iDIDJ Australia Didgeridoo Cultural Hub

Any Ideas where I can get a Woomera/spear thrower from doesn't have to be top end and also how much I should be paying?

Stockie you can make one in about 10 minutes. All you need is a nice stick and a knife to carve it with and some bamboo to create the spear shafts. I can show you in London if you're coming to Colin's on the 13th October.

Hi kyle that would be cool I am going to Colins but what would you use over here for resin and sinu

You can carve the 'peg' out of the shaft itself so you don't need to attach anything. Do a google search on 'atlatl' and you'll find a wealth of info.

Very simple to make and damn addictive to chuck spears too! Kyle's right as usual- you can carve them from a single piece of wood or go more elaborate with a nib cut from a different material.

Google search 'atlatl' and you can get a sense for some of the designs out that different cultures developed. The technology was used not only by Aboriginal peoples in Australia, but the world over. There's been some interesting discussion in paleoengineering circles concerning use of the 'banner stone' which was used to load the arcing action of the atlatl, and some people are even producing modern examples based on specimens collected from both archaelogical digs and field expeditions from the past. For example, I have a spearthrower based on an Eastern Native American design made by a woodworking friend that incorporates a simple deer bone nib and leather finger loops. Made of curly maple- gorgeous wood. I'll try and get a picture posted for you here.

The really cool thing about the technology is that it is again being used by hunting enthusiasts. Here in Pennsylvania, there are regulations that allow the use of atlatls for hunting deer and boar, usually on hunting reserves. I'm not a hunter, but I imagine it is an exhilarating experience, if that's your thing. I prefer to flyfish

Interesting discussion here. Even in Australia there are numerous designs for spearthrowers or woomeras as they're sometimes called. Their forms are particular to the region they come from, so Central Australian ones are distinct, as are Western Australian ones, Victorian ones, Northern Territory ones etc. In some areas there might be several types in use, in eastern Arnhem Land for example. I've got several dozen old ones in my collection... let's see if I can take a representative pic of them. Wait a minute...

Guan

Here's a pic of some woomeras I have, enough to show you the diversity in styles and forms.

The most common woomeras can be acquired cheaply enough, but the rare ones do occasionally turn up and cause a stir... sometimes selling for $8000 or more!

Guan

Here's a couple of pics for you. Firstly, me going spear fishing with two spears and a woomera in Fiji and secondly, me doing the same in Spain. In the second picture you can see the woomera's point knocked into the spear. In both cases I'm using spears and spearthrowers that I've crafted myself.

The Fiji fishing session wasn't very fruitful as the visibility was next to nothing due to the clouds. I did manage to catch a few whitebait which I then used as bait on a line. I'll have to ask my dad to send me a photo of the fish I caught in Spain as I don't have any evidence myself. I caught 4 mullet (mujol) which were great battered and fried!

Nice collection, Guan! A varied grouping indeed- the one with the tassel is quite striking. I've not seen one with that style of adornment before. Where's that particular specimen from?

Kyle, looks to be great fun! I've done a little spearfishing for panfish and bass here in the states on smallish rivers and it's great fun! Definitely pays to move slowly and patiently.

That's a Milingimbi one though the same form can be found throughout Arnhem Land. The tassle is human hair which gives it additional power. Not sure if you can see it clearly, but there is also a feather from the Rainbow Lorikeet attached to the end of one of the hair tassles... no doubt drawing upon Ancestral power to let spears fly straight and true, to kill with deadly aim.

Guan

Ah yes, I can see it now! Thanks Guan. So the question remains- you've got all those woomera, ever chuck a couple spears

Not really, not these days. My spears are mainly old ones and I don't want them damaged... will take some pics of them eh?

Guan

Pic of spears below. There must be about 25 of them in the pic, up to 3 metres long. I've got a dozen or so shorter ones.

Funny but over at Ramingining, the spear is not used much for hunting. They aren't saltwater people but mud flats and swamp people, and the shotgun is the weapon of choice for hunting... for magpie goose, wallabies and kangaroos, emus occasionally. The spear and woomera are used more commonly over at Elcho Island, Gove etc. where there are clear waters and sandy beaches. For fishing, Ramo families use a hand line and lure or hook. No spearing in these places, except for when fights break out!

Guan

Wow that's quite the collection, Guan- and some really incredible pieces there, too! I think I might to come visit you to covet all those wonderful things you've got there!

Jason

Thanks Jason, yup, come and visit anytime! The spears are varied... from beautifully-painted Tiwi ones, barbed ones from Arnhem Land, shovel-nose ones with metal blades, stone-headed ones which are quite rare as metal has replaced stone these days etc. The fishing ones are visually attractive as they have a bunch of stingray barbs at one end, though sometimes wooden spikes are used instead (these days, metal spikes are the norm...).

Guan