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Yulunga: Bondi

The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had many water and diving games, which were often indulged in at any convenient creek, waterhole or at the beach. In various parts of Australia, contests in diving, floating, remaining beneath the water, and many other aquatic activities, were undertaken. They ...

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Yulunga: bubu sagul

One of the many water games observed being played at Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait. A group of players run in a circle to form a whirlpool and then lie down and float. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous ...

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Yulunga: makar

Various types of toy boats and canoes are found in parts of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. On Sunday Island in northern Australia, small models of the raft (kaloa) were made for children to play with. In other areas of Australia small replicas of dugout canoes were fashioned. In parts of the Torres Strait simple ...

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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: bunbuja

Spin-tops were made from the gourds of the Benincasa vacua, in an area of north Queensland. The people in the Cape Grafton area called them bunbuja. A spin-top was made by passing a stick through the gourd and then fixing the stick into position with twine and beeswax. Spin-tops were used only by the men, and spun by twirling ...

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Yulunga: pirrha

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. ...

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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: buroinjin

This was a ball game played by the Kabi Kabi people of south Queensland. The game was played with a ball made of kangaroo skin, which was called a buroinjin. The ball, which was smaller than a soccer ball, was sewn with tendons and stuffed with grass. Teams from different groups played against each other. The game was often ...

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Yulunga: kabi kabi buroinjin

This was a traditional game of some Aboriginal groups such as the Kabi Kabi in south Queensland. The game was played with a ball made of kangaroo skin, which was called a buroinjin. The ball, which was smaller than a football, was sewn with tendons and stuffed with grass. The game was often played until sunset. Spectators ...

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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: pukamitjal

A popular ball game of keep-away was played by adults in camps on Mornington Island in northern Australia. Grass and/or leaves were rolled into a ball and bound with hair-string or a piece of fishing net. The adults formed two teams and energetically threw the ball to each other until they tired. This is a keep-away throwing ...

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Yulunga: arrkene irreme

The boys of the Aranda and Luridja of central Australia played a hitting game. A small cylindrical stick, sharpened at each end, was laid on the ground. A longer stick was held in one hand. The player hit one end of the stick to make it bounce into the air and as it rose it was hit with considerable force. A hitting and ...

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Yulunga: kai

In this game from the Torres Strait Islands, a number of players stood in a circle and sang the kai wed (ball song) as they hit a ball up in the air with the palms of their hands. The game was played using the thick, oval, deep-red fruit of the kai tree, which is quite light when dry. This is a hand-hitting (volley) game ...

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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: turlurlu

Turlurlu is the name of a traditional ball rolling and hitting game 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 took turns to bowl ...

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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: gunane

Skipping with a vine was an amusement for the Jagara (or Jagera) people in the Brisbane area. Some of the people were excellent skippers. A popular place to skip was on the hard sand near the water at the beach. The kind of vine used was the one that was handiest at the time — either those of the scrub or a creeper that ...

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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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55 000 years and counting: celebrating our shared history

This resource is a sequenced series of teaching/learning activities about the Aboriginal history of Australia before British colonisation and the shared Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal history after colonisation. Intended for teachers, the 21-page pdf focuses mainly on South Australia, is introduced by background notes, and ...