Welcome to the Wiradjuri Family Language Trail.Soil samples were collected for the First Nations Blessing Ceremony at the Albury LibraryMuseum which occurred prior to the building’s construction. The soil samples represent the many geographical Australian locations that the First Nations community originally came from to create a mixed mob First Nations community in Albury. The earth samples, taken from 12 locations, are now within the building’s foundation. The 12 locations are:Alice Springs, Balranald, Broken Hill, Deniliquin, Griffith, Jerilderie, Mount Pilot, Mungabareena, Narrandera, Wentworth, Wodonga.In 1972, Albury was chosen as a town for the Families Resettlement Scheme which created new mainstream communities for disadvantaged and disposssessed Aboriginal people. These earth samples represent some of the diverse locations and homelands from which many of Albury’s Aboriginal people have moved for resettlement.
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Manhung or Gama – Stone Tipped Spear
First Nations people make an array of spears, for a range of purposes and using various materials. Spears made for killing large animals, such as kangaroos and emus, need to be made from strong hardwood to be able to penetrate the skin of the animal. Manhung or gama (stone tipped spears) are made from hardwood and have a spear point. This point is often made from stone that has been shaped to a point using sharpened stone blades, shells or sand, and attached to the spear with resin and string or sinew. If stone is not available, the point can be hardened by heating it in a fire. The spear is then covered in animal fat (often goanna fat) to preserve it. Spears vary in length, from 1.2 to four metres, depending on the type of prey being hunted. They are thrown by hand or using a special tool called a woomera (spear thrower).
Ground-Edge Axes
Ground-edge axes are stone tools with cutting edges that are formed by grinding. These axes are used for carving, cutting and slicing materials to make shelters, hunting tools and clothing. They can be used to cut down trees, chop wood, strip bark and butcher animals.Ground-edge axes come in different shapes, but are usually either round or oval. They are sometimes rounded and narrow at one end, and slightly broader and straighter at the cutting edge.Axes are made from hard types of stone, particularly basalt or greenstone, and worn river pebbles. The ground surfaces are usually highly polished and may have a groove pecked around their "waist” so it is easier to attach a handle.To make ground-edge axes, First Nations people make "axe blanks” by striking large flakes of stone from rocky outcrops and roughly shaping them. Axes were traditionally often finished away from the quarry: the tool maker would complete an axe by grinding the stone to make a sharp cutting edge. This edge, while not as sharp as a chipped stone tool, is much more durable. When the edge was broken or chipped, the axe could be sharpened again and again. Grinding was usually done on sandstone outcrops, often leaving deep grooves. These are known as axe-grinding grooves and are often found near trees and water sources. Natural resin and plant fibre or kangaroo sinew were used to attach the axe stone to a wooden handle.For countless generations stones used for making axes have been traded across Nations, and axe heads have been found hundreds of kilometres from their original source.
Gulibba - Coolamon
A gulibaa (coolamon) is a traditional carrying vessel crafted and used by First Nations people. It has many purposes, from carrying water, fruit and nuts to cradling babies. These shallow vessels have curved sides and are similar in shape to a canoe. They range in length and are often made from wood or bark, although woven coolamons also exist, and are used in a similar way to other coolamons.
Marga – Parrying Shield
A marga (parrying shield) is a long, narrow wooden shield unique to south-east Australia. Carved from wood, these shields are designed to be strong and solid enough to deflect a blow from a club, with a sharp front edge and a slight curve from top to bottom. Marga are often decorated with intricate, elaborate patterns, reflecting their cultural importance.
Badhawai - Boomerang
The badhawal(boomerang) is a wooden First Nations implement that has a variety of uses, from hunting and fighting to being used as clapsticks for ceremony and music. The small badhawal is designed to return to the thrower. The thin curved body with a curved top and wide surface area all work together to keep the returning badhawal in the air, allowing it to return to the thrower. The emu hunting badhawal, or number 7 badhawal, is used to trip up animals like emus and kangaroos. It is often thrown close to the ground at the feet of the animal, with the hooked end catching the leg of the animal, causing it to stumble. The long badhawal is both large and heavy. In some areas of Australia, these badhawal are used near rivers for hunting. When flying through the air, these badhawal are similar in shape and sound to that of a hawk. The badhawal is thrown above ducks, causing them to take flight down the river and into nets that were already set up to capture them.
Bundhi – Club
Bundhi (also known as lili, nulla nulla and leangle, among other names), are club-like weapons which come in many shapes and sizes and are primarily used for fighting and hunting. A bundhi can be used to kill larger animals like emus and kangaroos for food. Generally around one metre in length, bundhi are usually made from wood and have a handle at one end and a wider bulb, or knob, at the other. Some bundhi are made purely for ceremonial purposes.
Giway – Grinding Stone
Giway (grinding stones) are large slabs of stone used by First Nations people to grind and crush materials. Usually made from abrasive rocks such as sandstone, basalt or quartzite, they are used in pairs: a bottom grindstone, also known as a millstone, and a top grindstone, or muller. The bottom grindstone is usually the larger stone, with indentations on its surface that hold the material that is to be ground by the top grindstone. For ease of use, the top grindstone is often small enough to be held in the palm of the hand. First Nations people took as little as possible with them when moving camp. Large giway were often left behind at campsites and placed upside down to prevent erosion of their indented surface. Smaller giway could be carried between camps and ceremonies. Giway have a range of uses, including crushing bulbs, tubers, berries and insects for food, grinding seeds into flour, cracking open animal bones to extract the marrow, and pulverising the cartilage of small animals. They can be used to grind pigments of ochre, and even to sharpen and smooth wooden and other stone tools. Such a wide array of uses made this stone tool incredibly important for First Nations communities, which is one reason why, after colonisation began, so many of them were intentionally destroyed by colonisers. This destruction of one of their essential daily tools forced First Nations people to rely on the colonisers for staple resources such as flour. The Madjedbebe rock shelter in Mirrarr Country, in northern Arnhem Land, housed a grindstone that has been dated at more than 60,000 years old. It is currently the earliest evidence of grindstone technology in the world.
Dharrangdharrang – Message Stick
Dharrangdharrang (message sticks) are hand-carved objects which were used as a means of communication used by First Nations people. Traditionally, they were passed between different communities and language groups to exchange information and transmit messages, with the inscriptions or designs on each message stick signifying what information they were communicating. Message sticks were often used to invite communities both nearby and far away to corroborees. Like a passport today, they could allow people into different Countries, whether for trading or ceremony.
