Aboriginal artifacts

Used to carry and collect food such as yams, fruits, eggs and shellfish. It is as a cradle to carry babies safely. The coolamon can be lined with possum skins or paperbark to make the baby comfortable. It is made from the bark of a large tree.

Used to hunt animals such as kangaroos and wallabies. These large, heavy boomerangs are thrown at the legs of the animal to injure or knock it over. Large hunting boomerangs are used as a club to hunt animals.

Used to make food from plant material such as seeds and grains. An example of this is making flour from crushing and grinding up the seeds from local plants such as lomandra and wattle trees. Water is then be added to the flour to make a type of dough for cooking.

Used to decorate and adorn the bodies of people for ceremonies. It is a paint that is created by grinding up ochre, a type of rock, and adding water to make a paste. The paste is then painted on people’s skin to create markings that are specific to each clan.

Used to make a beat and rhythm for singing and dancing at ceremonies such as a corroboree. There are different types and sizes of clap sticks, which are banged together to produce the unique ‘clapping’ sound.

Used to create clothing such as possum skin cloaks and bedding material. The possums are usually caught in winter when they have a thicker coat. The possum meat is eaten and the hides are cleaned and dried. The cloaks are sewed together using kangaroo sinew and bone needles.

Used to throw spears with a lot more power, distance and accuracy than can be made by throwing the spear without the wumara. The spear is hooked into the back of the wumara and then launched. This makes the spear a much more effective weapon for hunting.

Used in the soil and sand to collect food such as yams. One larger flat end is used to do the main digging, and the smaller, sharper end is used to dig around the root systems. It can be used as a club. It is made from hardwood timber.

Used for a variety of reasons, including the construction of bark canoes and dilly bags. This particular rope is made from the fibre of the Stringy Bark Tree, which can be harvested after removing a big sheet of bark to make a canoe. The fibres are rolled and twined to create a very tough type of rope.

Used to cut wood and other material. A stone axe was used when removing the bark from the Stringy Bark Tree to make canoes (nuwi or mudyeri). This axe has a stone head and a wooden handle. The stone is attached to the handle using sinew from kangaroo and wallaby tails, and is further reinforced with resin from a Grass Tree.

This boomerang had several uses including hunting birds, as well as being used by children in games. Certain trees (Mangroves, Gum tree) that had branches in the shape of a ‘bent elbow’ were chosen to make this boomerang.

Kangaroos are hunted and used for a variety of materials as well as providing food. The skins or pelts were sewn together to make clothing such as cloaks, as well as being used for flooring mats in shelters. The sinews from the tails can be used as string to make tools and weapons.

Used for fishing and travelling, these canoes are made from cutting large pieces of bark from trees such as the Stringy Bark tree. The large piece of bark is then put over the fire to make it pliable. It is then folded and tied together with rope made from tree fibres.

Used to hunt small to medium sized marsupials and reptiles. This example is small enough to be used by both men and women. It also has a sharp end for digging up foods such as yams.