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Old 21st June 2016, 04:02 AM   #9
Shamsy
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Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Australia
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I would still politely disagree with any suggestion that the digging stick is a Waddy. Aboriginal clubs almost all have a heavy end, typically a root or fork in a branch, whereas digging sticks tend to be thick, heavy wood, one end pointed to dig, one flattened for the hand to rest on and a homogeneous cylindrical shaft.

While hardly the most reliable source ever, if you google image search a digging stick, then compare this to a search of waddy or nulla nulla, you will see the differences. Being no expert in paint I cannot comment, but remembering that aboriginal paint was mostly formed with ochre which is a rather chalky medium, that should give you a good indication of the age of the decorations. Likewise colors are a great way to date work, as the Aboriginal people used a limited palate based on available hues.
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