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Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Ethnographic Collections - Marli (boomerang)

Marli (boomerang), made and donated by Murawari elder, Roy Barker Senior from Lightning Ridge, New South Wales 2001.

The tribal territory of the Murawari people spans north-west New South Wales and south-west Queensland. Roy Barker Senior was born on the old Aboriginal Mission station at Brewarrina in 1928. Roy is the only Murawari elder who holds the traditional knowledge and skill needed to produce Murawari weaponry. Roy continues the practice of going out into his traditional land to select the right sections of wood from the mulga and gidgee trees with which to make Marli (boomerangs). Roy was taught by his elder as a child growing up on the Brewarrina Aboriginal Mission, a practice that was often banned by the Mission manager. Roy promotes the importance of sharing traditional knowledge and is passing on his knowledge and skills to his sons and grandsons to ensure the tradition continues.

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