While looking up traditional games from Australia, I stumbled upon a 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. There were so many games that it was hard to choose from, but I found several games that I felt I could adapt and replicate in my PE classroom. On face value, they have simple rules and are easy to understand, but once you start playing them, it becomes apparent how much strategy can also be involved.
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 made a connection to replicating life skills needed to survive that I could also make a story from. 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 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.
When the students are studying Oceania, and we play these Aboriginal Games, I always make sure to remind them of different Aboriginal inventions, art forms like dot painting, and the concept of "Dreamtime." Reminding students of all these things helps flesh out their concept and empathy for Aboriginal people. Maybe the best compliment or reward I got for my efforts was a student bringing a book about Australia to PE class to show me the chapter on Aborigines.
One of these games is called Pucho Pucho Tau-i-malle, which is a ball-striking game. The original way this game was played was for young children. One child rolls a ball to another student, who hits it with a stick or cricket bat. They switch turns, and that is about the extent of the game. Sometimes, two children pass a ball back and forth with sticks. I took the essence of this game and made it a dynamic team-based sport. There are two teams facing each other who cannot cross a mid-line. Each team starts with two types of players, throwers and defenders. Throwers are trying to throw dodgeballs to the other team's opposing wall to score. However, the ball must bounce at least once for it to count. This rule prevents strong throwers from just throwing over the defenders. Defenders use hockey sticks to bat the balls away before they touch the wall. They should pass the ball to their thrower players so they can try and score. For the next game, the players on each team switch roles. For the final game, everyone has a hockey stick that they use to defend and score.
Once the game is over, we discuss what skills this game is working on. The overhand throwing hand motion was something needed for boomerangs and other throwing sticks to be used efficiently. The hockey sticks act as surrogate walking sticks, which were very important to various Aborigine cultures. Besides the practicality of aiding transportation through various terrain types, they were often carved with symbolic meanings for storytelling or were imbued with spiritual power and may be used for ceremonies. They also were an essential source of protection against the many poisonous and toxic animals that one would not want to touch.
Besides all these practical life skills, I also remind the students that the Aborigines were masters at teaching through play. If I asked the students to do a bunch of sprints as fast as they could repeatedly, most would find it difficult and boring. However, that is exactly what they did while playing the game and having fun. The power of play allows us to ignore signs of fatigue because we have an overwhelming interest in our task. Games capture our attention, give us focus and direction, and are the perfect vehicle for teaching.
These Aboriginal games, invented thousands of years ago by their ancestors, are essential to Indigenous peoples because they reconnect 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.