TRIBAL SPEAR THROWERS, ATAL/ATAL

fearn · 1st June 2012, 07:28 PM

Thanks for posting all of those, Vandoo! It's great to see them in views that show how they were put together.

AFAIK (and I haven't built an atlatl yet), there's a bit of a functional difference between most Australian woomeras and the thin-shafted atlatls from elsewhere. With a thick woomera, it's effectively a lever, and the thin-shafted spear acts as a spring. With the thin atlatl, both the atlatl and the dart act as springs. This double-spring (think of half a bow pitching an arrow without the bowstring) helps propel the atlatl dart further than it would go by simple leverage. The figures on the Papuan atlatls are probably there to help tune how the atlatl functions as a spring. Basically, they fiddle with the weight and stiffness until the spear really flies far.

Best,

F

VANDOO · 3rd June 2012, 05:42 AM

THE OLDEST KNOWN ATALATL WAS FOUND IN A CAVE IN FRANCE ,IT WAS A HOOK MADE OF ANTLER AND DATED 17,500 YEARS AGO. COMPLETE EXAMPLES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE AMERICAS MOSTLY IN VERY DRY PLACES OR IN WATERLOGGED ENVIRONMENTS. IN NORTH AMERICA IN DRY WESTERN AREAS AND IN WET AREAS IN FLORIDA AND WASHINGTON STATE. MOSTLY ONLY PARTS REMAIN SUCH AS BANNERSTONES WHICH ARE THOUGHT TO BE A STONE COUNTERWEIGHT OR VARIOUS BONE PARTS FOR GRIPS OR HOOKS. IN SOME AREAS A SIMPLE CORD WITH LOOPS WAS USED AS A SPEAR THROWER. THESE EXAMPLES ARE FROM MOCHIE CIVILIZATION 100AD TO 800 AD. NORTHERN PERU.
NAZCA CIVILIZATION 100 TO 800AD, SOUTHERN COAST OF PERU
INCA CIVILIZATION, ANDES MOUNTAINS PERU 1438 TO 1533AD
AZTEC CIVILIZATION MEXICO CITY.
1. & 2. NAZCA, WITH WELL CARVED THUMBREST.
3. INCA WITH BRONZE FITTINGS
4. CEREMONIAL EXAMPLE FROM PERU
5. WELL CARVED AZTEC, ONLY ONE KNOWN.
6.MODERN PICTURE OF ATLATL IN USE.
7. NAZCA EXAMPLE
8. & 9. MOCHIE WITH IVORY THUMB REST LOOKS LIKE A TOOTH
10., 11. &12 NAZCA WITH INSET TURQUOPISE AND SPONDULUS SHELL

VANDOO · 3rd June 2012, 06:08 AM

TWO SILVER ATALATL PARTS ONE IS 7 INCHES AND THE OTHER 5.5 INCHES LONG. SOME OF THESE SMALL SIZED ONES AS WELL AS ONES MADE OF SILVER MAY HAVE BEEN GRAVE GOODS SENT TO THE SPIRIT WORLD WITH THE DEAD TO SERVE THEM THERE?. THATS ABOUT ALL I'VE GOT SO IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD FROM THESE AREAS OR OTHER COUNTRYS AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO ADD IT HERE.
THE SPEAR THROWER MAY BE THE EARLIEST IMPLEMENT TO ACCELERATE THE POWER AND SPEED OF A PROJECTILE THE SLING BEING THE OTHER CONTENDER FOR OLDEST. THE SPEAR THROWER LIKE THE FIREARM IS JUST A POOR CLUB WITHOUT ITS AMMUNITION.

VANDOO · 24th August 2012, 11:55 PM

THREE MORE EXAMPLES A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS.
THREE PICTURES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA COLLECTED BETWEEN 1949 TO 1968 IN ERNABELLA WHICH IS S.W. OF ALICE SPRINGS. IT HAS A TULA STONE IMBEDDED IN THE SPINIFEX RESIN IN THE HANDLE FOR DECORATION OR WEIGHT? SIZE 90 X10 CM.
ONE PICTURE OF ESKIMO SPEAR THROWER WITH 2 KNIVES
TWO PICTURE OF SPEAR THROWER FROM MIDDLE SEPIK REGION 79 CM. LONG SEEMS TO HAVE A CARVED WOOD GRIP /COUNTERWEIGHT.

VANDOO · 1st September 2012, 06:45 PM

A MORE RECENT SUCESSFUL HUNT USING THE AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA AND A STEEL POINTED SPEAR.

VANDOO · 25th February 2013, 11:32 PM

mochie atlatl 400 to 700 ad. bone, wood, copper 21 inches long. two pictures one of bone figural weight

modern atl atl still used in spear fishing today, central mexico, Texcoco, 32 cm long.

VANDOO · 3rd February 2015, 05:18 PM

TWO MORE EXAMPLES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA.
#1. & #2. WESTERN AUSTRALIA, LA GRANGE, 82 CM. LONG, WOOD KANGAROO GUT, SPINIFEX RESIN AND A WOOD PEG TO HOLD THE SPEAR BUTT. A TULA STONE IS SET IN THE HANDLE WITH RESIN. THE TULA STONE MAY BE FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE AND PERHAPS BE USED AS A TOOL.
#3. #4. #5. 90 CM. LONG WOMERA, WOOD, STONE, RESIN. THIS EXAMPLE HAS A STONE PEG AS WELL AS A TULA STONE AT THE GRIP.

