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• TLF-IDM006658

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 ...

• TLF-IDM006660

In most parts of Australia the young boys (and sometimes girls) played mock combat games for enjoyment and as a practice for adult life. Toy spears were made from thin, light sticks, or else from grasses, reeds and rushes. The spears were held at their lighter ends and thrown either with the hand or with a toy woomera (throwing ...

• TLF-IDM006662

A woomera or throwing stick was used by Aboriginal boys and men in all parts of Australia to propel spears with great force, often over considerable distances. On Dunk Island in Queensland a favourite target for spear-throwing contests was the white ant nests hanging from the gum trees. This is a throwing competition for ...

• TLF-IDM006666

Water games and contests were played in all areas of Australia. In some parts of central Australia a frequent expression of ‘opposition’ between the generation groupings in a camp takes the form of light-hearted abuse and spectacular waterthrowing battles. The aim of the activity was to saturate certain kin in the opposite ...

• TLF-IDM006668

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 ...

• TLF-IDM006670

The Aboriginal people played a variety of water games and a common activity was to dive into the water. These are activities associated with diving into the water. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture ...

• TLF-IDM006673

Epoo korio was a wrestling game of the Kiwai people of Papua and some people in the northern parts of the Torres Strait Island region. This is a team game in which attackers attempt to knock over a mound of sand and defenders try to stop them. The level of physical contact is controlled. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous ...

• TLF-IDM006678

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 ...

• TLF-IDM006681

A game of accuracy, the throwing of the boomerang (buran) was played by the Jagara (or Jagera) people of south Queensland. A player stood in the middle of the small circle and threw a right-hand boomerang (dunimgi) first. The aim was to make it return as close as possible to the peg (marker) in the middle of the circle. ...

• TLF-IDM006683

One of the favourite games of the Aboriginal people in parts of Victoria was a game of football. There were a few variations of the game and the one outlined here was observed in the 1840s. The ball was about the size of an orange, and was made of possum skin, with the fur side outwards. It was filled with pounded charcoal ...