William Barak

William Barak was a Wurundjeri leader, cultural knowledge holder, and painter whose life connected Aboriginal traditions with the colonial society developing around Melbourne. After settling at Coranderrk in the 1860s, he became a prominent advocate for his community’s right to remain there and used diplomacy to communicate with government officials. His drawings and paintings, especially scenes of ceremony, preserve important records of Wurundjeri culture and social life.