Indigenous Artefacts We were fascinated to discover a small collection of aboriginal stone artefacts scattered under the verandah of the house. Nothing is known of who collected these or when, but there may be a connection with the period when the boarding school operated here in the 1920s. The stones comprise about a dozen axe heads formed from hard river worn stones (pebbles, cobbles). The stone pictured is relatively small (70 mm x 105mm) and is a dark green/brown colour. It has had flakes removed from one side only (unifacial) to form a rough cutting edge. There are fine incisions. One of the stones has the inscription ‘Bellambi’ written in ink. This suggests that the stone has been part of a collection of stones of known origin(s). Bellambi, in the Illawarra coastal region, is recognised as a site of significance for Aboriginal people of the Illawarra and has been a source for collection of aboriginal stone artefacts since at least the 1890s. At the time of European settlement, the Aboriginal people living at Bellambi belonged to the Wodi-Wodi tribe,and spoke the Dharawal language. The stones vary in features and may not all be from Bellambi. Features: Stones are all of smooth flattened oval shape Stones vary up to about 140mm x 90mm Some are flaked on one side (unifacial) others on both side (bifacial) One has a ground edge, although the edge has been partly broken from use. Several have incisions in straight lines or arcs of 1mm x 10-20mm approx Several have been ‘notched’ at the waist, possibly to assist attachment to a wooden shaft It is intriguing that these humble stones are able to still tell their story, connecting us to the persons who long ago fashioned and used them and to the person that identified and collected them. Comments to:

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