Weapons Tools & Utensils

Weapons. Despite their limited resources, the Aborigines made weapons and tools of outstanding design. Boomerangs were to be found throughout the continent. Returning boomerangs were only made in eastern and western Australia. Non-returning boomerangs were often larger. They were useful for hunting large animals. Other boomerangs were only ceremonial. Spears varied in length and had various blades or points. They were mainly for hunting, although some were used for fishing and fighting. Woomeras, also spelled woomerahs, or wommaras, were often attached to the end of a spear. like an extension of the throwers arm, to provide more power and accuracy. Other weapons included knives, and clubs, sometimes called nulla nullas or waddies.

Tools and utensils. To make these weapons, people needed tools. The most Important among these tools was the stone axe. Stone hammers with handles, and axes were In use in various areas. They were used for many purposes, such as cutting down trees or shaping out canoes. In addition the Aborigines made fighting picks, saws, knives, chisels, blades, scraping and cutting tools, and adzes-hand tools used to cut wooden surfaces. Altogether they had more than 50 kinds of stone tools. They used round stones for grinding seeds and nuts, softening fibres, and crashing ochres. They shaped bones into spear barbs, netting needles, harpoon heads, knives, and borers. The Aborigines had few cooking utensils because they did not heat water or boil their vegetables or meat. They stored water in wooden dishes and wax-smeared baskets, or in stringy- bark containers. Aborigines made twine and cord from bark and root fibres, fur, and human hair. Basket making was a highly developed craft, and many kinds of bags and mats were made. Some were beautifully painted, especially the sacred dilly bags (long woven baskets) of the men of northern Australia. A woman's wooden dish, carried under her arm or on her head, could serve as a baby's cradle, as a food-collecting container, or as a water carrier. On a larger scale the wooden dishes were canoes. They ranged from simple but effective craft made of bark to larger seagoing vessels. These larger vessels may have developed as a result of their early contact with the Indonesians.

Courtesy World Book