Boomerang information? region?

[katana]

Hi Tim,
I'm not certain, but the grooved 'decoration' may be more functional than decorative. I believe the grooves create air turbulence that is beneficial to the flight of the boomerang.....suggesting to me that this is a 'goodie'

I believe a similar effect is demonstrated by the 'dimples' in a golf ball .

Regards David

[fearn]

Superficially it looks genuine, although I think it's probably a kylie (non-returning hunter) rather than a boomerang (returning toy). A boomerang would have a much less obtuse angle. I've seen plenty of pics of kylies with those grooves, what bothers me is the check pattern at the end. If genuine, I'd guess some Central tribe, and I don't have to book with me to guess better than that.

Here are some suggestions for determining whether it's genuine.

1) wood grain: does it run down the length of the kylie (i.e. did they use a bent branch) or does the grain run out the side (i.e. they used a board). Extra points if there's evidence that the wood was bent under heat prior to shaping, as seen by charred spots on the wood (they had to use a campfire to heat the green wood).

2) Cross-sectional shape. If it looks like a wing, with the grooves on the upper side, it's more likely an art object

3). Damage on the edges. A genuine, used kylie would show marks from hitting kangaroos, being used as an impromptu digging stick, starting a friction fire, etc. An art object will be in better shape.

4) The hard one: throw it. Gently. At a soft target (think grassland, haybales, etc.). I'm not a boomerang maker, but there's a wonderful book (Primitive Technology, A Book of Earth SkillsPrimitive Technology, A Book of Earth Skills) that goes into the process of making a kylie in detail. The final part is that you've got to tune the thing so that it flies straight, and if it's an art object, it hasn't been tuned to throw. While the piece is old and quite possibly distorted, if it flies straight when thrown, someone took the time to make it work, and it's genuine.

My 0.02 cents,

F

[Tim Simmons]

Hello fearn, obviously I hope it is the real thing although there is little to suggest damage from use, like a lot of weapons. The scraping back of the wood makes sense. The carving would have to some degree a harsh and uneven surface, so it is then scraped back to a smooth aerodynamic form like the golf ball mention earlier. By the way what do you make of this African bean rattle you botanist huh.

[fearn]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

By the way what do you make of this African bean rattle you botanist huh.

Love those things. I used to whack students with 'em when I was teaching. Really Actually, it's always fun putting those down with a tahitian chestnut, a sea bean, a screw mesquite, and a couple of others, and saying, "yep, those are all beans, and they'll on be on the test." Their eyes are sooooo expressive.

F

[Lew]

[QUOTE=fearn]Superficially it looks genuine, although I think it's probably a kylie (non-returning hunter) rather than a boomerang (returning toy).

Tim

Here is the ultimate test.. Mail it to me and if you get it back it's a boomerang if it stays with me it's a kylie Either way it's quite nice!

Congrats


Lew

[katana]

[QUOTE=LOUIEBLADES]

Originally Posted by fearn

Superficially it looks genuine, although I think it's probably a kylie (non-returning hunter) rather than a boomerang (returning toy).



Here is the ultimate test.. Mail it to me and if you get it back it's a boomerang if it stays with me it's a kylie
Lew