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Yulunga: weet weet
TLF ID M006590
The throwing of the play-stick, commonly called the weet weet (‘wit-wit’) was a popular activity among Aboriginal people in some parts of Australia, and various contests were held. The weet weet was often referred to as the ‘kangaroo rat’, because when thrown correctly its flight resembled the leaping action of this small marsupial. A weet weet was like a giant tadpole. The tail was a flexible stick and in some types when it was thrown it was swung backward and forward and bent almost double. After being thrown onto (or through) a small mound or pile of bushes, a weet weet could: leap along in a succession of bounds; travel along the ground; spin in a ‘bouncing’ action as it turned end over end; travel in a parabola and strike the ground before travelling further; be thrown to slide along the ground (such as along a sandy beach). This is a throwing competition for distance and accuracy, using a club or pin to represent a throwing stick or weet weet. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture by celebrating the games that Indigenous Australians have been playing across the country for hundreds of years.