Woomera (spear-thrower): Difference between revisions
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==Use== |
==Use== |
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Records show that the implement began to be used about 5000 years ago.<ref name="egt"/> It is still used today in some remote areas of Australia.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Like spears and [[boomerangs]], woomeras were traditionally used only by men. Some woomeras, especially those used in the central and western [[Australia]]n [[desert]]s, were multi-purpose tools. Often shaped like long narrow bowls, they could be used for carrying water-soaked vegetable matter (which would not spill and could later be sucked for its moisture) as well as small food items such as little lizards or seeds. Many woomeras had a sharp stone cutting edge attached to the end of the handle with black gum from the [[Triodia (plant genus)|triodia]] plant. This sharp tool had many uses, such as cutting up game or other food and wood. The woomera could be used as a shield for protection against [[spear|spears]] and boomerangs. The extra energy gained from the woomera's use has been calculated as four times that from a [[compound bow]].<ref name="egt">{{Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/24/1088046225916.html |title=Extinction's group theory |accessdate=21 October 2011 |date=25 June 2004 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media }}</ref> |
Records show that the implement began to be used about 5000 years ago.<ref name="egt"/> It is still used today in some remote areas of Australia.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Like spears and [[boomerangs]], woomeras were traditionally used only by men. Some woomeras, especially those used in the central and western [[Australia]]n [[desert]]s, were multi-purpose tools. Often shaped like long narrow bowls, they could be used for carrying water-soaked vegetable matter (which would not spill and could later be sucked for its moisture) as well as small food items such as little lizards or seeds. Many woomeras had a sharp stone cutting edge attached to the end of the handle with black gum from the [[Triodia (plant genus)|triodia]] plant. This sharp tool had many uses, such as cutting up game or other food and wood. The woomera could be used as a shield for protection against [[spear|spears]] and boomerangs. The extra energy gained from the woomera's use has been calculated as four times that from a [[compound bow]].<ref name="egt">{{Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/24/1088046225916.html |title=Extinction's group theory |accessdate=21 October 2011 |date=25 June 2004 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Fairfax Media }}</ref> |
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==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 01:11, 2 August 2013
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Spear-thrower. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2012. |
A woomera is a wooden Australian Aboriginal spear-throwing device.[1][2][3] Similar to an atlatl, it is an extension of the human arm that enables a spear to travel at a greater speed and force than possible with the unaided arm. The town of Woomera in South Australia, founded in 1947 as the home of the Anglo-Australian Long Range Weapons Establishment, is named after the spear thrower.
Description
The woomera is 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 cm) in length.[4] One end is 3 inches (8 cm) wide, while the other is more pointed and has a hook. The woomera was traditionally decorated with incised or painted designs that indicated belonging to a particular linguistic group that it may be returned to if found abandoned.[citation needed]
Use
Records show that the implement began to be used about 5000 years ago.[5] It is still used today in some remote areas of Australia.[citation needed] Like spears and boomerangs, woomeras were traditionally used only by men. Some woomeras, especially those used in the central and western Australian deserts, were multi-purpose tools. Often shaped like long narrow bowls, they could be used for carrying water-soaked vegetable matter (which would not spill and could later be sucked for its moisture) as well as small food items such as little lizards or seeds. Many woomeras had a sharp stone cutting edge attached to the end of the handle with black gum from the triodia plant. This sharp tool had many uses, such as cutting up game or other food and wood. The woomera could be used as a shield for protection against spears and boomerangs. The extra energy gained from the woomera's use has been calculated as four times that from a compound bow.[5]
External links
- Aboriginal technology
- A drawing of a woomera, from the book Boy Scouts Beyond the Seas: "My World Tour" by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, 1913
- ^ Phyllis Mary Kaberry -Aboriginal woman, sacred and profane 1970- Page 14 "The Aborigines generally use a spear-thrower (noslal) and a shovel-spear (djinad), the fashioning of which is a long and delicate process. The blade made of iron, mudagandji, must be welded into an oval shape varying from three to five ..."
- ^ Mitchell Rolls, Murray Johnson -Historical Dictionary of Australian Aborigines 2010- Page 157 "SPEAR-THROWER. A wooden implement that has a projection peg either carved into or secured to the butt, the spear-thrower greatly increased the range and accuracy of spears hurled by Aboriginal hunters. It could also be used for a ..."
- ^ Linley Erin Hall The Laws of Motion: An Anthology Of Current Thought- 2005 - Page 66 -" In Australia the spear thrower is popularly called a woomera, one of the many Aboriginal names for a spear thrower"
- ^ Earp, G. Butler (1852). The Gold Colonies of Australia. London: Geo. Routledge & Co. p. 126.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b "Extinction's group theory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 21 October 2011.