TRIBAL SPEAR THROWERS, ATAL/ATAL

[VANDOO]

I WILL START WITH AUSTRALIAN SPEAR THROWERS, KNOWN AS WOOMERA IN AUSTRALIA. IF THEY STAY IN ORDER THEY ARE.
1. WESTERN DESERT, 58CM. LONG
2.NORTH QUEENSLAND,ARAKUNE PEOPLE, 95 CM.L. SHELL AND CLAY COUNTERWEIGHT.
3WESTERN DESERT 32INCH. LONG
4. & 5. N.W. AUSTRALIA KIMBERLY 37.5 IN. L.
6. PICTURE OF VARIOUS FORMS OF WOMERA
7. WANDJINA PEOPLE WOMERA
8. BENTIK ISLAND, N. QUEENSLAND
9. WEST AUSTRALIA NIK NIK, 30.5IN. L.
10. WESTERN KIMBERLY AREA
11. OLD WO0MERA AND BOOMERANG
12. WESTERN DESERT, COLLECTED 1950'S

[G. McCormack]

Great looking throwers. Do you have a favorite? Have you done any atlatl practice?

[KuKulzA28]

atlatls are fun to use... I have one at home, but it's a replica of a Tarairiu atlatl, not Australian

[VANDOO]

I LIKE ALL OF THE FORMS THE SHORTER WIDER ONES MAY BE A BIT QUICKER TO LOAD AND THROW BUT THE LONGER THIN ONES THROW HARD AND FAR.
A FEW MORE FROM AUSTRALIA FOR COMPARISON AND VARIETY.
1. 2. AND 3 WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 72 TO 68.5 CM.
4. SOUTH EAST AUST. 72CM. LONG
5.MURRY RIVER, SOUTH AUST. 56CM LONG
6. QUEENSLAND WOOMERA WITH SHELL COUNTERBALANCE, 36.5 INCHES LONG
7. THREE EXAMPLES FROM 1945 HERMANSBURG ERA, HE HAD A SCHOOL TEACHING THIS STYLE OF PAINTING SO IT WAS DONE ON MOST ANYTHING TO SELL (FLOGG) TO THE TOURISTS. NICE ART THOUGH.
8. 9. 10. THREE PICTURES OF A TIWI WOOMERA FROM BATHURST OR MELVILLE ISLANDS ONE A CLOSEUP OF THE TIP.
LAST THREE OF CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA 70CM LONG WITH COPPER WIRE.

[VANDOO]

THIS IS THE LAST OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPEAR THROWERS. IT IS FROM GROOTE ISLAND. FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY INFORMATION OR EXAMPLES YOU MAY HAVE TO THE THREAD AT ANY TIME. I WILL BE MOVING ON TO NEW GUINEA EXAMPLES NEXT.

[VANDOO]

THE SPEAR THROWERS FROM THIS REGION HAVE A DIFFERENT MORE COMPLEX DESIGN INCORPORATING A DECORATIVE PIECE THAT CHANGES THE ANGLE OF THE SPEAR IN THE THROWER. I HAVE NEVER TRIED TO USE THIS FORM SO DON'T KNOW WHAT EFFECT IT HAS ON PERFORMANCE. SOME OF THESE ARE CEREMONIAL SPEAR THROWERS AND AS I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH SUCH CEREMONIES CAN'T COMMENT. HOPEFULLY A MEMBER MAY HAVE KNOWLEGE I DO NOT POSSESS AND ADD IT TO THE POST.
1. CEREMONIAL FORM SEPIC AREA 72 X 16CM
2. & 3. CEREMONIAL, 40.5 INCH LONG
4,5 &6 NOT CEREMONIAL 34.5 INCH. LONG, DESIGN MAY REPRESENT A GRASSHOPPER
7 & 8 NOT CEREMONIAL 42 INCH LONG, BIRD DECORATION
9,10, 11, &12 CEREMONIAL FORM SEPIK REGION

[VANDOO]

THESE WERE NOT SAID TO BE FOR CEREMONIAL USE BUT DO HAVE NICE CEREMONIAL CARVINGS EITHER OF SPIRITS, ANCESTORS OR PERHAPS CLAN TOTUMS? SORRY I CAN'T FRUNISH MORE INFORMATION BUT ALL I HAVE IS PICTURES WITH VERY LIMITED INFORMATION AND NO GOOD REFRENCE BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT. BUT HERE IS A BASE TO START PERHAPS SOMEONE WITH THE KNOWLEGE CAN BUILD ON IT.
1.SEPIC RIVER PNG 25.5INCHES
2. MIDDLE SEPIC RIVER
3.& 10 SEPIC RIVER 80 CM. LONG
4. 77CM. LONG
5. PNG
6. PNG
7. & 8 SEPIC RIVER 33INCHES LONG, SAID TO BE GRASSHOPPER DESIGN
9. SEPIC RIVER 29 IN. LONG.
11. & 12 IATMUL PEOPLE 68 CM. LONG PNG

[fearn]

Thanks for posting all of those, Vandoo! It's great to see them in views that show how they were put together.

AFAIK (and I haven't built an atlatl yet), there's a bit of a functional difference between most Australian woomeras and the thin-shafted atlatls from elsewhere. With a thick woomera, it's effectively a lever, and the thin-shafted spear acts as a spring. With the thin atlatl, both the atlatl and the dart act as springs. This double-spring (think of half a bow pitching an arrow without the bowstring) helps propel the atlatl dart further than it would go by simple leverage. The figures on the Papuan atlatls are probably there to help tune how the atlatl functions as a spring. Basically, they fiddle with the weight and stiffness until the spear really flies far.

