39. Aboriginal sports and recreation
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 our recreation...something you do when you are not working. This concept was imported to Australia by European colonisers. For Aboriginal people, however, recreation and work were inextricably linked. Sport and games had practical applications, so that by practising these activities, it improved personal skills and strengths that assisted in other aspects of their lives such as hunting and fishing, fighting and tracking. The reference by William Thomas to men and boys gathering to play Marn Grook suggests that the activities were also a good way of skills being passed from generation to generation.
RIVER AND WETLAND DWELLERS
Frequenting the Goulburn and Campaspe Rivers, numerous lesser waterways and extensive wetlands such as the Waranga Swamp and the lakes complex between Corop and Colbinabbin, the Ngurai-illum Wurrung people were very adept in the water. Skills such as swimming, canoeing and fishing were natural parts of their day-to-day existence, connected to the collection of food. Children were in an out of water from an early age, becoming most comfortable in that environment.
As previously noted, the water was often very clean and clear, facilitating easier fishing and collection of other food items such as mussels. Children would be involved in these activities, learning from their peers and elders.
One of the few remaining signs of the Aboriginal occupation of our rivers and creeks are the scar trees, often in close proximity to the waterways. These are trees where the bark has been removed for a particular purpose, such as making a canoe. The tree shown in the picture is close to the Campaspe River, so may well have been used to construct a canoe. The primary purpose for the canoe would be practical, whereas we would view canoeing simply as a recreational activity.
FOREST AND PLAIN
All the skills associated with hunting and collecting of food, as groups of Ngurai-illum Wurrung people moved across country, probably started as a recreational activity for children e.g. climbing, running, jumping, throwing, tracking, fighting. Regular practice honed their skills as well as developing their physical prowess.
Obviously, tracking was a highly developed skill that would have taken years to learn. It is a skill often associated with Aboriginal people. The “Anzac Tales” series of stories (published in Waranga News 2015-18) mentioned two Aboriginal men who were brought to the Rushworth area by police to assist in the tracking down of arsonists in 1917.
Like all sports and recreations that are engaged in these days, some players emerge as experts in particular fields. It seems that “Captain John”, who we met in earlier stories, had exceptional tracking and navigational skills, which were utilized when he was employed as a member of the Native Police. Perhaps he learned these skills directly from Tattambo, his father?
CULTURAL PURSUITS
Similarly, many cultural pursuits had practical applications for Aboriginal people, rather than just being amusements. Singing, dancing, storytelling and acting were all integral to their overall way of life, as well as being a way of passing stories down from generation to generation.
Skills such as weaving, basket-making and sewing would be taught to girls from a very early age, not just as a hobby or fun activity, but as a way of producing practical items essential to the daily lives of the Ngurai-illum Wurrung. Similarly, boys and young men would be constantly learning how to make items such as spears, clubs, shields and stone axes, which required a range of raw materials and different skills. These items would be used by the young boys in their games, while they were learning skills that their clan would need to rely on as they grew into manhood.
