Native Wild Foods.

Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Persons involved Preparation Cooking method



Game


Kangaroo Mallee,


river plains All year Tracked,


Hunted


Stalked Spear


Woomera- club


Boomerang Males 1-6 Gutted


Joey's Skinned,


Sinews removed Singed, Cooked in coal / Under ground, Cut and shared


Emu Mallee All year Tracked


Stalked


Using Emu's instinctive curiosity Nets,


Spear,


Woomera,


Club,


Boomerang Males 1-6 Feathers removed


gutted Cooked in coals / Under ground


cut /shared


Possums Scrub, Bush All year Caught in hollow trees Club


digging stick Males Gutted,


skinned Cooked in coals


Wombat Burrows in higher ground Spring to autumn Trapped, netted Nets, clubs Males Gutted, Singed Hole covered with ashes


Reptiles


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Persons involved Preparation Cooking method


Snakes Sandhills


Scrub


Bush


Waterways Summer Tracked


Dug out Digging stick Male


Female Not applicable Coked in ashes


Lizards Sandhills


Scrub


Bush Summer Tracked


dug out Digging stick Male


Female


Children Not applicable Cooked in ashes


Frogs Waterways


Swamps Warm weather Gathered


Caught Digging stick


Bag Female


Children Not applicable Cooked in coals


Insects


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Persons involved Preparation Cooking method


Witchetty Grubs Red Gum tree Spring


Summer Dug out of trees Barbed stick or grass Male


Female


Children Not Applicable Cooked in ashes


Birds


Ducks


Swans Waterways


Swamps All year except breeding time Stalked


hunted into nets Large nets


Boomerangs


Clubs Males Packed in mud/ clay Cooked in coals


Galahs


Pigeons


other smal birds Bush, scrub All season except breeding time Caught by nets nets Males


Youths Plucked and gutted Cooked in underground oven


Mallee fowls


Turkey Mallee scrub All year except breeding time Stalked Nets and stick Males Plucked and gutted


(feathers kept) Cooked in underground oven


Eggs


Including turtle Trees, in / on ground


reed nest not applicable Gathered Bags Females


Children not applicable Eaten raw or boiled


Sugars


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Persons involved Preparation Cooking method


(Exudates) Lerp Gum leaves


Trees Late summer Picked


Gathered Bark dishes Females


Children Not applicable Eaten raw


Manna Leaves/Grass Late summer Picked


Gathered Bark dishes No further infomation No further infomation No further infomation


Nectar Flowers All year Sucked


gathered Bark dishes Everyone Squeezed into water No further information


Honey Ants Mulga scrub, land and plains After rain in dry areas Dug and gathered Digging sticks and bark dish Females


Children Honey sac removed Sucked Sac


Sugar and exudates


Honey Hollow trees Spring to summer Smoked out bees, climbed trees, chopped hole pulled out of hive or grass sponge Stone axe


Bark dish Males No further information Eaten raw


(with Bunup)


Aboriginal bread


Tree exudates Trunks


Branches Summer Picked off,


Scraped Sharp sticks Everyone No further information No further information


Fungi


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Persons involved Preparation Cooking method


Black fellows bread


(Tubar) Underground Autumn Dug up Digging stick


Bark dish Females No further information Eaten raw


Salt


Salt Dry water courses All year Gathered Bark dish Females No further information Used with food


when available


Water


Water River / lakes,


Tree roots,


soakes, Tree hollows


Dew on grass All year Drunk/carried


Roots dug out & squeezed


Sucked through hollow.


Dug, Stem,


Soaked in grass sponge Bark dishes,


sharp stone


Digging stick


Grass sponge


Hollow reed


Bark stem Males


Females Not applicable Not applicable


Food from water


Fish Rivers


Lakes Anytime but breeding season


during flood (Aug-


Sept-


Oct) Hooked


Netted


Trapped


Speared Lines


bone


hooks


nets


stone


reed or timber-traps


spears Males Making of clay


balls Cased in mud


Clay ball cooking


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Person involved Preparation Cooking


Crayfish Fresh river


Creeks


lagoons Winter Nets Nets Everyone No further information Hole covered


with ashes


Yabbies


Shrimps Fresh water


Rivers


Creeks


Lagoons Summer Nets


Dug out of


banks Nets,


Dilly bags


Digging stick Everyone No further information Hole covered


with ashes


Turtles Rivers


Lakes October


March Netted Nets Males No further


information Hole covered


with ashes or


cooked in coals toast


Mussels In river bed


(sand) Summer Dug


Dived for Hands and feet


Bag Females No further


information Holes covered


with ashes


Water rats Banks of


water holes


Rivers Winter Netted in


hollow logs Nets


By hand Males Gutted and


skinned Hole covered


with ashes


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Person involved Preparation Cooking


Water plant


Bulb and


stalk Billabongs Spring to


Autumn Dived


Picked Hands


Dilly bags Females


Children Sometimes


skinned Sometimes eaten raw


Sometimes steamed


Underground food


Yams


Common Reed


(Shoot &


rhizome) Marshes Spring Picked


Dug Digging sticks


Bags


Bark dishes Females No further


information Covered with ashes


or eaten raw


Cumbungi


(shoots) Marshes Spring Picked


dug Digging sticks


Bags


Bark dishes Females Cut off lower part Boiled


eaten raw


Bracken


(roots) Anywhere Autumn Dug Diging sticks No further


information Ground


beaten into paste Cooked in


ashes


Wild onions Dry areas Autumn Dug Digging stick Females No further


information Cooked in


ashes


Eaten raw


Fruit


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Person involved Preparation Cooking


Quandongs Mallee Spring


summer Picked Bark disk Females


Children Kernel crush


made into paste


oil extracted Flesh eaten


raw or dried


Wild tomatoes


2 Varieties Mallee Summer Picked Bark dish Females


Children A) toxic juice,


squeezed out


B)Non-toxic Cooked in ashes


hole for juice to escape


Eaten raw


Berries


Toxic


non-toxic Mallee


low and tall


bushes Autumn Picked Bark dish Females


Children A) toxic juice


squeezed out


B)Non-toxic Eaten raw if


non-toxic


Seeds


Nardoo Swamps Late summer


Autumn Gathered Bark dish


grinding stone Females Grinding making


into paste Cooked in


ashes


pancake


Food Place Seasons Collection Implements Person involved Preparation Cooking


Grass seeds Mallee


Scrubland Summer Gathered Bark dish


Grinding stone Females Winnowing


Grinding


Making into


paste Cooked in


ashes


Pittosporum Scrub Summer


Autumn Gathered Bark dish


Grinding stone Females Grinding


paste Cooked in


ashes


Wattle


Acacia


toxic


non-toxic Scrub Autumn Gathered Bark dish Females No further


information seeds eaten


raw


Salt bush Scrub Spring


Autumn Gathered Bark dish


grinding stone Females Grinding


make dough Cooked in coals


Can be eaten as vegetables






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Kindly provided by the Swan Hill Aboriginal Learning Centre.