Indigenous Australians using fire to hunt kangaroos, c1817

Indigenous Australians using fire to hunt kangaroos, c1817

Description

This is a watercolour, measuring 17.5 cm x 27.8 cm, created by Joseph Lycett in about 1817. It depicts Indigenous Australians using fire to flush out kangaroos in order to hunt them. One man is ready to throw a spear using a woomera (spear thrower) and another has his arm raised to throw a boomerang. In the background, several small groups of men holding weapons surround the fired area. Some men prepare to throw their weapons while others wait, either standing or sitting. Smoke billows out from the bushland and three kangaroos are fleeing across the grassy hills.

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