Weapons

For more than 40,000 years, Aboriginal people made a variety of weapons for hunting, fighting and collecting bush foods. Australian Indigenous hunting tools included spears and spear throwers to help propel the spear, shields, hunting boomerangs in a hook shape used to kill animals, stone axes and digging sticks. These traditional implements were skilfully made, producing fine, hand carved artefacts using rudimentary tools. As well as masterly carving techniques, the makers were resourceful with the use of available materials utilising sinew from animals and spinifex resin to form bindings to attach sharpened stone or spear heads. Some artefacts have beautiful, incised markings carved in to the wood.

Other carved artefacts made of wood include coolamons, dancing sticks, fighting sticks, bullroarers, message sticks, hollow log coffins, music sticks and didjeridus (didgeridoos).

Aboriginal weapons and artefacts are highly collectable and are sort after by discerning collectors.

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