Close message Scootle has stopped supporting resources that use the Adobe Flash plug-in from 18 Dec 2020. Learning paths that include these resources will have alerts to notify teachers and students that one or more of the resources will be unavailable. Click here for more info.

Search results

Online

Yulunga: dhandang

Tree-climbing activities and climbing contests were widespread and helped to develop a skill of practical use. There were a variety of methods of climbing trees used in different parts of Australia. Some of these involved the use of vines or notches cut into trees. The Victoria River people in the Northern Territory arranged ...

Online

Yulunga: thepan

Large, heavy wooden swords were used by males in the rainforest areas of north Queensland, around Tully and neighbouring areas. These swords would be straight or slightly curved in shape. Swordplay was a popular ceremonial and recreational activity, and two contestants with a wooden sword and shield would compete. Each ...

Online

Yulunga: nandrra-rna

A small number of ‘marble’ type games (either traditional or introduced) were played in various parts of Australia. Gugada boys, living near Tarcoola in South Australia, used wooden marbles. The marbles placed in the ring were called kooka (meat) and the shooting marble was called kodji (spear). In the 1940s on Mer Island, ...

Online

Yulunga: yangamini

The game of ‘holey’ or yangamini is an object-throwing game played by the Tiwi people of Bathurst Island. Other versions of the game are found elsewhere in Australia among Aboriginal people. For example, the children at Maningrida, Arnhem Land, threw small Anadara bivalve shells into a hollow in the sand and applauded the ...

Online

Yulunga: kungirruna

Various types of running and stepping games were played in many parts of Australia. This is a running and stepping activity in which players step on (or over) markers. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture ...

Online

Yulunga: julba

Skipping with a vine was popular with the Jagara (or Jagera) people of Brisbane and surrounding areas. The game outlined below was based on a 1950s account by an elder named Gaiarbu. To play this skipping game successfully, the players needed to be very active and had to have plenty of practice. This is a skipping game ...

Online

Yulunga: puloga

Regular mock combat tournaments took place in the Cardwell and Tully River areas of north Queensland. The Mallanpara people called this a prun. It was essentially an entertainment activity, though the opportunity was taken to settle disputes, real or imaginary. It also gave the men a chance to show off their prowess and ...

Online

Yulunga: murrumbidgee

In 1834, boys on the banks of the Murrumbidgee were observed amusing themselves by throwing stones into the deep part of the stream and diving in order to catch them before they reached the bottom — usually successfully. There was much amusement associated with their competition. This is a swimming-and-diving game where ...

Online

Yulunga: ngarinbarm

The swimming game of ngarinbarm (turtle) was played by the Jagara (Jagera) people in lagoons around the Brisbane area. Players in a canoe chase and attempt to catch a ngarinbarm. The players who are the turtles swim underwater to avoid capture. The players in the canoe may enter the water to touch the turtles if they are ...

Online

Yulunga: udai

Children in parts of the Torres Strait were observed in the 1890s playing a ball-catching game in the water called udai (wadai) or doamadiai. This is a throwing-and-catching game in water, where two players compete for possession of a ball. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all ...

Online

Yulunga: Tur-dur-er-rin

The lessons learned around the camp fire were often required for survival. Tur-dur-er-rin, war-rok-minder- neit, or work-ern-der-eit, was a wrestling game from Victoria in which the most skilful, or perhaps the strongest, proved to be the winner. The old men and women and the children acted as spectators and sat down around ...

Online

Yulunga: boomerang

Boomerang throwing was a popular activity with Aboriginal groups in many parts of Australia. While the fighting boomerang was often used as a toy, the returning boomerang implement was often constructed solely and especially for purposes of sport and amusement. The toy, or returning boomerang, was usually thrown only by ...

Online

Yulunga: pirbu-pirbu

In north Queensland a cross-boomerang was made from the wood of the cluster fig tree (Ficus chretiodes). To the Mallanpara people of the Tully area it was known as pirbu-pirbu. This is an indoor activity using toy crossboomerangs made from a foam material. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed ...

Online

Yulunga: prun

Regular mock warfare tournaments took place in the Cardwell and Tully River areas of north Queensland. The Mallanpara people called this a prun. It was essentially an entertainment activity, though the opportunity was taken to settle disputes, real or imaginary. The event also gave the men a chance to show off their prowess ...

Online

Yulunga: koabangan

A game called koabangan was a finding-object game observed being played in the early 1900s by the Kokominni boys of north Queensland. The object commonly used was a goanna claw, but other objects were also used. A player hides an object in a designated area and the other players attempt to find it. The Yulunga: Traditional ...

Online

Yulunga: tha'an

The pushing game of tha’an, similar in nature to tug-of-war, was played by young and old men living on the upper reaches of the Batavia River and at McDonnell in north Queensland. The ‘fun’ of the activity consisted mainly in balancing the pushing pole against the side of the body for a few minutes and then letting it fall ...

Online

Yulunga: tabud nuri

A game of tag observed being played on Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait by Margaret Lawrie. It is a group activity that is suitable for younger players. Players in a line coil and uncoil like a snake before a player is chased by other players, who attempt to touch (catch) him or her. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous ...

Online

Yulunga: thapumpan

The tag game of thapumpan (shark) was observed being played by little children at Cape Bedford in north Queensland. A chasing-and-tagging game. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture by celebrating the ...

Online

Yulunga: jirrakayi-ku

This rope-skipping game was played by Aboriginal children inhabiting the Riverina area between Victoria and New South Wales. This is a skipping game suitable for a large group of players. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation ...

Online

Yulunga: kaidu babu

This is a popular water game that was observed being played at Mabuiag Island in the Torres Strait region, by Margaret Lawrie in the 1960s. This is an underwater swimming game. The object of the game is to see who can swim the longest distance underwater. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed ...