THE SPEAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 73

THE SPEAR.

j By R. Hkxev, Resolution Itland.

i This "throwng vtick, ' or '•wome.ra," os they call it, was from two to three focfc long, having a hook on the end to catch in the end of the spaar and force it fornaid, | on the same principle as the handle of an : axe. Throwing a «pear without a weir.era j would be lik-3 using the head of ac oxe j without a handle, which will illustrate how : much the darky gains by the ase oi tho 1 stick. It greatly increases the powei, no doubt, but requires so much more skill to , use it accurately that it is wonderful howi j ever a man had ,patience to learn it. But, i onoe learned, it would never be given up ' in. favour of a bow, because with bis trained' arm it was far more powerful, and for simplicity and effectiveness beais the ■wliolo i world of inventors. Just a stick with j. little hook on the end of it ; and the -pear was a reed stem that he could get in any I swamp, and fasten a piece of hord wood on | it for a point. Yet with this he could kill ; ! a duck or a kangaroo at 30 or 40 yards, and t , they were no weight to carry nor trouble to . | make or keep in order. Thus it is likely • that the use of the womera was developed ; because it was more convenient for their . purpose, and not for want of the knowledge of a bow.

[ If the island natives were distributed t through following seals, that probably cc- . cupied all the hlands in olden times, the ( ( preference for the throwing stick h easy p to understand, because it could be used :n , the one hand with a barbed spear, wMI& j I the line and floater for catching" seals could '. be held in the other hand or carried about p till ready. This arrangement is sfrill ira \ vogue among the- lisquimos in Alaska, and 1 \ I the Australian may have retained his knowledge of it since he first found Australia by . following the crowds of .-jeals i« the season ; when they wera going home to breed. Many other natives may also have had the \ knowledge, but not the Australian's necessity to retain it. The use ot this throwing ftick is a J subtle art, yet hardly a tiavellei mentions it, though it is far more valuable than the \ boomerang throwing that we hear so much ' about. I never saw a European youn^. 'er ' that con Id hit a hay stack at 40 y'aids >uth< it, let him practice ever so much. Though he could send it far enough, he seemed to \ be wholly lacking in the complicated idea, 5 j of directing it with the stick. " But I have | seen a young darky chasing a moulting s^iey duck on the Murray in a little shaky bark T canoe, and though the duck would only api pear for a moment, and then swimming hs • best, he would shoot his little spear within ; a foot of it every time, and a-t last senb , it right through its body. I do not think that any of our boys could have done better \ with a Francotte rifle. Some of the tribes on ihe Murray d'd not cany boomerangs ~ f at all. or at least Ido not remember them, » but they were great hands with the spe-ii. Very few people have seeu them shewing j off their skill, because they did nnt like ( smashing up their tender spears on the I ordinary targets, for they always thiow • with great force, as if they cannot (hiow 3 straight enough without it, and tiie *aine 1 in throwing a waddy or a stone. At the sawmill we had a great bank of 1 sawdust to catch the spears, and 1 n<-td to s make up a little bag of sawdust to iq.re : ' ; senl a duck, and then get the darkies to b I compete for sticks ot tobacco. Though I ' there may have been a dczen of them about. *■ ! only three or four of the old men would " j compete, and the younger ones would just look on. At about 30 yards they could do better with their spoar? than ihe ma- • jorit/v of the sawmill hands could do with c a rifle, for they would generally hit my f duck once out of tlnve oi foui times, and ' be alway very close to it, which may not s _ ' appear lo be any great feat, but those l ' j "who hive often gone out shooting with a 1 rifle will understand me, T * ' ' 3

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