Waranga Dreaming
Most Australians are very familiar with the word “woomera” through its generic use as a term for an Aboriginal implement used to throw spears. The term was also used to name the area in South Australia where the British Government imposed on Australia to detonate atomic bombs and fire rockets
Waranga Dreaming
As explained in the last story, the spear was the principal weapon for hunting larger animals such as kangaroos and emus, which was primarily a male occupation. Prior to the hunt, a significant amount of work would have gone into spear production to try to ensure the best possible outcome.
Waranga Dreaming
One of the implements always carried by Ngurai-illum Wurrung men in the local area was the spear. When travelling across country, each man would usually carry a handful of spears. This was the principal weapon used for hunting larger marsupials, particularly kangaroos. It was also used in internecine conflict and
Waranga Dreaming
Writing about Aboriginal history is fraught, for many reasons. Not least of these is the fact that much of this history has been passed down in an oral tradition, while academic historians generally rely on documented material to verify facts and tell their stories. It is much harder to access
Waranga Dreaming
The most important Aboriginal tools in pre-colonisation times were stone axes. Recent stories have talked about the use of greenstone in producing the axe heads. Locally, the stone was quarried on the Mt Camel range. Quarried axe-heads were then chipped on one side to make a sharp edge. They could
Waranga Dreaming
Much of the research that has been done on greenstone axe-heads revolves around the quarry at Mt William near Lancefield. The quarry on the Mt Camel range near Toolleen is much smaller than the Mt William quarry, but displays some of the same characteristics, viz - * The outcrop bears scars
Waranga Dreaming
Perhaps the most important tool used by the Ngurai-illum Wurrung people prior to European colonisation was the stone axe. It had a wide variety of uses, including collecting bark to make canoes, as mentioned in the previous story. They were also used to “cut wood and bark from trees to
Waranga Dreaming
The last story talked about some of the possible links between the Aboriginal game of Marn Grook and present-day Aussie Rules football. Marn Grook is one of many activities undertaken by Aboriginal people that we would now classify as sport or games. These days we see sport as part of
Waranga Dreaming
In the previous story, mention was made of one of the Assistant Protectors of Aborigines who worked in the Port Phillip district (then still part of NSW) in the 1830s and 1840s. William Thomas spent most of his time with the Wathaurong people, in the Port Phillip Bay area. The
Waranga Dreaming
William Thomas, one-time Assistant Protector of Aboriginal people in Victoria, had more to say about the marriage customs of the people.1 He did not serve in that role in the Waranga area, but after the Protectorate system ended, he had contact with former residents of this area in his
Waranga Dreaming
After a couple of stories on the deaths of Ngurai-illum Wurrung Aboriginal people in pre-colonial times, the focus in this story will be on another important life event - marriage. Earlier stories in the series have established a few basic facts e.g. a couple who married had to be
Waranga Dreaming
The previous Waranga Dreaming story cited William Thomas, a former Assistant Protector of Aborigines, providing details of what he thought were standard practices after the death of an Aboriginal person. It is worth noting that practices varied widely across Australia prior to European colonisation – perhaps even within Ngurai-illum Wurrung country