While looking up traditional games from Australia, I stumbled upon this fantastic online resource called Yulunga Traditional Indigenous Games from the Australian Sports Commission. It provides an online card set that features games played by Australian Aborigines from all over the continent. Unfortunately, I was supposed to study all of Oceania with my students this past few months. Still, there were so many awesome games I couldn't help myself, and we spent the whole time studying Australia. Next time I will ensure to get in plenty of Indigenous sports from New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Papa New Guinea, and the many Polynesian Islands in the area.

One of the things that Aborigines prided themselves in was their ability to tell stories. In fact, all of their art was just considered a medium for storytelling. They were masters at using stories to become walking encyclopedias and atlases, memorizing the terrain of Australia and knowing so much about the flora and fauna of their territories. I wanted to honor this tradition by choosing games that I could clearly make a story and connection to a hunting and gathering skill. I wanted the students to imagine themselves doing the activity the game represented while they played it. Australian Aborigines had an inherent understanding that we learn the best when having fun and playing. I don't think it is by chance that so many of their games practiced necessary skills for hunting and gathering. I think the Aborigines knew that teaching through games efficiently got children to practice and perfect their skills.

Noongar Wana is a fun game between throwing students and defenders protecting the target. A cone or bowling pin is in the middle of the playing area, surrounded by defenders with hitting implements. Surrounding the defenders are dodgeball players trying to hit the bowling pin with a ball rolling or bouncing from an underarm throw. It is fast-paced action for the defender and a fun game of throwing for accuracy for the throwers. The action of the defenders is very similar to how one would bat during a cricket match. The English settlers and Aborigines would have found common ground in sports they loved.

These games, invented thousands of years ago by their ancestors, are essential to Indigenous peoples because it reconnects them with their culture. By playing these traditional Aboriginal games, you will help your students expand their knowledge of Aboriginal culture. They will also get a healthy dose of empathy as they realize these games are vital for teaching skills required to live in some of the harshest climates on Earth. Many of these Aboriginal games are similar to many sports worldwide. That helps us realize that even though people can live thousands of miles apart, we are more similar than we are different.

Materials: 

·      A large play space

o   If outside, rubber disc dots or cones

·      Lots of dodgeballs

·      A hitting implement (baseball or cricket bat)

·      A cone or lawn bowling pin

Minimum Amount of Students Needed: You could probably play this game with as few as four people, but it works best with an entire class.

Age: All Ages