Yulunga: Tur-dur-er-rin
TLF ID M006678
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 a smooth area of grass. After sitting down for a time one of the wrestlers stood up, grasped a handful of dust or ashes and threw it towards a wrestler in the opposite team as a challenge to wrestle. They then sat down. The wrestler who was challenged rose and threw dust towards the wrestler who made the challenge. When this was done all the men of both the groups rose and threw dust (or the ashes of the dead fires) into the air around them. This is a pushing-and-pulling contest where players attempt to put each other on the ground. 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.