Throwing Board
date: label: Accession Date
content: 23 Nov 1927
name: label: Collector
content: Dr. Henry B. Collins Jr.
label: Collector
content: Dr. T. Dale Stewart
label: Donor Name
content: Dr. Henry B. Collins Jr.
notes: label: Notes
content: This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.
label: Notes
content: From card: "Boy's. Same as 340220."
label: Notes
content: Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact https://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=345 , retrieved 10-21-2021; see web page for additional information: Throwing board, Yup'ik. Throwing boards were traditionally used to hurl seal darts and bird darts, usually from a kayak but sometimes when hunters went on foot out on the sea ice. Elder Paul John said that "people back in those days used them as their guns." Rifles are commonly used for seal hunting today, but men from several villages on the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers still use throwing boards and darts for seal hunting. The dart rests in a groove along the throwing board's upper surface until it is launched. Throwing boards were used to hurl seal darts and bird darts, usually from a qayaq [kayak] but sometimes when hunters went on foot out on the sea ice. Elder Paul John said of the throwing board that 'people back in those days used them as their guns." Rifles, usually .22 caliber, are the usual weapon for seal hunting today, but Yup'ik men from villages on the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers still use throwing boards and darts for sealing, and teach the art to their children. The nuqaq [throwing board] has a hand-shaped grip, a shallow groove down its midline where the dart shaft rests, and an ivory peg to engage the butt end of the dart. The throwing motion is either overhand or sidearm. The tool extends the arm and wrist, adding tremendous force to the throw. Accuracy comes with lifelong practice. Lantis observed a dart throwing contest on the beach at Nunivak Island in 1939-40 where casts of over 200 ft. were made into the wind with fair accuracy. Other authors suggest effective ranges for killing seals of 90-180 ft.. A throwing board is sized to fit the individual who will use it, although various measures are given. The length should equal the distance from elbow to the end of the middle finger, index finger, or bent-back thumb. Individuals experimented to find the exact size and shape that best suited their bodies and throwing styles. According to Paul John: "They said that different nuqat ('throwing boards') had varied results when used. Some nuqat were considered to be uyaqsunaqluteng, which meant that when used for casting a spear they would hit with accuracy and precision. If a hunter possessed such a nuqaq they would say that it is excellent."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 15 Feb 2022
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Nunivak Island, Bering Sea / Nunivak Island Quad, Alaska, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Eskimo, Yup'ik
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 096521
label: USNM Number
content: E340223-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Atlatl
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 39 cm