Australian Aboriginal made archery gear

[Xtfreak]

My electrician has been telling me about these for years.
Today he came over to do some work on my solar system and brought them along.
I have never seen anything like them but some of you guys may have.
He inherited them from his grandfather. He does not know where his grandfather got them.
My electrician used to shoot them when he was a teenager so approximately 30 years ago.
All are in the same condition as when they were made years ago except the spear which had been repaired at some time and instead of using original vine for string they used synthetic cord.
These are the different arrows.


Here are some fishing arrows or spears I do not know which.


The spear.


Bow 1 and close ups of its tips.



Bow 2 and close ups of its tips.



From the information my friend remembers the two bows and the tips of the arrows are presumably made of Palm wood, the strings are made of bamboo strips.
Would anyone know if this information might be correct or not?
Bill

[longbow steve]

Papua New Guinea is where they are from.

[Stickbow Hunter]

I would also say they are from PNG and made from Black Palm. Bamboo was used for the strings. I do not know of any Aboriginals using bows n arras.

Jeff

[TomMcDonald]

There is limited evidence that archery was in use at some stage by Australians in the far-reaches of the top-end. It may have already fallen out of favour at the time of European settlement and never really spread any further down the continent.

[Xtfreak]

Thanks for the information folks.
I will pass it along to my friend...
Bill

[looseplucker]

I agree with Tom - I have read there is evidence in the archaeological record of archery technology in use but quickly being dropped - something to do with nomadicism, availabilty of easily worked wood and so forth.

[Chase N. Nocks]

Pretty much concur with the previous replies.

Bow and arrow are from New Guinea IMHO.

Yes I have also encountered claims in literature of archery being practiced by very far north aboriginals that probably have occassional trade, cultural and blood ties to New Guinea natives.

Particularly I remember a reference to small bows that the author suggested might be bird bows...but just as equally may have been ceremonial bows.

http://www.ozbow.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10738

http://www.ozbow.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10730



Cheers
Troy

[Dryfired]

As others say the arrows and bow are from PNG. The bow is made from black palm wood and such bows are still in everyday use in PNG, particularly in the highlands. Blokes there go out hunting for days with nothing but themselves, their bow and three arrows - two sharps and a blunt.

[hazard]

Yep that about sums it up guys, I havent read any thing different either, though it is always good to keep an open mind.

But the real question would be what could an aborigine make a bow out of?

Dont we use Australian timbers to biuld bows now? Though I would say most of us cheat a little bit with modern technology, some of the die hard traditionals would probably have a method to use local materials to craft a bow and arrow I am sure.

Surely this wasn't the only reason Aborigines pulled the handbrake on the idea I thought I read there were other fasctors though I can't recall them.

[Nephew]

They could possibly be from Badu (Mulgrave Island in the old days), in the Torres Strait. Those guys had bows. Just don't call them Papua New Guineans, nor Thursday Islanders, they will proudly inform you that they are from BADU, and no-where else! .

[perry]

About the only Aussie timber I can think of off hand that I would attempt to make a Bow from using Stone tools is either Red or Pink Ash. The others I've tried are too tough , even green let alone seasoned. I have tried scrapping green Brigalow with stone tools - I'll stick to steel edges tools thanks - Guess that's why there is little / no evidence of Aboriginal Australian Archery.

regards Jacko

[Gringa Bows]

Aint they a couple of your earlier bows Jeff

[hazard]

The aborigines were very innovative, it must have been a substancial hurdle to make them chuck the idea in like that. Be it not impossible I guess it was probably more impractical, but is it really as simple as that? I know these guys were surprisingly proficient with their spears but wouldn't a bow have made it so much easier?

[perry]

On a Earths history scale it's only a heartbeat ago that Mega Fauna roamed Australia. Imagine a Wombat as big as a Volkswagon, [ Diprotodon ] a Spear especially when coupled with a Woomera is a far more efficient method to kill such enormous Game as it has much more mass to reach deep into the vitals with than is practical with an Arrow and a large animal is a more efficient beast to down from a reward for effort point of view.

On the nasty Mega Fauna Scale imagine defending yourself or your family against a 20ft Goanna. Again the Woomera and Spear from a penetrating power point of view.

A Bomerang has less maintenance - ie strings repairing broken points on Arrows etc than a Bow and for smaller game to the size of Roo's and Emu's highly effective. I know I would not want a kilo or more of Mulga root smacking me in the head or neck region.

I don't think that the Aboriginals really needed the Bow and Arrow for their nomadic existence in many parts of the country as the tools they had where more than sufficient for the task at hand. I know there is pockets where the Aboriginals led far more settled lives but the same sort of tools worked for them aswell.

regards Jacko

[longbow steve]

I read recently that outside of NSW the Boomerang was unknown among Aboriginal peoples. So spear and woomera would have been the main hunting weapon. There is some good footage on youtube of traditional hunting with spear and boomerang if anyone is interested. Steve

[kombikid]

I don't know about the returning type of boomerang, but I have seen aboriginal people in the NT making and using the non-returning type for hunting. A friend who was the aboriginal liaison officer for National Parks and Wildlife has even seen one used by an old boy to clobber a younger man who'd been messing with one of his wives. Caught him across the kidneys as he was running away and dropped him like a poleaxed steer.
Cheers,
Ian

[longbowinfected]

I think they also used nulla nullas [wooden throwing clubs] as well as stone axes. Might be different in each area.

Kev

[kombikid]

Just remembered, I've also seen an aboriginal guy using a very basic stickbow to hunt freshwater prawns in the Katherine River for barra bait. Whether that was a traditional thing or not I do not know. I do know however that indigenous people are very very good at taking in ideas and concepts that are foreign to them and adapting them to their own needs. A useful ability when you live as close to the changeable natural world as they did.
Longbowinfected, the nonreturning 'rangs are about 2'6" long or so with a short crooked end and are shaped so they fly in a straight line when thrown. The Arnhem Land people used throwing sticks from platforms in the paperbarks to bring down Magpie Geese and other waterfowl as they were coming into the billabongs as well. When they ran out they'd collect them up and start again.
Cheers,
Ian

[longbow steve]

I don't know about the returning type of boomerang, but I have seen aboriginal people in the NT making and using the non-returning type for hunting. A friend who was the aboriginal liaison officer for National Parks and Wildlife has even seen one used by an old boy to clobber a younger man who'd been messing with one of his wives. Caught him across the kidneys as he was running away and dropped him like a poleaxed steer.
Cheers,
Ian

Yes you are right Ian, the article was referring to the returning Boomerang.
Here is the article for those interested http://www.boomerang.org.au/articles/ar ... erang.html

[Dryfired]

Perry has it nailed with his megafauna theory I reckon. Clever thinking there.