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Yulunga: millim baeyeetch
TLF ID M006683
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 and was tied tightly around with kangaroo sinew. To start the game the players were divided into two sides and organised in opposing lines, which are always of a different ‘class’ — white cockatoo against black cockatoo, quail against snake, and so on. This is a keep-away ball game. Players attempt to keep possession by kicking the ball to other members of their team. 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.