25th February 2013, 11:32 PM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	mochie atlatl 400 to 700 ad. bone, wood, copper 21 inches long. two pictures one of bone figural weight modern atl atl still used in spear fishing today, central mexico, Texcoco, 32 cm long. Attached Images

3rd February 2015, 05:18 PM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	TWO MORE EXAMPLES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA. #1. & #2. WESTERN AUSTRALIA, LA GRANGE, 82 CM. LONG, WOOD KANGAROO GUT, SPINIFEX RESIN AND A WOOD PEG TO HOLD THE SPEAR BUTT. A TULA STONE IS SET IN THE HANDLE WITH RESIN. THE TULA STONE MAY BE FOR WEIGHT AND BALANCE AND PERHAPS BE USED AS A TOOL. #3. #4. #5. 90 CM. LONG WOMERA, WOOD, STONE, RESIN. THIS EXAMPLE HAS A STONE PEG AS WELL AS A TULA STONE AT THE GRIP. Attached Images

1st June 2012, 07:28 PM	#1
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Thanks for posting all of those, Vandoo! It's great to see them in views that show how they were put together. AFAIK (and I haven't built an atlatl yet), there's a bit of a functional difference between most Australian woomeras and the thin-shafted atlatls from elsewhere. With a thick woomera, it's effectively a lever, and the thin-shafted spear acts as a spring. With the thin atlatl, both the atlatl and the dart act as springs. This double-spring (think of half a bow pitching an arrow without the bowstring) helps propel the atlatl dart further than it would go by simple leverage. The figures on the Papuan atlatls are probably there to help tune how the atlatl functions as a spring. Basically, they fiddle with the weight and stiffness until the spear really flies far. Best, F

3rd June 2012, 05:42 AM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	SPEAR/ DART THROWERS IN THE AMERICAS THE OLDEST KNOWN ATALATL WAS FOUND IN A CAVE IN FRANCE ,IT WAS A HOOK MADE OF ANTLER AND DATED 17,500 YEARS AGO. COMPLETE EXAMPLES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE AMERICAS MOSTLY IN VERY DRY PLACES OR IN WATERLOGGED ENVIRONMENTS. IN NORTH AMERICA IN DRY WESTERN AREAS AND IN WET AREAS IN FLORIDA AND WASHINGTON STATE. MOSTLY ONLY PARTS REMAIN SUCH AS BANNERSTONES WHICH ARE THOUGHT TO BE A STONE COUNTERWEIGHT OR VARIOUS BONE PARTS FOR GRIPS OR HOOKS. IN SOME AREAS A SIMPLE CORD WITH LOOPS WAS USED AS A SPEAR THROWER. THESE EXAMPLES ARE FROM MOCHIE CIVILIZATION 100AD TO 800 AD. NORTHERN PERU. NAZCA CIVILIZATION 100 TO 800AD, SOUTHERN COAST OF PERU INCA CIVILIZATION, ANDES MOUNTAINS PERU 1438 TO 1533AD AZTEC CIVILIZATION MEXICO CITY. 1. & 2. NAZCA, WITH WELL CARVED THUMBREST. 3. INCA WITH BRONZE FITTINGS 4. CEREMONIAL EXAMPLE FROM PERU 5. WELL CARVED AZTEC, ONLY ONE KNOWN. 6.MODERN PICTURE OF ATLATL IN USE. 7. NAZCA EXAMPLE 8. & 9. MOCHIE WITH IVORY THUMB REST LOOKS LIKE A TOOTH 10., 11. &12 NAZCA WITH INSET TURQUOPISE AND SPONDULUS SHELL Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 3rd June 2012 at 06:00 AM.

3rd June 2012, 06:08 AM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	TWO SILVER ATALATL PARTS ONE IS 7 INCHES AND THE OTHER 5.5 INCHES LONG. SOME OF THESE SMALL SIZED ONES AS WELL AS ONES MADE OF SILVER MAY HAVE BEEN GRAVE GOODS SENT TO THE SPIRIT WORLD WITH THE DEAD TO SERVE THEM THERE?. THATS ABOUT ALL I'VE GOT SO IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD FROM THESE AREAS OR OTHER COUNTRYS AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO ADD IT HERE. THE SPEAR THROWER MAY BE THE EARLIEST IMPLEMENT TO ACCELERATE THE POWER AND SPEED OF A PROJECTILE THE SLING BEING THE OTHER CONTENDER FOR OLDEST. THE SPEAR THROWER LIKE THE FIREARM IS JUST A POOR CLUB WITHOUT ITS AMMUNITION. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 3rd June 2012 at 06:00 PM.

24th August 2012, 11:55 PM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THREE MORE EXAMPLES A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS. THREE PICTURES OF AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA COLLECTED BETWEEN 1949 TO 1968 IN ERNABELLA WHICH IS S.W. OF ALICE SPRINGS. IT HAS A TULA STONE IMBEDDED IN THE SPINIFEX RESIN IN THE HANDLE FOR DECORATION OR WEIGHT? SIZE 90 X10 CM. ONE PICTURE OF ESKIMO SPEAR THROWER WITH 2 KNIVES TWO PICTURE OF SPEAR THROWER FROM MIDDLE SEPIK REGION 79 CM. LONG SEEMS TO HAVE A CARVED WOOD GRIP /COUNTERWEIGHT. Attached Images Last edited by VANDOO; 25th August 2012 at 12:21 AM.

1st September 2012, 06:45 PM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A MORE RECENT SUCESSFUL HUNT USING THE AUSTRALIAN WOOMERA AND A STEEL POINTED SPEAR. Attached Images