Timor slingshot?

[katana]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I have been puzzled by the amount of these things from Africa on ebay called catapults.

Me too, so many 'Baule' catapults and not one with the bands and pouch fitted. It has puzzled me for some time.
A catapult is a good hunting tool for small game.....and yet these seem to be so well carved/ornate for such 'rudementary' use. Another advantage was that you could use stones etc. as ammunion, freely and easily available. Many primative tribes had crossbows which could easily be modified to fire stones etc at great force and accuracy.

Are these 'catapults' another item that has been judged with 'western' eyes and their true function is totally different