Yulunga: tarnambai
TLF ID M006573
Although not a universal activity, athletics-type events were common. On Tiwi (Bathurst) Island the children collected the seed heads of the ‘spring rolling grass’ (Spinifex hirsutis) that grew on the sand hills near the coast. These were taken to the beach and released. The children allowed these to be blown along by the wind and after a start chased after them and picked them up while running at full speed past them. In the same area the children competed in running and jumping. In the Batavia area of north Queensland running (tarnambai) as well as long-jumping (brá-acha) was often indulged in. This is a running-and-chasing game in which a ball is rolled and returned to the starting line. The Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games resource was developed to provide all Australians with a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous culture by celebrating the games that Indigenous Australians have been playing across the country for hundreds of years.