Tunungeranbrun

Tunungeranbrun was the Lore man of the Bugelli-Manji Yuin born in the Moruya district before the arrival of the first white settlers. He was a Gommera, a headman and Lore Keeper of the Bugelli-Manji clan of the Yuin Nation. The title “Gommera” described a leader whose authority rested not on power, but on wisdom, courage, and deep spiritual connection to Country.

Respected as a hunter, warrior, and Custodian of Lore, Tunungeranbrun presided over matters of justice and ceremony. When conflict arose between or within clans, it was his duty to restore balance according to the principle of proportionality—actions must be fair, not excessive. On the Lore ground, when the Gommera called “Jin ail!”—“Enough!”—punishment ceased. Blood had been taken, and harmony was restored.

Tunungeranbrun’s life was rooted in the Dreaming and in the rhythms of Country. The Bugelli-Manji people moved seasonally across the land, drawing sustenance and meaning from it. His possum-skin cloak carried incised designs mapping kinship, totems, and ancestral responsibilities—his identity woven through generations on both his mother’s and father’s sides.

Freed from colonial labels such as “King of the Moruya Aboriginals,” Tunungeranbrun stands as a symbol of sovereign cultural authority, a Lore man embodying Yuin ways of balance, respect, and unity. In ceremony, he joined others in the great song cycle where all are equal and connected. One Together, bound to Lore, to Life, to Ancestors, and to Country.