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Yulunga: kokan

Various hockey-type games were played in many areas of the Torres Strait and Papua and New Guinea. A hockey game called kokan, which was played on Mabuiag Island, was the name of the ball itself. This ball was 6–8 centimetres in diameter. The game was played over a long stretch of the sandy beach. The kokan was hit with ...

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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: 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: edor

This version of a chasing-and-tagging game originates in the Aurukun Aboriginal community and has been popular and played for as long as most can remember. This game has been frequently played around the streets, in the school at break time and before physical education lessons as a fun warm-up activity. The enthusiasm ...

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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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Bound for South Australia 1836: systematic colonisation of South Australia, 1829-36

This section of the website 'Bound for South Australia 1836' summarises the historical background to the decision to establish a settlement in South Australia. The text explains the roles of the South Australian Association, the South Australian Colonization Commission, the South Australian Company and the British Government ...

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Yulunga: jillora

Spinning balls or tops of various kinds were used as an amusement by Aboriginal people in most parts of Australia and by Torres Strait Islanders. The spin-ball used in the northwest central districts of Queensland was a round ball of about 2 to 3 centimetres in diameter. It was made of lime, ashes, sand, clay and sometimes ...

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Yulunga: koolchee

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 ...

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Yulunga: gorri

Bowling-ball or disc games were played by Aboriginal boys and men in all parts of Australia. A piece of rounded bark (disc) was rolled by one of the players for the other boys to use as a target for their short spears. A version of this activity is still played in the Kimberley area and Northern Territory (and perhaps elsewhere) ...

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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: koolchee koolchee

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 aim of the activity is to roll a ball to hit a skittle. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding ...

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Yulunga: walbiri

A memory-testing game was played by the Walbiri children of central Australia. Players were required to recall sand-drawing maps of the locality after watching for a short time. This was a game that helped the children remember and identify the surrounding topography. This is a memory-testing game using various objects. ...

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Yulunga: kalkadoon kee'an

In areas of north Queensland, a game of throwing skill was played. A large bone, such as an emu shinbone (with twine attached to it) was thrown over a net (used to catch emus) into a pit or hole. Considering the distance to the hole, great skill was required to correctly aim the bone and ensure that it did not touch the ...

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Yulunga: yeeboo ngandoonyoo

In most parts of Australia young boys played fighting games or mock combat games for enjoyment and as a practice for adult life. In one part of Australia the boys would rise early in the morning to practise their self-taught skills of spear throwing. The little boys also indulged in imitating the skills of fighting as practised ...

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Yulunga: kari-woppa

A wrestling game was played by the people in the Torrens area of South Australia. The contests were generally held on the meeting of groups from different areas. Players wrestled for a tuft of emu feathers called a kari-woppa. Komba burrong or kambong burrong (the game of ‘catching hold’) was the name of a similar game ...

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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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Landmarks: people and places across Australia

This resource features the Landmarks gallery, which traces a broad history of Australia since British colonisation in the late 18th century. The exhibition explores ten big themes in the country's past through the stories of Australian places and the people who have lived there. It examines how people have engaged with ...

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The First Fleet - dataset collections

The dataset provides information about 780 of the convicts transported to Australia on the First Fleet ships 'Alexander', 'Charlotte', 'Lady Penrhyn', 'Friendship', 'Prince of Wales' and 'Scarborough' in 1788. The dataset includes information on items such as the convict's name, occupation, crime, date of trial and term ...

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Treasures of American history - online exhibition

This is an online exhibition showing the objects, artefacts and images that make up some of the treasures of US history. The treasures shown in this exhibition document eight of the challenging situations and issues that have helped to shape the USA. Topics include: revolution and the new nation; slavery; western expansion; ...

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Data in Gapminder world

This resource is a dataset providing data for a number of indicators of development over time for more than 200 countries. The indicators fall into the following categories: population, health, economy, environment, work, infrastructure, energy and education, with over 500 sets of data in total. Each set of data can be ...