waddy
Illustration — Waddies made by the Arrernte people • Illustration — Aboriginal man carrying waddy, woomera (spear-thrower) and spear, South Australia, c. 1876 A waddy, nulla-nulla, leangle or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. Waddy comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney.
Also recorded as nulla nulla · hunting stick
waddy
User:FA2010 · Public domain
- Field
- weapon
- Region
- Australia
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Illustration — Waddies made by the Arrernte people • Illustration — Aboriginal man carrying waddy, woomera (spear-thrower) and spear, South Australia, c. 1876 A waddy, nulla-nulla, leangle or boondi is an Aboriginal Australian hardwood club or hunting stick for use as a weapon or as a throwing stick for hunting animals. Waddy comes from the Darug people of Port Jackson, Sydney.
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Authority files
getty · 500122221 · gnd · 134548817 · gnd · 137527533X · wikidata · Q1131830 · wikipedia · Waddy
In this article
Construction
Construction
The waddy was made by both men and women and could be painted or left unpainted. Its construction varied from tribe to tribe, but it was generally about one metre in length and sometimes had a stone head attached with spinifex resin and at least one string. It was made from where a branch met the tree or from a young tree that was pulled up with its roots from the ground.
Alternative spellings
Alternative spellings
Waddy has also been spelled as wadi, wady, and waddie. The spelling stabilised around the mid-nineteenth century, partly to help distinguish it from the Arabic - Lebanese word wadi, a dry water course. Nulla-nulla has been recorded with the following variations: nullah-nullah, nilla-nilla and nolla-nolla.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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- Australia
Named but not plotted · 1
waddy is associated with Australia.
Country
Description and use
Boondi is the Wiradjuri word for this implement. Leangle is a Djadjawurrung word for a club with a hooked striking head.
A waddy is a heavy pointed club constructed of carved hardwood timber; it was a traditional weapon developed by Aboriginal people in Australia. Waddies were used in hand-to-hand combat and were capable of splitting a shield. They could also kill or stun a prey. They could be used as projectiles or to make fire and make ochre. The waddies were sometimes used to punish those who broke Aboriginal law.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500122221, Waddy, Ruth G..
Unverified · The Getty Research Institute
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1131830: waddy
Unverified · Wikidata
reference work
- “Waddy”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
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authority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500122221, Waddy, Ruth G..The Getty Research Institute
Partially resolvedauthority record
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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