Aboriginal Australian Net Hunting

Abstract

Game capture in nets was a common practice in many parts of Aboriginal Australia. The nets used for this purpose varied considerably in size and form, were employed in a variety of environ mental settings and were applied to the procurement of a major proportion of the terrestrial, aquatic and avian prey species available on the continent. Because net hunting was so prevalent among hunter-gatherers around the world, Aboriginal net hunting can be regarded as an Australian manifestation of a worldwide phenomenon.