Bunjil Shelter- Aboriginal Australian LocationLocation · Landmark
Also known as: Bunjil's Shelter and Bunjil's Cave
Description
A sandstone overhang in the Black Range near Stawell, Victoria, where an ancient painting of the creator Bunjil stands in white pigment, flanked by his two dingo companions. Sacred to the Djab Wurrung and neighbouring peoples, the site is still managed by traditional custodians.
Mythology & Lore
The Painting
The shelter is a sandstone overhang in the Black Range near Stawell, in the country of the Djab Wurrung. Beneath the overhang, painted in white pigment on the rock face, Bunjil stands as a large human figure with his two dingoes beside him. The overhang has protected the painting from weather, and it has lasted. How long, no one can say with certainty, but the style places it among the older works in western Victoria.
Bunjil is the creator of the Kulin nation and the peoples who share their tradition. In the form of the wedge-tailed eagle, he shaped the land and its laws. His image at this shelter marks the place as his. Massola documented the site and its significance to local Aboriginal communities, and traditional custodians continue to manage and protect it. The white figure still gazes out from the rock.
Relationships
- Associated with