Waddy facts for kids
A waddy, also known as nulla-nulla or boondi, is a strong wooden club used by Indigenous Australians. These tools were important for hunting animals and sometimes for protection. The name waddy comes from the Dharug people near Sydney, while boondi is what the Wiradjuri people called it.
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What is a Waddy?
A waddy is a heavy, pointed club made from carved, hard wood. It was a very useful tool for many different purposes.
How Waddies Were Used
Waddies were used in several ways:
- Hunting: They were great for hunting animals like kangaroos or birds. People could hit animals with them or throw them.
- Protection: In close-up fights, waddies were strong enough to break shields.
- Daily Tasks: Waddies could also help start fires or prepare ochre, which is a natural pigment used for painting.
- Justice: Sometimes, waddies were used in traditional justice to help keep community rules.
How Waddies Were Made
Both men and women made waddies. They could be painted with designs or left plain. The way they were made varied between different Aboriginal groups, but they were usually about one metre long.
Materials and Design
Waddies were crafted from very strong wood. Often, they were made from the part of a tree where a branch joined the main trunk, or from a young tree pulled up with its roots. Some waddies even had a stone head attached with beeswax and string to make them even stronger.
Other Names for Waddy
The word waddy has been spelled in a few different ways over time, like wadi or wady. The spelling became more settled in the mid-1800s. The name nulla-nulla also had variations, such as nullah-nullah or nilla-nilla.
