Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-03-29
THE BOOMERANG.
Weapons for War and the Hunt Used by
Native Australians


Weapons for War and the Hunt Used by
Native Australians
This novel weapon became an in
tensely interesting object to me very
soon after arriving in Australia; and
for the purpose OF studying it, 1 went
persistently among the black fellows,
whose friendship I cultivated in differ
ent ways, and so succeeded eventually
in learning how to make and throw
the boomerang. So far, well and good;
but of its history could learn moth
ing. OF the origin of the crooked stick
there is no knowledge; one can only
conjecture. 1t is possible it may have
been born with the race itself from the
accidental throwing of fat stick; for
from childhood the black fellow shows
a natural bent for throwing things, as
you can see by watching him use his
only other weapons, the spear and club
The bow and arrow, so common in
other lands, is not used, except in the
extreme northern portion of the great
island continent, where there is mix
ture of the race with the Papuan of
New Guinea
There is the war boomerang, hunt
ing boomerang and amusement boom
erang. This last is used for light hunt
ing, such as killing ducks, coclatoos
and parrots, and is the one referred to
when speaking of the boomerang.
These sticks measure from a foot and a
half to three feet and half in length,
the fighting and hunting ones being
the largest and heaviest The hardest
and toughest wood is selected, and the
form of the weapon follows the grain
of the wood; thus, if the crook of the
root or limb is little or mnch, so is the
form of the boomerang. You will find
that nearly every one is of a different
shape In my collection 1 have them
varying from almost straight to a shape
like that of the letter V.
Nearly straight, curved, plain, orna-
mented, some with strange carvings.
and all varying according to different
sections of the country and individual
tribes, each having its own make or
style, showing respectively rough crude
ness or considerable finish, and being
especially characteristic in the ends or
points-an of which boomerang con-
noisseur will distinguish at once and
locate as to tribe and section
In the black fellows humpy, where
he keeps his collection thrown down in
corner with a pile of spears clubs.
rags. bark and skins of kangaroo and
wallaby, 1 have seen very rare and
curious specimens
The nomad black fellow makes his
primitive humpy, or hut in location
chosen temporarily, according to his ne
cessities for hunting, fishing, and the
like, by cutting a young sappling
half through about four feet from the
ground, and bending it over to hori-
zontal position, thus forming a ridge
pole, against which bows and strips of
bark are laid. The covered side is al
ways against the wind, and before the
open front a fire is always burning OF
smouldering- He does not like the
wind, and if it changes, prestoi the
humpy, too. is changed in a twinkling.
Down in this humpy corner, under
meath the pile of bark and skins, he
will burrow like a rabbit when he goes
to sleep, and from the same place he
will provide himself with a weapon
when starting off for hunt -Harper':
Young People.