PLEASE!! What were the functions of a boomerang during ancient times?

Question

i know i can google this but i'm not getting straightforward answers.they make no sense. please help me!!

Answer 1

I'm Australian so this was taught in school because our native people known largely as 'aboriginal' used the boomerang.

It can depend on a few things though as is not just for one use. There is a few different shapes to a boomerang while they are largely just variations of a curved flat piece of wood.

They were used as weapons to kill animals such as kangaroo in Australia. This type of boomerang could be about half a metre or more long and does not come back. It was simply designed to fly through the air and smash what it is aimed at (these boomerangs had one end shorter maybe only two hand lengths while the other side after the curve would be much longer).

Other smaller boomerangs were designed to be thrown parallel to the ground and then as the slow down they fly up in the air. This action would scare animals or birds into moving so that they could be killed or caught for food (these boomerangs were more symmetrical in shape and gave birth to modern boomerangs).

I believe that as they were used as weapons for killing their food they were also used as weapons in wars or battles against rival tribes. And finally they are used in a ceremonial type situation like in the music of story telling of each of the tribes (Much like the native american would dance around the camp fire). They could be used to illustrate a story or as a musical instrument (like clapping sticks).

Modern boomerangs are better designed to fly around and come back to the person who threw it (purely for sporting reason). Older ancient style boomerangs could also do this but again it was for a practical reason such as hunting and not a sporting/leisure activity.

Hope this helps with at least the start of what you are looking for. Maybe this has at least started you off in the right direction anyhow :)

Answer 2

The Aborigines use a type of boomerang that is different from the modern "returning boomerang" that is popular in modern-day Australia. When an Aborigine hunter throws a "non-returning boomerang," he uses a spinning motion. The boomerang hits the target with more force than a stick or rock. Many Aborigines also use the boomerang to scrape animal hides (and for other scraping tasks) and to start fires.

Answer 3

The boomerang is a club. It has the interesting and very practical property that it returns if you miss. So when you go out hunting kagaroos or whatever, you don't have to chase the darn thing everytime the kangaroo hops out of the way.

In warfare, a weapon that returns on a miss is very practical also. All those ancient Greek spear throwers were just out of luck if they missed.

Answer 4

Boomerang-like devices, including hunting sticks, have been used all over the world for hunting, religious and recreational activities. Today, boomerangs are most used as sporting items. See if this site gives you what you need http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang

Answer 5

Hunting

Answer 6

Edged weapons used for hunting by Native Australians.