Cross boomerangs such as this one were used in throwing competitions by older Aboriginal boys and men of the Yidinji language group near Cairns in northern Queensland. The contests judged both the skill of the player and the quality of their boomerang's construction. The tips of cross boomerangs were lit at night and thrown to produce a fireworks effect.
This cross boomerang was collected from Cairns in 1900 by Dr Walter Edmund Roth, who worked as the Northern Protector of Aboriginals in Queensland from 1898 to 1905. He was interested in researching First Nation cultures and collected more than 2,000 cultural objects. In 1905, the Australian Museum purchased the objects, and the collection is now known as the Roth Collection.
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The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.
With them, I join in paying respect to Aboriginal Elders and recognise their continuous connection to Country.