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• TLF-IDM006593

The study of different animal and bird tracks was an important part of the education of Aboriginal children. These were drawn in the smoothed earth or sand by means of the fingers, fingernails, palms, small sticks and so on. A great deal of care was taken by adults in imitating the tracks of various animals for the benefit ...

• TLF-IDM006612

The Lake Eyre women made small gypsum balls to spin. The game was played by several players at once. The player whose ball spun the longest was the winner. Sometimes two women competed against each other. In another form of the game two balls were spun in a large bowl (pirrha) and there was excitement when the balls collided. ...

• TLF-IDM006630

Accounts from various parts of Australia outline bowling-type games using rounded stones. A game of rolling stones was played near Warrina in central Australia. Another rolling game was observed being played on a river flat at Goondiwindi in Queensland. Men used to roll the stones as far as they could to show their strength, ...

• TLF-IDM006654

Throwing a ball or object high into the air and attempting to catch it was an activity observed in various parts of Australia. This proved to be a particularly popular activity at Barambah (now Cherbourg) after an Aboriginal settlement was established by the Queensland government on the lands of the Wakka Wakka people in ...

• TLF-IDM006588

Catch-ball games were played in many places. The balls used were made of seeds, stones, clay, seaweed, grass, hair-string and stuffed fur. In one game a player tosses a stone (ball) over his or her shoulder to a number of players and attempts to guess who caught the stone. This activity is suitable for younger players. ...

• TLF-IDM006656

At Clump Point in north Queensland, regular mock warfare tournaments were held. These were called chiba or malla. The name of the actual site where it took place in the close neighbourhood was called yirri. In Cairns the Yidinji people called this activity puloga. A game of mock warfare between two groups, using ‘sponge’ ...

• TLF-IDM006577

Young children in the Bloomfield area of north Queensland played the game of birray (march-fly). It was observed by Walter Roth in the early 1900s. This is a game where a chaser (birray) attempts to tag (touch) other players. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with ...

• TLF-IDM006616

The marn-grook or ‘game of ball’ was played by some Aboriginal groups in Victoria. The men and boys would joyfully assemble when the game was to be played. The ball was often made of twine formed using the twisted hair of the possum. It was of a good size, somewhat elastic but firm and light. The ball was given to the ‘best’ ...

• TLF-IDM006640

The stunt activity of jinnee ngaman billee billee dabbulgar was observed among the Capel district people of southwest Australia. It was usually only after much practice that this trick was able to be performed. This is a stunt of jumping over a line on the ground. It is suitable as a warm-up or ‘challenge’ activity. The ...

• TLF-IDM006556

This ball-throwing and hitting game was played by the Diyari people from near Lake Eyre in South Australia. The balls were called koolchee. The balls used were as round as possible and were usually about 8–10 centimetres in diameter. Gypsum, sandstone, mud, or almost any material that was easy to work was used to make the ...