Aboriginal tribal territory, boundaries and the physical environment in Western Victoria

The Aborigines of Victoria were divided into a number of units usually known as tribes, whose territorial limits were closely related to geographical or physical boundaries. These boundaries not only determined the extent of the tribe as a cultural group, but also determined the range of environmental conditions and therefore the range of economic resources, which existed within the tribal territory. This dissertation examines the relationship between geographical or physical boundaries and Aboriginal tribal limits and the physical environment within these limits as the basis for Aboriginal economy. Anthropologists and ethnographers have been responsible for the greater part of research in this field, however statements in the anthropological literature concerning the geographical influences on the location of Aboriginal tribal boundaries suggest that geographers should contribute to this area of research (Tindale 1940, 1974; Peterson,1976). The study of the environment in relation to culture groups and their economy prior to agricultural settlement is also an established part of geographical research (Butzer,1971; Clark,1957) and the work of Lawrence (1967) on the habitat and economy of the Aborigines indicates that geographers should be involved in this area of research