Yulunga: kokan
TLF ID M006624
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 a rough bat or club, baiwain or dabi, which was usually cut from a piece of bamboo 60–85 centimetres in length on which a grip was cut. On Mabuiag Island the game was played by both genders. This is a form of hockey in which players are allowed two touches of the ball — usually one to control the ball and another hit to pass or shoot for goal. More-skilled players could use one contact only. 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.