Not firmly dated
Still common
Definition
A traditional Aboriginal hardwood club used for hunting, ceremony, and close combat, featuring an enlarged or weighted head.
ð· See It
Where "Nulla-nulla" Comes From
Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
"Nulla-nulla" comes from Dharug (ngala-ngala), the Aboriginal language of the Sydney basin, recorded in early colonial times.
Made from carved hardwood, the nulla-nulla was used as a hunting implement and a close-combat weapon, and in some places to punish breaches of Aboriginal law.
Example Sentence
“The museum display featured an antique nulla-nulla meticulously carved from dense ironbark.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
One of the most famous and enduring Aboriginal material culture terms in Australian English alongside the boomerang and woomera.
Featured prominently in Australian historical writing, museum collections, and Indigenous craftsmanship.
ð Sources & Further Reading
- Borrowings from Aboriginal Languages â Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU
- List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin — Wikipedia
- nulla-nulla - Wiktionary
- Nulla nulla - Wikipedia
Part of our Aboriginal Loanwords collection →
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