Yulunga: meetcha boma
TLF ID M006626
A hockey game was played by the Noongar people in the south of Western Australia. The game was called meetcha boma (‘nut striking’) in the Perth area. A meeja or meetcha (red gum nut) was used as the ball and a piece of wood with a crooked root (bandeegurt) as the hockey stick. The stick was generally bent into shape with the aid of fire. The goals were certain spots at either end of the ground and arranged beforehand by the players. Sometimes a ring was marked as a goal at either end if nothing special could be observed in the place chosen. When goals were scored a mark was made on one side of a tree. The team with the most marks on the tree was declared the winner when the game ended. The game was often played from almost sunrise to the late afternoon and resumed again the next day. A one-touch game of hockey using push passes. 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.