Stone tools have been manufactured since the beginning of recorded history, technological sophistication has changed the use, and even the way in which objects are created but these changes haven’t altered the historical perspectives, or the cultural associations. The resource I have chosen to analyses is the Leilira blade. Leilira refers to blades made from fragments of large Quartz, they are grinded against other stones to ensure a sharp edge, notches are then taken out of the sharp edge, mimicking serration. The serration ensures the Leilira blade is used in a hacking motion, instead of a cutting one. This means the handles need to be strong. The handles, made from wood, resin or sap, and then wrapped in bark are exceptionally sturdy, almost …show more content…
It was further refined by Ackerman, to reject iron, or common stone blades of a shorter length (Ackerman, 1979) Leilira blades were often sacred ceremonial objects with a strong connection to tywerrenge , unique to the area they were created in, they have a strong visual connection to the land, which in turn leads to a strong cultural history. Eugene Stockton an expert on Aboriginal spirituality, wrote in his journal article The Aboriginal Gift: Spirituality for a Nation about an Alcheringa , and the connection Leilira blades have to the Dreaming, in which during a tywerrenge “time was able to be 'reversed' through human intervention in the modification of tywerrenge. An ancestral being was said to have suffered a bodily injury when a sacred object was dropped and accidentally damaged, an act which led to the punishment of the person responsible in the most severe manner.” (Stockton and Weeks, 1995) This highlights just how deeply embedded in Aboriginal history Leilira blades are, these items weren’t just tools, they were revered …show more content…
Home to the Yolngu people, this is one of the last strongholds of traditional Aboriginal culture. (Australia.com, 2014) The Arnhem land is a blend of East meets West, and that is a testament to how the Yolngu people have not just survived. But also prospered. The Yolngu people are renowned for their masterful crafting, and exceptionally talented musicians , in fact Yothu Yindi, the indiginous musical group comes from Yonglu homelands, Yothu Yindi being Yonglu for “Child and Mother.” (M, Holmgren, 2012) You may be asking, but what does that have to do with the Leilira blade? Well Elcho Island, the home of the Ngillipidji quarry, and birth place of the Leilira blades is part of the Arnhem land. It stands to reason that Leilira blades, created by master craftsman, and incredibly talented musicians, has a direct link to