council for the public space behind the Cultural Centre in Werribee.
First suggested by Koori artist Mandy Nicholson, it means “Friend Mouth Country.”
Mandy, 32, created the sand-blasted, black limestone artwork, of the same name, that is now a focal point of the park in Synnot St.
“It’s awesome that Kirrip Wurrung Biik has been chosen,” she said.
“It’s great to get recognition for the Koori people and it’s good for local people to know about Aboriginal heritage.
“I wanted my artwork and the park to be a welcoming area for everybody both Kooris and the general public.”
The 15-square-metre artwork honours the traditional landowners of Wyndham – the Kulin Nation and its indigenous tribes, including the Wurundjeri, Wathaurong and Boonerwrung, who met at the boundary of the Werribee River.
Kirrip Wurrung Biik symbolises the common language spoken by them and their strong relationship to country.
Gum leaves are featured in a circular pattern in the artwork to depict the individual clans of the Kulin and the motion of the generations passing through, ensuring the continuation of culture.
Mandy explained gum leaves were used by Aborigines in a smoking ceremony conducted whenever visitors from other clans arrived.
“The ceremony was to cleanse the area and welcome the people from outside,” she said.
“This is what I wanted to express with my artwork.”
The park’s name has been endorsed by the Wurundjeri Tribal Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council Inc.
The council conducted a consultative process but very little feedback was received.
Of the 500 forms sent out to local residents and traders, only 10 were returned.
The majority of these supported naming the park in recognition of the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the area, with a few suggesting alternative wordings to make the name more memorable or easier to say.
However, each word of the name has a particular significance so to chop out a word for ease of pronunciation would make the overall phrase meaningless.
An advertisement was also placed in local newspapers advising of the naming proposal.
The council passed a recommendation that Kirrip Wurrung Biik be forwarded to the Registrar of Geographic Names for formal inclusion in the Vicnames database.
