Photos from the REAL Australia

Aboriginal Hunting in the Northern Territory

Australia's Aborigines have always been a hunter-gathering people and although all communities have a local store, many people will tell you that there is nothing better than freshly caught meat. In the old days people used spears to catch the larger animals, but these days rifles are used to shoot kangaroos and emus.

Although rifles are now widespread in Aboriginal communities and hunting trips are mostly by four-wheel drive (or occasionally with battered Holden sedans thumping across the bush), there are still people who can stalk animals on foot, able to tell from as little as a bent blade of grass when a kangaroo or emu has passed there and what direction it has gone. Aboriginal trackers are the best in the world.

On the coast, hunting is done at sea, where catching dugong (a sea mammal) and the green sea-turtle are especially important. A hand-held harpoon with detachable points is used and it requires great skill, from an open boat (nowadays aluminium dinghies with outboard motors); for the people of the Gulf of Carpentaria there is great ceremonial meaning in this. Spears are also used in Arnhem Land to catch fish and freshwater crocodiles but goannas are caught by hand or brought down with sticks after they've fled in a tree. Goannas, the large monitor lizards, are caught by hand and are highly prized.

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Taking aim	Launching a spear	Spear throwing	Caught an emu	A succesful hunter
A shot bush turkey	Take a big bite	A freshly shot kangaroo	Hunting dugong	Cutting up a dugong
Killing a goanna	Caught a goanna	Pose with a goanna	Arnhem Land hunter	Shot an ibis
Hooked tortoise	Preparing a goanna	Harpooning turtle	Catching a turtle	After turtle hunt
Cooking a turtle	Turtle meat	Smoking out a goanna	Cooking a turtle	Dragging a sea turtle

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