William Barak’s missing art: Wurundjeri Elders lead the search to reclaim lost cultural treasures, The Conversation, 15 October 2025
Authors:
Nikita Vanderbyl, Honorary research fellow, Department Archaeology and History, La Trobe University
Alice Kolasa, Indigneous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous Knowledge
Dianne Kerr, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous Knowledge
Jacqui Wandin, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous Knowledge
Esteemed ngurungaeta (headman) William Barak is well-known to Victorians as a leader and artist who witnessed the signing of the controversial Batman Treaty in 1835.
Walking between two worlds was a necessity for many Aboriginal men of Barak’s generation. Alongside his cousin Simon Wonga, he was influential in the early land rights struggles in the southeast of the continent.