SURVIVOR
Could you live off the land?
WORDS MONIQUE CECCATO
SURVIVOR
Could you live off the land?
WORDS MONIQUE CECCATO
Learn how to find your own food.
Prior to white settlement, Aboriginal nations were spread out across the entire country. To sustain them in areas that are as harsh as they are stunning, they required special knowledge and a deep connection to Country.
You can find out more about their incredible survival skills and the technologies they developed to thrive over 65,000 years on tours led by Indigenous guides.
The museum's Garrigarrang: Sea Country exhibition.
Australian Museum
WARANARA TOUR
During the Waranara Tour of the Australian Museum’s First Nation Galleries, First Nations Tour Guide Remi Ferguson points out a variety of spears, shields, fishing nets and traps, each of which has been painstakingly crafted to fit a specific purpose.
The spears, for example, showcase an incredible range of designs. ‘This fishing spear has got prongs on the top to catch the fish more easily. It's also made of bamboo, so it'll float to the top of the water when the fish are caught,’ Remi says.
‘As you go along the display, you see the tips of the spears change. Thicker, more barbed spears are used to hunt larger animals, like kangaroos.’
With a high importance placed on being skilled enough to kill prey with one blow, to avoid suffering, Remi says it took great technological skill, refined over generations, to craft the spears.
‘Our old people perfected this science for thousands and thousands of years… they didn't go out with rulers and measure how long the spears were and measure the weight of them. They knew how to do this because this knowledge has been passed down for generations.’
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Not that all the spears were for hunting, with some of the fancier ones used as a type of coat of arms to indicate the carrier’s origin when attending ceremonies with different nations and clans.
‘Ceremony consists of several different groups all coming together to share stories, to dance, to talk with one another, to trade, and when you went, you’d need to have something that said who you are, where you're from and what's your role. Also, if you're going to be in front of these other people, you want to look good, so these are spears that you would take with you to the ceremony to show, “This is where I'm from. We're mad. We're deadly!”.’ (Deadly is Aboriginal slang for great.)
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Koomal Dreaming
NGILGI CAVE CULTURAL TOUR
As the first curls of smoke rise from the fire sticks, so does a sense of accomplishment amongst the group on Koomal Dreaming's Ngilgi Cave Cultural Tour. Guide Josh 'Koomal' Whiteland has given everyone a crash course on the more than 65,000-year-old technique for lighting a fire. Despite the dried banksia flower kindling, it takes the combined effort of all present to coax a fire to life.
Clearly, surviving in nature requires a great deal of knowledge and skill.
Josh goes on to explain the symbolic and practical importance of fire to Aboriginal peoples living on, and caring for the land. Not only is fire a tool for cooking, hunting, warmth, and land management, but it also provides a warm hub for the sharing of stories and dance. Rather than fearing fire, Aboriginal peoples value its life-giving and land-healing properties.
On a nearby kangaroo hide, Josh displays a selection of hand-carved tools and artefacts. Each has a specific purpose — boomerangs for downing larger land-dwelling animals, like kangaroos and emus, and throwing sticks for smaller prey like snakes and goannas. Even the hide serves a dual purpose — sewn together with sinew it has pouches to carry items, but it can also be slung around the shoulders to provide warmth and protection from the elements.
Identify seasonal bush tucker.
When the implements are used depends heavily on the seasons. In Australia’s southwest, the Noongar people hunt and gather according to six seasons, each defined by subtle changes in the plants, animals and weather. Traditionally, the morning easterly and afternoon sea breeze during Birak (December to January) make it the perfect time for cool burns; setting fire to the land in a mosaic pattern for fuel reduction and seed germination. The red flowers blooming during Djeran (April and May) indicate a dietary shift towards freshwater fish, frogs, and turtles and the yellow flower explosion during Djilba (August and September) mean more Yongar (kangaroo), Waiitj (emu) and Koomal (possum).
Whilst it’s Djeran season, frogs, turtles and possums are not on our menu today. Instead, Josh leads us on a short bush tucker walk, pointing out the fleshy and saline fruit, and leaves of the karkalla (pigface) plant and picking quandongs for us to try. Apart from being tasty, the red fruits are particularly high in Vitamin C and antioxidants — just one of the many bush foods and medicines identified by Aboriginal peoples over the tens of thousands of years they have been experts at living off the land.
Learn about Wadandi tools and cultural artefacts.
Want to learn more? You could try:
Dale Tilbrook experiences
Bush Tucker Talks & Tastings
That lemon myrtle tea can be used as an antibacterial or that the sandalwood nut is rich in protein are just some of the jewels of knowledge you’ll learn from Dale Tilbrook, a Wardandi Bibbulmun woman, during her talk and tasting with a focus on edible native plants and their pharmaceutical and nutraceutical qualities.
SEIT outback australia
Daintree Dreaming — Traditional Aboriginal Fishing
During a two-hour tour with your Kuku Yalanj guide, you’ll learn how to identify and catch food on land and sea using traditional fishing and hunter-gathering techniques. Experience the buzz of paddling through the pristine waters holding a spear whilst searching for fish or crab. With some tips from your guide, you can cook up your own catch on an open fire, accompanied by a home-made damper.
Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park
Pamagirri Rainforest Walkabout
Learn how Aboriginal peoples thrived in the rainforest when taking part in a guided walk in Tropical North Queensland. Your guide will identify the plants that can be used for food, remedies and weaving as well as what to avoid, such as poisonous fruits and stinging leaves. They will also explain the design of shelters that protected Aboriginal peoples from the elements and the tools, and technologies they used to survive, including the various ingenious boomerang designs.
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