Kimberley Points

Article | Updated 1 years ago

These ‘points’ are from the Kimberley region of Western Australia. They were traditionally produced from stone but the introduction of glass inspired the creation of wonderfully colourful objects, which quickly became sought after collector items.

One production area was in the country of Gidga and Miriuwung Traditional Owners, where the famous Argyle Diamond Mine is located.

The earliest Kimberley points, made by percussion technique, are about 5,000 years old. About 1,000 years ago, people began using pressure flaking techniques to produce these characteristic northern tools. The beautiful glass examples in the WA Museum collection were made using bone or metal tools.

The Vegemite jar point, strictly speaking, doesn't have all of the characteristics of a Kimberley point, but it follows many of the design and production ideas.