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• TLF-IDM006635

Tree-climbing activities and climbing contests were widespread and helped to develop a skill of practical use. There were a variety of methods of climbing trees used in different parts of Australia. Some of these involved the use of vines or notches cut into trees. The Victoria River people in the Northern Territory arranged ...

• TLF-IDM006644

Rollers (toy cars) are to be found in many Aboriginal settlements in more remote parts of Australia. For example, toy trucks are made of wheel rims and toy cars from wire or twine attached to large tins filled with sand or damp soil. The tin-can rollers are pushed with handles made of wire or pulled using wire or twine. ...

• TLF-IDM006659

A number of games were and still are played on former mission sites and settlements in the central parts of Australia, to fill in time. These include introduced card-playing games, including local variations such as kuns, tossing objects and other line and object games. During the heat of the day many people spent their ...

• TLF-IDM006666

Water games and contests were played in all areas of Australia. In some parts of central Australia a frequent expression of ‘opposition’ between the generation groupings in a camp takes the form of light-hearted abuse and spectacular waterthrowing battles. The aim of the activity was to saturate certain kin in the opposite ...

• TLF-IDM006678

The lessons learned around the camp fire were often required for survival. Tur-dur-er-rin, war-rok-minder- neit, or work-ern-der-eit, was a wrestling game from Victoria in which the most skilful, or perhaps the strongest, proved to be the winner. The old men and women and the children acted as spectators and sat down around ...

• TLF-IDM006591

As in various other cultures, stone skipping (throwing) along a surface of water was played by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. On Dunk Island in Queensland, the throwing of cuttle-fish (krooghar) bones was observed. The bones were thrown along the surface of the water like ‘skipping stones’ and ...

• TLF-IDM006652

This game is based on a chasing game observed being played by Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory in more recent times. This is a chasing and catching (tag) game. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous ...

• TLF-IDM006618

In one area of Victoria the ball game of puldjungi was played. Two sides (nangkera) were chosen and a ball was kicked up between them by a non-player. When it was caught by a player of one side they attempted to throw it to one of their own team. The ball was thrown from the shoulder and caught with one hand — if both hands ...

• TLF-IDM006660

In most parts of Australia the young boys (and sometimes girls) played mock combat games for enjoyment and as a practice for adult life. Toy spears were made from thin, light sticks, or else from grasses, reeds and rushes. The spears were held at their lighter ends and thrown either with the hand or with a toy woomera (throwing ...

• TLF-IDM006675

The Kal boming (fire-hitting) game was played by the Noongar people in the southern districts of Western Australia and called for both agility and strength. A fire was lit either on the ground or the top of a Balga or Xanthorrhoea (‘grass tree’). The players divided themselves into two teams. One side tried to put the fire ...