The Tarnook: Water, Culture, and Continuity in Aboriginal Victoria
The tarnook (sometimes spelled darnuk) was a traditional wooden vessel used by Aboriginal peoples of Victoria to carry and store water. More than just a practical container, the tarnook reflected ecological knowledge, social identity, and cultural law. Its construction from carefully selected timbers demonstrated deep understanding of natural materials, while its use was embedded in ceremonial and daily life.
Origins and Construction
Tarnooks were usually carved from large knots, burls, or solid sections of hardwood trees such as red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) or box trees (Howitt, 1904).
Shaping: Men cut and hollowed timber using stone axes, fire, and later metal tools.
Design: Tarnooks were oval or rounded, hollowed to form a deep basin.
Handles: Some had carved side grips or rope handles of twisted grass or sinew for carrying.
Decoration: In some cases, clan marks or incised designs were added to signify ownership or ceremonial significance (Dawson, 1881).
The vessel’s strength made it suitable for carrying heavy water loads across Country.
Daily Use of the Tarnook
Tarnooks served multiple practical purposes:
Water Storage and Transport: Used to carry water from rivers, creeks, and wells to campsites.
Cooking: Heated stones were placed in tarnooks filled with water to cook food such as tubers or meats.
Ceremonial Uses: Occasionally used to mix ochre or hold water for cleansing rituals (Clarke, 2011).
Social Functions: Tarnooks were central at camps, symbolising provision and care, often managed by women as part of their gathering responsibilities (Isaacs, 1987).
These uses positioned the tarnook as both a practical survival tool and a cultural object tied to family and kinship.
Wadawurrung Context
For the Wadawurrung people, whose Country extends across Ballarat, Geelong, and the Bellarine Peninsula:
Sources of Water: Tarnooks were filled at springs, river junctions, and artificial wells dug into volcanic plains (Howitt, 1904).
Stone Wells: In places like Lake Connewarre and the Moorabool River, tarnooks complemented stone-lined wells, carrying water back to camps.
Ceremonial Importance: Tarnooks were used in gatherings where water symbolised cleansing and renewal, and sometimes in initiation practices.
Family and Mobility: Their portability enabled movement across Country, allowing families to sustain themselves during seasonal travel.
Thus, the tarnook was embedded in Wadawurrung survival, ceremony, and social identity.
Tarnooks in a Wider Australian Context
Across Australia, Indigenous water vessels took many forms:
Northern Australia: Bark buckets and folded sheets of stringybark carried water short distances (McCarthy, 1967).
Central Desert: Wooden coolamons were adapted for carrying water alongside seeds and food.
New South Wales: Similar wooden bowls, sometimes called durngans, were crafted from local timbers.
Queensland: Coconut shells and large nuts were used in rainforest regions.
Each region used local materials to solve the same fundamental need: carrying and storing water.
International Comparisons
Comparable vessels appear in Indigenous cultures worldwide:
Africa: Wooden bowls and calabashes used for water and food storage.
Pacific Islands: Coconut shells and hollowed gourds used for water and ceremonial drinks.
Scandinavia (Sami): Wooden kuksa cups carved from burls, similar to the tarnook’s timber source.
North America: Hollowed wooden ladles and bowls used by First Nations peoples for water and cooking.
These parallels show how different Indigenous cultures converged on sustainable material design.
Engineering and Physics of the Tarnook
The tarnook demonstrates Aboriginal applied science and engineering:
Material Properties: Burls provided dense, knot-free timber, less prone to splitting, ideal for holding water.
Thermal Use: The strength of wood allowed the placement of heated stones into water for cooking—an indirect heating method that prevented burning.
Ergonomics: Oval forms and handles enabled easy carrying against the body or with rope straps.
Durability: A well-made tarnook lasted years, embodying principles of sustainable design.
These qualities show Indigenous expertise in physics, material science, and ergonomics.
Impact of Colonisation
Colonisation disrupted the use and making of tarnooks in Victoria:
Dispossession: Loss of access to rivers and springs reduced reliance on traditional water vessels (AIATSIS, 2000).
Replacement: European containers—metal pots, buckets, and bottles—supplanted traditional tarnooks.
Loss of Knowledge: Mission life discouraged traditional craftsmanship, leading to fewer tarnooks being made.
Museums: Many tarnooks were removed into collections, displayed as curiosities rather than cultural artefacts.
This erasure contributed to colonial myths of Aboriginal people as “nomadic” without technology.
Revival and Continuity
Today, tarnooks are recognised as part of Aboriginal heritage and engineering history:
Cultural Education: Museums and community centres display tarnooks to teach about Indigenous technologies.
Art and Identity: Tarnooks appear in contemporary Aboriginal art as symbols of life and continuity.
Ceremonial Revival: Some are used symbolically in cultural events and naming ceremonies, reconnecting water and renewal traditions.
Reviving knowledge of tarnooks affirms Aboriginal cultural survival and sustainable innovation.
Conclusion
The tarnook was more than a water vessel; it was a tool of survival, a carrier of life, and a symbol of connection to Country. For the Wadawurrung, it was central to daily living and ceremony, linking people to rivers, springs, and stone wells. Across Australia and internationally, similar vessels show a universal Indigenous ingenuity in working with natural materials. Colonisation disrupted tarnook use, but its revival today underscores Aboriginal resilience and engineering knowledge that remains deeply relevant.
References
AIATSIS (2000) Settlement: A history of Australian Indigenous housing and culture. Canberra: AIATSIS. (Accessed: 15 September 2025).
Clarke, P. (2011) Aboriginal Plant Collectors: Botanists and Australian Aboriginal People in the Nineteenth Century. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing.
Dawson, J. (1881) Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Melbourne: George Robertson.
Howitt, A.W. (1904) The Native Tribes of South-East Australia. London: Macmillan.
Isaacs, J. (1987) Bush Food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Sydney: Weldons.
McCarthy, F.D. (1967) Australian Aboriginal Material Culture. Sydney: Australian Museum.
McNiven, I. & Bell, D. (2010) Fishers and Farmers: Aboriginal Aquaculture in Victoria. Antiquity, 84(325), pp. 695–708.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter 16/09/2025
Magic Lands Alliance
Sharing the truth of Indigenous and colonial history through film, education, land and community.
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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.