Best,

F

[VANDOO]

THE OLDEST KNOWN ATALATL WAS FOUND IN A CAVE IN FRANCE ,IT WAS A HOOK MADE OF ANTLER AND DATED 17,500 YEARS AGO. COMPLETE EXAMPLES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE AMERICAS MOSTLY IN VERY DRY PLACES OR IN WATERLOGGED ENVIRONMENTS. IN NORTH AMERICA IN DRY WESTERN AREAS AND IN WET AREAS IN FLORIDA AND WASHINGTON STATE. MOSTLY ONLY PARTS REMAIN SUCH AS BANNERSTONES WHICH ARE THOUGHT TO BE A STONE COUNTERWEIGHT OR VARIOUS BONE PARTS FOR GRIPS OR HOOKS. IN SOME AREAS A SIMPLE CORD WITH LOOPS WAS USED AS A SPEAR THROWER. THESE EXAMPLES ARE FROM MOCHIE CIVILIZATION 100AD TO 800 AD. NORTHERN PERU.
NAZCA CIVILIZATION 100 TO 800AD, SOUTHERN COAST OF PERU
INCA CIVILIZATION, ANDES MOUNTAINS PERU 1438 TO 1533AD
AZTEC CIVILIZATION MEXICO CITY.
1. & 2. NAZCA, WITH WELL CARVED THUMBREST.
3. INCA WITH BRONZE FITTINGS
4. CEREMONIAL EXAMPLE FROM PERU
5. WELL CARVED AZTEC, ONLY ONE KNOWN.
6.MODERN PICTURE OF ATLATL IN USE.
7. NAZCA EXAMPLE
8. & 9. MOCHIE WITH IVORY THUMB REST LOOKS LIKE A TOOTH
10., 11. &12 NAZCA WITH INSET TURQUOPISE AND SPONDULUS SHELL

[VANDOO]

TWO SILVER ATALATL PARTS ONE IS 7 INCHES AND THE OTHER 5.5 INCHES LONG. SOME OF THESE SMALL SIZED ONES AS WELL AS ONES MADE OF SILVER MAY HAVE BEEN GRAVE GOODS SENT TO THE SPIRIT WORLD WITH THE DEAD TO SERVE THEM THERE?. THATS ABOUT ALL I'VE GOT SO IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD FROM THESE AREAS OR OTHER COUNTRYS AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO ADD IT HERE.
THE SPEAR THROWER MAY BE THE EARLIEST IMPLEMENT TO ACCELERATE THE POWER AND SPEED OF A PROJECTILE THE SLING BEING THE OTHER CONTENDER FOR OLDEST. THE SPEAR THROWER LIKE THE FIREARM IS JUST A POOR CLUB WITHOUT ITS AMMUNITION.

[VANDOO]

THREE MORE EXAMPLES A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS.
THREE PICTURES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA COLLECTED BETWEEN 1949 TO 1968 IN ERNABELLA WHICH IS S.W. OF ALICE SPRINGS. IT HAS A TULA STONE IMBEDDED IN THE SPINIFEX RESIN IN THE HANDLE FOR DECORATION OR WEIGHT? SIZE 90 X10 CM.
ONE PICTURE OF ESKIMO SPEAR THROWER WITH 2 KNIVES
TWO PICTURE OF SPEAR THROWER FROM MIDDLE SEPIK REGION 79 CM. LONG SEEMS TO HAVE A CARVED WOOD GRIP /COUNTERWEIGHT.

[VANDOO]

A MORE RECENT SUCESSFUL HUNT USING THE AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA AND A STEEL POINTED SPEAR.

[VANDOO]

mochie atlatl 400 to 700 ad. bone, wood, copper 21 inches long. two pictures one of bone figural weight

modern atl atl still used in spear fishing today, central mexico, Texcoco, 32 cm long.

[VANDOO]

TWO MORE EXAMPLES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA.
#1. & #2. WESTERN AUSTRALIA, LA GRANGE, 82 CM. LONG, WOOD KANGAROO GUT, SPINIFEX RESIN AND A WOOD PEG TO HOLD THE SPEAR BUTT. A TULA STONE IS SET IN THE HANDLE WITH RESIN. THE TULA STONE MAY BE FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE AND PERHAPS BE USED AS A TOOL.
#3. #4. #5. 90 CM. LONG WOMERA, WOOD, STONE, RESIN. THIS EXAMPLE HAS A STONE PEG AS WELL AS A TULA STONE AT THE GRIP.

[VANDOO]

#1. & #2. MOCHE GOLD CEREMONIAL ATAL ATAL, 15 IN. LONG
#3. EASTER ISLAND FIGURAL ATAL ATAL SPEAR THROWER FROM THE OLDMAN COLLECTION.

[Battara]

W W!

Never seen a Moche atalatal before!

[VANDOO]

JUST FOUND TWO LINKS IN ANOTHER POST ON THE ATAL ATAL WITH VERY GOOD INFORMATION TO ADD TO THE REFRENCE. THEY WERE POSTED ON ANOTHER POST BY MARE ROSU .
http://donsmaps.com/atlatl.html AND http://www.primitive.org/atlstealth.htm

THE ORIGINAL POST IS ON PAGE ONE OF THE POST, SLIDING WEIGHTS ON SWORDS POST.

[VANDOO]

THIS IS A NATIVE AMERICAN SPEAR THROWER COLLECTED IN CANADA NEAR HUDSON BAY IN 1888