The traditional games of the Aborigines of Australia helped reconnect the urban youth to their cultural roots and promote physical strength. These games, although not played commonly anymore, can bring the Australian indigenous and non-indigenous people together. Teaching these games kids gives them the essential training required for interacting with people from all communities.
Brambahl
Brambahl is a traditional Aboriginal game for children. The game is essentially rope skipping, with a few variations. Two children hold each end of a long rope and swing it. Once the rope is in full swing, the skipper starts jumping and performs various activities, such as hopping like a frog, dancing, imitating kangaroos or other animals or walking on all fours. Stronger, more flexible kids can lie down on the ground and skip the rope by raising their bodies.
Battendi
"Battendi" in the local language means to "throw a spear." This game is a distance and accuracy contest in which a woomera is used. Organize players in teams of four, two or individual player against player. Each player takes his turn to run up and throw for distance. The farther the spear goes, the more points the team earns. The second part of the contest consists of target throwing, in which the player throws at a specified object. The more accurate the throw, the more winning points he gets.
Boogalah
Traditionally, players used a kangaroo skin ball for Boogalah. Today, you can use a soccer ball. Two teams of more than six players start in the middle of the playing ground. The referee throws the ball up in the air, and the player who catches it moves to the middle of the playground along with his team. The other team circles around the first one, and somebody from the first team throws up the ball again. The players inside the circle cannot move in their attempt to catch the ball until the thrower tosses it. If somebody from outside the circle catches it, the second team swaps places with the first team the middle. No physical contact is allowed in the game.
Gorri, Wungoolay
In this game, kids throw a small object such as a disc or a ball along a line toward a moving target. The player must strike the target from a distance of about 49 feet, and whoever successfully gets the ball or the disc to the target wins. The game intends to help children with accuracy of the eye and improve their focus and physical strength. The Creative Spirits website notes that this game is most popular in Western Australia and Victoria.
