marttan

The Warramunga, and its northern neighbour the Tjingilli tribe, are famed for their knives, which are traded far and wide among the Central tribes.' Knives were usually made from pale rock (chert or flint), or quartsize (warntirrki), which was obtained from particular quarries. The handles were made of spinifex resin and sometimes had wooden extensions. The sharp-edged knives were often protected in paperbark sheaths bound with string, and the blades required careful flaking to keep their edge. Today we use metal blades instead.