Weapons and tools

Question 1

Why does the hunting methods for aboriginals differ for different communities?

Answer 1

1. Depending on what they would hunt they needed different tools
2. Depending on the RESOURCES they had

Question 2

Do aboriginals and torres straight islanders still use these weapons today?

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

What are spears used for?

Answer 3

Hunting, fishing and fighting

Question 4

How does a spear look?

Answer 4

Made from a single piece of wood with a sharp pointed end

Question 5

What is the point at the end of the spear made from?

Answer 5

Bird or animal bone, shell, fish teeth or sharpened stone

Question 6

What is the point of the spear connected too?

Answer 6

A long piece of wood with twine made from plant fibres

Question 7

How many prongs does a spear have?

Answer 7

1 to 4

Question 8

What is used to trap aquatic animals?

Answer 8

Nets, baskets and bags

Question 9

What are baskets made of?

Answer 9

Baskets are made from reeds, grass, stalks, vines and sea grass

Question 10

How is the basket made?

Answer 10

Twining, coiling, looping, weaving

Question 11

What do they use the baskets to catch?

Answer 11

fish, eels, oysters, mussels and other shellfish

Question 12

What else can they use the basket for if its very tightly woven?

Answer 12

Honey and other liquids

Question 13

What is one of the oldest surviving cultures is the world?

Answer 13

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Question 14

What is sustainability?

Answer 14

Looking after the land so it continues to provide food.

Question 15

What is a digging stick made of?

Answer 15

A sturdy stick made of mulga wood which had been shaped, sharpened and hardened by being placed in a fire for a short, repeated periods of time

Question 16

Who used the digging stick?

Answer 16

Aboriginal and Torres straight islander Women

Question 17

What was the digging stick used for

Answer 17

Hunting underground animals

Question 18

How did they catch the underground animals?

Answer 18

1. They would find a burrow
2. Dig a straight hole about a metre away from the entrance of the burrow
3. Use their digging stick to dig further down the new hole
4. The animal would run through their burrow up the entrance

Question 19

What is the boomerang used for?

Answer 19

Boomerangs are another tool used for
1. Battle
2. hunting
3. ceremonies
4. music
5. digging
6. hammering

Question 20

When were boomerangs non returning?

Answer 20

Bommerangs made in the desert

Question 21

How far could a boomerang be thrown?

Answer 21

160 metres. This is nearly 3 times the distance of a fighting club

Question 22

What was a boomerang made from?

Answer 22

They are made of mulga wood

Question 23

What patterns are on the boomerang?

Answer 23

They are smooth and can have various designs depending on the tribe the maker came from

Question 24

Do all boomerangs return?

Answer 24

No, if a boomerang was made in the desert it was non-returning.

Question 25

What were the methods of fishing did the torres strait islanders and aboriginals use?

Answer 25

1. Spear or hook 2. Fishing nets 3. Eel Traps

Question 26

What was the fishing line made from?

Answer 26

The bark fishing line had a hook made of out shell

Question 27

How did they catch the fish?

Answer 27

They would stand very still in the middle of the lake, rivers and streams

Question 28

How did they make fishing nets?

Answer 28

Fishing nets were made from fibre strings fixed between 2 long sticks creating a scoop like shape

Question 29

How did they make eel traps

Answer 29

Eel traps were made using vine and meat was placed into the trap. The eels would get caught inside as they couldnt swim back

Question 30

What is a woomera?

Answer 30

A woomera is a wooden spear throwing device

Question 31

How long is a woomera?

Answer 31

61cm - 91cm length

Question 32

What is on each end of the woomera

Answer 32

1. One one end it is 8cm wide and hollow 2. The other end is pointed with a hook

Question 33

How do they decorate the Woomera?

Answer 33

The woomera is decorated with engraved or painted designs

Question 34

Why do they decorate the woomera?

Answer 34

The markings indicate which group the woomera belongs to and can be returned if lost or abandoned

Question 35

How is the woomera used?

Answer 35

The woomera is used with the spear to help the thrower, throw faster and longer

Question 36

How does the woomera work?

Answer 36

It works similarly to a lever projecting spears with greater force than an arm movement alone It is an extension of a mans arm

Question 37

What else is the woomera also used for?

Answer 37

1. used as a knife 2. chisel 3. graver 4. digging stick 5. cutting cooked fish

Question 38

What is the problem with the Woomera?

Answer 38

It makes aiming more difficult