STORY OF THE BOOMERANG

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3967, 23 September 1930, Page 2

STORY OF THE BOOMERANG

EVOLUTION OF AM AMAZING WEAPON

[ By Dr Sydney Pehn, in the Melbourne ‘ Argus.’J

Occasionally we read that such-and-such a party has returned from Central Austdalia laden with spears and boomerangs. Access to those parts is becoming easier, and the result will be that the supplies of native weapons will soon be exhausted; that is, the genuine article. The blacks, having less and less use for these weapons, will gradually cease to make them, unless a trade catering for tourists is fostered. One ean well imagine how different they will then he from the “ pukka " things Boomerangs seem to fascinate nearly everybody, and there is always an oc easion for debate how and why and lm what uses the boomerang is employed That boomerangs date back to antiquity is well recognised. Being made of wood they are naturally perishable, so there is little likelihood of prehistoric boomerangs being unearthed. Perhaps Unmost interesting are those lon ml m Tutankhamen's tomb, but more oi that presently. Not, only was the boomerang used in’ Africa, but also on the cast noast of South America and the south ern parts of India and Ceylon. At first sight it would seem odd that it should he found in such widely separated places, but there is a good reason tor it. In the evolution of the different races of mankind, as Griffith Taylor has so ably shown, there has been a more or less common centre, each new evo lution gradually pushing the last one Farther afield. If you take Europe or the eastern end of the Mediterranean as the common centre, and look at the globe ol the world from the North Pole, you will see three great peninsulas spreading out America tailing off to Cape Horn, Africa ending in Cape Colony, and the Malay Archipelago stretching to Australia and Tasmania So. in the natural course of events one finds the most primitive types towards the end of these extremities. On the authority of Griffith I aylor. these men of the boomerang cult

tire all of the same head measurements and belong to the Dravidian race. Sup porting another suggestion, that these people came from Europe, is the fact that the types of chipped stones found there, and recognised as belonging to the A/.ilian-Tardennisian period, aie identical with those we pick up here todav. This period is estimated at somewhere about 20.000 years ago. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. Quite a lot may happen in a space of time like that, and during that period mankind was driven hither and thither, the strong pushing out the weak ; or. rathe*-, those with the best weapons exterminating or driving off the others

from the best hunting grounds. It is a long way to walk from Germany to Gape Horn, crossing the Behring Straits, vet across those straits migration after migration has taken place. Even the Indians inhabiting the tops of the South American Andes are ot Mongolian stock. If the history of any of these early types of Australian aborigines could have been written in their wanderings over the face of the earth what a story it would be! It was in pursuit of such knowledge that the late Sir Baldwin Spencer ventured into inhospitable parts. It is also interesting to note that, while the Australian aborigine was being pushed, he was also driving the negnto ahead of him, as illustrated by tbe Tasmanian black, who had not even the boomerang. It is unthinkable that the return boomerang was the result of a sudden brain wave from any man. It is far more likelv to be the product of a slow evolution. The only weapons man first had were sticks and stones. Short sticks were used for throwing as well as long ones for spears If a rabbit or wild turkey was to he procured, with which do von think you would prefer to kill it -a short stick which spun round, or a spear ? In other words, would you like a shotgun o- a rifle? The same thine appli.es when a flock of ducks arises from the water. The spinning stick wins every time. Here we find the rrreat need created for the spinning stick, and so tli© gradual evolution ot the boomerang. Obviously, then, the stick that carried farthest would be the one of choice. At this stage it would not take very long to find out that one flattened on both sides would travel farther than a round one. The next step would have been the discovery thaf a flattened stick with a slight flang cut at each end tended to prevent it from dropping, and kept it afloat in +he air burner .increasing its range. Here another peculiarity is noticed—the ones that went the farthest did not go quite straight, but took the arc of a large circle, and made quite a perceptible curve before they dropped. THROWING WVARONS OF PRIMITIVE MAN. As primitive man often had to fight for his life and procure his food with his throwing weapons, it is obvious that great attention would he given to one who had the best type for dealing (Lath and destruction, and that slight improvements would be immediately noticed. Some would make a larger or shorter curve than others, sin cl those points of difference would gradual!' lead to the evolution of a boomerang which came hack to the thrower. It would not be long before it was found nut that a slightly bent sticky worked better than a straight one. Not only

(lid the spin tend to increase the range of the throwing-stick, hut the spin itself became a most important element in its destructive power. The initial velocity of the stick gradually diminislves, but there is very little diminution in the spin at the end of the throw. A boomerang is spinning so fast at the completion of its flight that it is capable of breaking an arm or smashing a skull, even when dropping to the ground. One must always bear in mind that it was the killing weapon that all attention would lie turned to. and that the return boomerang came as a secondary .consideration of pastime. Once the return boomerang had been evolved the blacks did turn it to some use in lighting, as they were able to make one which could be thrown parallel to the ground for about_ 40yds, and which, if it missed its objective, rose high to the left, then returned to the thrower. The obvious advantage here was that it could he used again. The accuracy of throwing which an aborigine acquires is astounding. Mr Aiston, who brought two natives down with him last year, tells mo that ite saw a native kill three turkeys at 50yds with four shots. Where he lives the

natives go out killing rabbits with boomerangs. For sport i should think that bowling over a bolting rabbit with a boomerang would beat bringing down a rocketing pheasant with a gun. PASSING OF THE BOOMERANG. I suppose that in the last 200,000 years there has been no time in which racial aggression and annihilation has been so pronounced as in the last two or three centuries. White men’s diseases have no doubt played a considerable part, but worst of all was the advent of the rifle. Race after race has been almost decimated. A few surviving relics of once mighty nations remain here and there. it has been the rifle against the bow and arrow. There could be no doubt of the result. The same extermination that has gone on during the last 200 years went on thousands ot years ago, but it was bow and arrow against throwing stick and spear. It was with bow and arrow that the Cromagnons wiped out the Neanderthal men. There could be no doubt of the result*in either case. Here lies the story of the passing of the boomerang. The Australian aborigine never acquired the bow and arrow. ft is highly probable that boomerangs were almost universally used before the advent of bows and arrows. One might reasonably ask. “ Well, how was it that bows and arrows as well as boomerangs were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen?” 1 think the best answer to that would be that the boomerangs wore used entirely for killing geese and ducks. When one realises how prevalent these birds were in the Nile Delta, and how inferior a bow and arrow would he, the need for the boomerang immediately becomes apparent. Boomerangs are of all weights and sizes, thick or thin, and are used in much the same way as a schoolboy uses bis pocket knife, that is, for anything it can come in handy for, such as beating time at corroborees, poking the fire, throwing at quarrelling and thieving dogs, taking rats, lizards, birds, or animals, as well as for fight ing. In all tribes there are some who are recognised as cunning in the art of boomerang-making, but even these like, to exchange boomerangs with a man in another tribe who also has a great reputation, and who may live many weeks’ journey away.

There arc many very inferior boomerangs made by the natives either from Jack of skill or laziness, and again many that were once good have become useless by warping. This to the native is of little account, as by rubbing fat into it and heating it ho soon rectifies a bend. With knowledge one is usually able to toll from what part of Australia a boomerang has come. For instance the following have more or less specialised types:—Lake Tyers, Corranderk, Murray River blacks, Western Australia, North-West and Katherine River, Cardwell blacks, and those in central parts, such as Arunta and Wonkongirni tribes. The description of the different types and various methods employed in making a return boomerang may possibly be dealt with at some future period.