Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Cooperation's Damein Bell said the bone would be used in cultural ceremonies and practices for "generations to come".

Zoos Victoria veterinarians removed the specimen while performing a necropsy of the five-metre whale, which washed up near Portland last week.

The results are yet to show the cause of the whale's death.

Gunditjmara elder and former regional cultural site officer Charmaine Clarke said it was the first time she had heard of a whale bone being shared with traditional owners.

She said whale bones were traditionally used for making needles, spearheads, ornaments and fishing hooks.

"It's rare to see whales maroon themselves. It would be a prized occurrence for Indigenous people, they would use every aspect of the whale, none would go to waste," Ms Clarke said.

"The fact the department is donating the whale bone to the Indigenous people is fantastic and we would be interested to hear and see what implements and things can be made out of it, and what we can enjoy recreating and redoing."

Gunditjmara men conducted a ceremony around the carcass before the jaw was taken.

Incident controller Kevin Wilson said the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning had a working relationship with traditional owners that supported protection of country and maintaining spiritual practices.

"(We) got in touch with Gunditjmara traditional owners as soon as we got the report of the deceased whale and it's really great to handover the jawbone for cultural heritage purposes," Mr Wilson said.

Authorities permitted the "handover" and reminded the public the Wildlife Act prohibited people to interfere with a whale.

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