An Aboriginal Family Hunting Day

The story of an aboriginal family hunting for kangaroo and wild honey in Western Arnhem Land in the traditional manner before European settlement.

As told and painted by Leslie Nawirridj
Gunbalanya (Oenpelli)
Western Arnhem Land, NT

A man and his wife and son are on their way to go hunting. They have all their hunting gear ready to take with them.

The man is going to hunt for a kangaroo in the bush. He uses the woomera to throw his spear a long distance. That’s how he can kill a kangaroo from a long way.

While the man is hunting, his son cuts a tree branch with the stone axe to get the sugar bag. That sugar bag’s got wild honey for them.

The son is carrying a fire stick, too. He’s happy when his father kills a kangaroo because he can help to make a fire with the fire stick. They put the kangaroo into the flames to burn off the hair. Then it’s gutted before it’s put in a hole in the ground with hot coals to cook like in an oven. They’re hungry for that tucker.

The wife is busy gathering food. She’s using the digging sticks to get yams and cheeky yams. The cheeky yams are hot. After she’s cooked them she’s going to slice them with the shoulder blade from a kangaroo. The shoulder blade is made into a sickle shape for slicing. Then she’ll put the cheeky yams in a dilly bag and into the running water of the billabong to soak for about two hours before the family can eat them.

The wife is getting water lilies and native plums, too. Then she carries all the bush tucker in the dilly bags and goes to meet her family at the campfire.

Compiled by Alison Nawirridj

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