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Yulunga: kutturi

Small digging sticks were made for children in many parts of Australia. These were considered to be personal property and were usually well looked after. They were often used in play. In some areas the women would use digging sticks in play ‘fights’. This activity was reported from an unidentified place as a stick-practice ...

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Yulunga: Munhanganing

The game of Munhanganing was played by children of the Arnhem Land area in northern Australia. Children played this, and other running games, in the flickering lights from firebrands of the grownups, sitting about a camp site. A running-and-chasing team game in which players attempt to touch players on the opposing team. ...

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Yulunga: boojur kombang

A wrestling game of the Noongar people of the south-west of Western Australia was called meetcha kambong (‘nut game’) or boojur kombang (‘ground game’). In the Swan district it was called boojoor-eleeja. A team beaten at this game might resume the contest in a month or so. A ‘wrestling’ game where attaching players attempt ...

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Old Government House Parramatta virtual tour

This resource is about exploring Governor Macquarie’s preferred residence while learning more about the early colony through this virtual tour of Old Government House at Parramatta.

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Yulunga: boogalah

This was a ball game played by both genders of the Juwalarai people in New South Wales. A ball (boogalah) was made of sewn-up kangaroo skin. In playing the game all of one Dhé, or totem, were team-mates. This is a team throwing and catching game. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide ...

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Yulunga: marn-grook

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’ ...

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Yulunga: mer kai

This is a version of a game from the Torres Strait Islands, using the thick, oval, deep-red fruit of the kai tree, which is quite light when dry. This is a hand-hitting (volley) game where players attempt to keep the ball in the air for as long as they can. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed ...

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Yulunga: dabi

Various hockey-type games were played in many areas of the Torres Strait and Papua and New Guinea. A hockey game called kokan was played on Mabuiag Island. The kokan (or ball) was struck with a rough bat or club, baiwain or dabi, which was usually cut from bamboo. On Mabuiag Island the game was played by both genders. This ...

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Yulunga: aurukun

This game comes from the Aurukun Aboriginal community in north Queensland, where it is known as ‘bat and ball’. It is a modern game that has links to traditional hitting games of Aboriginal people in the area. It is the most popular of all the games played at Aurukun and can usually be seen being played at lunch time in ...

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Yulunga: kami kami

Turlurlu is the name of a traditional ball-rolling and hitting game observed being played by boys in the Great Sandy Desert of central Australia. A rough ball called a kamikami was cut from the thick root of the ngulyungu tree. Each player held a mukurru, or fighting stick, as a bat. The boys formed teams and each side ...

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Yulunga: yongar ngardongin

The emu and kangaroo dance (play) games among the Bibbuluk kening (Bibbulum people’s dances) were performed in Western Australia in the Vasse, Augusta, Bunbury, Murray and Swan districts and probably further north and east. The game was called yongar ngardongin by the Vasse district people. Almost all large animal and bird ...

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Yulunga: jinnee ngaman billee billee dabbulgar

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 ...

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Yulunga: battendi

A spear game was played by Aboriginal people in the Lake Murray, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert areas of southern Australia. A prize such as a newly made shield was offered to the winner. The contest was in two parts: distance throwing and target throwing. This is a distance-and-accuracy throwing contest using a woomera ...

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Yulunga: Garumba

Teams from far and wide gathered at a ‘place of wrestling’ (at Dingulami) in Kabi Kabi territory in south Queensland each year at the time when the bunya nuts were ready. Tingalpa near Brisbane was also a wrestling place. Only one team represented each group attending. Two players came from each totem of a group. Each pair ...

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Yulunga: tingalpa

Teams from far and wide gathered at a ‘place of wrestling’ (at Dingulami) in Kabi Kabi territory in south Queensland each year at the time when the bunya nuts were ready. Tingalpa near Brisbane was also a wrestling place. Only one team represented each group attending. Two players came from each part (totem) of a group. ...

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Indigenous science: Australia had ancient trade routes too

This is an article about the ancient overland trade routes of Aboriginal Australia. Written by Kudjala/Kalkadoon Elder from Queensland Letitia Murgha and intended mainly for teachers, it compares Aboriginal trading routes based on Dreaming pathways and songlines throughout Australia to the Silk Road and the spice trade ...

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Daniel Walbidi, 'Kirriwirri', 2010

This is a painting by Mangala/Yulparija artist Daniel Walbidi (b1983) depicting his grandfather and grandmother’s country on his father’s side. The painting is shown as an enlargeable image. This work was exhibited as a part of the second National Indigenous Art Triennial, ‘unDisclosed’, at the National Gallery of Australia ...

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Yulunga: chiba

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’ ...

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Message sticks: rich ways of weaving Aboriginal cultures into the Australian Curriculum

This is a resource about Aboriginal message sticks. Written by Narinda Sandry and intended for teachers, it describes how message sticks were inscribed with symbols and signs to allow messages to be understood by different Aboriginal groups and language speakers. It outlines the cultural contexts within which message sticks ...

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Ngan'gi seasons calendar

This is a seasonal calendar developed by the Ngan’gi people of the Northern Territory in collaboboration with CSIRO. The resource contains an introduction, a richly illustrated calendar and related links. The introduction includes information about the people’s wish to document traditional knowledge of their Daly River ...