Waddy

For other uses, see Waddy (disambiguation).

A waddy, nulla-nulla, leangle or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. Waddy comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney.^[1] Boondi is the Wiradjuri word for this implement.^[2] Leangle is a Djadjawurrung word for a club with a hooked striking head.^[3]

Waddies made by the Arrernte people

Aboriginal man carrying waddy, woomera (spear-thrower) and spear, South Australia, c. 1876

Description and use

A waddy is a heavy pointed club constructed of carved hardwood timber; it was a traditional weapon developed by Aboriginal people in Australia.^[4]

Waddies were used in hand-to-hand combat and were capable of splitting a shield. They could also kill or stun a prey. They could be used as projectiles or to make fire and make ochre. The waddies were sometimes used to punish those who broke Aboriginal law.

Construction

The waddy was made by both men and women and could be painted or left unpainted. Its construction varied from tribe to tribe, but it was generally about one metre in length and sometimes had a stone head attached with spinifex resin and at least one string. It was made from where a branch met the tree or from a young tree that was pulled up with its roots from the ground.^{[citation needed]}

Alternative spellings

Waddy has also been spelled as wadi, wady, and waddie. The spelling stabilised around the mid-nineteenth century, partly to help distinguish it from the Arabic - Lebanese word wadi, a dry water course.^[1] Nulla-nulla has been recorded with the following variations: nullah-nullah, nilla-nilla and nolla-nolla.^[5]

Gallery

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References

1. Peters, Pam, The Cambridge Australian English Style Guide, Cambridge University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-521-43401-7
2. Paul Greenwood. "Land of the Wiradjuri: Traditional Wiradjuri Culture" (PDF). Lockhart Shire Council. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
3. "Club. Dja Dja Wurrung. Ben Nevis, Central, Victoria, Australia. pre 1860". Museums Victoria Collections.
4. Pardoe, Colin (2014). Violence and Warfare Among Hunter Gathers, M.A. Allen & T.L Jones Ed. Routledge. pp. 117–118.
5. Ransome, W. S. (1988). The Australian National Dictionary: A Dictionary of Australianisms on Historical Principles. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-554736-5.

External links

• Nullah nullah