Aboriginal Language Areas in Northeast Victoria: 'Mogullumbidj' Reconsidered

This article focuses on Aboriginal language area reconstruction in north-east Victoria, particularly Mogullumbidj, one of the most problematical areas in Victoria. It shows that a careful analysis of primary sources is still capable of generating fresh insights and removing some of the confusion that surrounds language area reconstruction. The re-analysis of primary references shows that none of the earlier delineations, such as Tindale, Barwick, Clark and Wesson, has integrity. The resolution of the significance of the label 'Mogullumbidj" was found by examining the reaction of southwest Victorian aboriginal peoples to the Tasmanian Aboriginal man who accompanied Robinson on his 1841 journey through their lands. This revealed that the word was descriptive and not a linguistic la