Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ian · 9th January 2018, 04:17 PM

When an object is spinning, I'm not sure one can say that there is a consistent leading and trailing edge.

As a kid growing up in Australia, I played with boomerangs and knew a few aboriginal kids that I would see on summer holidays along the eastern Victorian coast. The manner of throwing a boomerang is with the concave edge forward, at least that is how the aboriginals throw them. The fingers therefore grip one end of the concave side. The notches on this example are on the end of the convex side, and therefore would impinge on the palm of the hand--that could be uncomfortable and would be of no advantage in gripping the boomerang. This manner of throwing the boomerang is used for the ones that return to the thrower. I'm not sure that the same technique was used for hunting boomerang, which could be the opposite. The boomerang shown here is not markedly curved, like the returning examples, and the straighter ones are usually described as "hunting" boomerangs that were often thrown more vertically than the returning type, which are thrown at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground.

I don't have an answer for what the notches represent, but they probably were not helpful in gripping the boomerang to throw it. Perhaps our resident Aussie, Alan Maisey, may have a better idea what they are for.

Ian.

9th January 2018, 04:17 PM	#10
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,034	When an object is spinning, I'm not sure one can say that there is a consistent leading and trailing edge. As a kid growing up in Australia, I played with boomerangs and knew a few aboriginal kids that I would see on summer holidays along the eastern Victorian coast. The manner of throwing a boomerang is with the concave edge forward, at least that is how the aboriginals throw them. The fingers therefore grip one end of the concave side. The notches on this example are on the end of the convex side, and therefore would impinge on the palm of the hand--that could be uncomfortable and would be of no advantage in gripping the boomerang. This manner of throwing the boomerang is used for the ones that return to the thrower. I'm not sure that the same technique was used for hunting boomerang, which could be the opposite. The boomerang shown here is not markedly curved, like the returning examples, and the straighter ones are usually described as "hunting" boomerangs that were often thrown more vertically than the returning type, which are thrown at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground. I don't have an answer for what the notches represent, but they probably were not helpful in gripping the boomerang to throw it. Perhaps our resident Aussie, Alan Maisey, may have a better idea what they are for. Ian.