Boomerang history

Boomerang History 101 It's time for Boomerang History 101. The real question is where do they come from? Most people would say Australia, and they would be correct, for the most part. We need to establish the difference between a returning boomerang and a non-returning boomerang. Many people, even today, get the two confused. Non- returning boomerangs were used for hunting. Hunting boomerangs, called Kylies, are about three feet long and have a chord width of three to four inches across, being about one half inch thick and similar in shape to a banana. When thrown they fly straight and do not return to the thrower. A throw stick can fly great distances. One hundred to one hundred fifty yard flights are not uncommon. Throwsticks have been found in many countries such as Egypt, Africa, Poland, Holland, United States and of course Australia, just to name a few. How did the kylie come into existence? The best thinking is that prior to throwing sticks people used clubs to settle their differences. They'd use them like a battle-axe and even throw them at their opponent when they ran away. Perhaps it was discovered that a curved club flew further when thrown than a straight one did. They then realized that a thin club flew further than a thick one. At this point the basic concept of a throwing stick was established and used. In Australia it became engrained into the culture and was handed down from generation to generation. How old are Kylies? The oldest known kylie found carbon dated back 20,000 years old and was made from Mammoth tusk! By the way it was found in Poland. Hopi Indians in the Southwest United States used kylies, though they called them rabbit sticks. No matter what you call them the Kylie, throwstick or Rabbit stick was a well-suited weapon for hunting in open country. Imagine a three-foot wide stick spinning around its center of rotation as it traveled through the air. Since you aim the kylie at what you are throwing at it has an advantages over a spear. With a spear if you want to hit something off in the distance you have to throw the spear up, which gives it a curved flight. This is because a spear does not generate lift as it travels through the air. Kylies do and so can stay "afloat" at it travels. So where did boomerangs come into the picture? Truthfully no one can answer the question with surety. Based upon what has been found, it is common belief returning boomerangs originated in Australia. That really doesn't surprise you does it? How do we know that? Primarily from the abundance of boomerangs found there and the lack of returning boomerangs anywhere else in the world. Oh sure there are a few examples found in other regions that many return, but that is still questionable. How was the returning boomerang developed? Once again, we really don't know for fact. See if this makes since to you. One day an Aboriginal person was shaping a smaller, lighter slightly more bend throwstick than he normally used. When he tested his small throwstick he was very surprised to observe that it didn't fly straight at all but rather it started turning back to him. Viola the birth of first returning boomerang! Created by chance or skill? No one really knows. What we do know is they made it and passed the technique down through generations of time and we have it today, thankfully. What were boomerangs used for? Life is no fun without playtime. Wouldn't you agree? Returning boomerangs were used as toys and for sport. Of course the Aborigines used what few tools they had for all manner of tasks. They would use Kylies and boomerangs to dig up roots to eat. They would use them as cooking tools. They would also use them to rub or clack together to make music. They also used them as clubs and for throwing. Modern day: Sport enthusiasts in many countries of the world use boomerangs today. The pure joy and pleasure of throwing a boomerang is unmatched to other sports, in my opinion. Boomerangs are also used in competitions. Yes Boomerang Competitions. Some of the events include Long Distance, Fast Catch, Endurance, Trick Catch, Doubling and Accuracy and Aussie round. Boomerangs today are fashioned in hundreds of different shapes. Some have three or more wings! A boomerang can be crafted to fill a certain niche or have specific flight characteristic. Airfoils can be modified to increase lift or decrease lift. Drag can be added to the design to slow the boomerang down on its return. Even the material itself can be changed. Don't think of boomerangs being made from wood only. Today boomerangs can be made from high-grade plywood, exotic woods, plastics of all sorts, resin impregnated paper, linen and fiberglass cloth. Even space age materials like kevlar and carbon fiber are used by some manufactures. So there you have it. Boomerangs History 101. Boomerang History 101 It's time for Boomerang History 101. The real question is where do they come from? Most people would say Australia, and they would be correct, for the most part. We need to establish the difference between a returning boomerang and a non-returning boomerang. Many people, even today, get the two confused. Non- returning boomerangs were used for hunting. Hunting boomerangs, called Kylies, are about three feet long and have a chord width of three to four inches across, being about one half inch thick and similar in shape to a banana. When thrown they fly straight and do not return to the thrower. A throw stick can fly great distances. One hundred to one hundred fifty yard flights are not uncommon. Throwsticks have been found in many countries such as Egypt, Africa, Poland, Holland, United States and of course Australia, just to name a few. How did the kylie come into existence? The best thinking is that prior to throwing sticks people used clubs to settle their differences. They'd use them like a battle-axe and even throw them at their opponent when they ran away. Perhaps it was discovered that a curved club flew further when thrown than a straight one did. They then realized that a thin club flew further than a thick one. At this point the basic concept of a throwing stick was established and used. In Australia it became engrained into the culture and was handed down from generation to generation. How old are Kylies? The oldest known kylie found carbon dated back 20,000 years old and was made from Mammoth tusk! By the way it was found in Poland. Hopi Indians in the Southwest United States used kylies, though they called them rabbit sticks. No matter what you call them the Kylie, throwstick or Rabbit stick was a well-suited weapon for hunting in open country. Imagine a three-foot wide stick spinning around its center of rotation as it traveled through the air. Since you aim the kylie at what you are throwing at it has an advantages over a spear. With a spear if you want to hit something off in the distance you have to throw the spear up, which gives it a curved flight. This is because a spear does not generate lift as it travels through the air. Kylies do and so can stay "afloat" at it travels. So where did boomerangs come into the picture? Truthfully no one can answer the question with surety. Based upon what has been found, it is common belief returning boomerangs originated in Australia. That really doesn't surprise you does it? How do we know that? Primarily from the abundance of boomerangs found there and the lack of returning boomerangs anywhere else in the world. Oh sure there are a few examples found in other regions that many return, but that is still questionable. How was the returning boomerang developed? Once again, we really don't know for fact. See if this makes since to you. One day an Aboriginal person was shaping a smaller, lighter slightly more bend throwstick than he normally used. When he tested his small throwstick he was very surprised to observe that it didn't fly straight at all but rather it started turning back to him. Viola the birth of first returning boomerang! Created by chance or skill? No one really knows. What we do know is they made it and passed the technique down through generations of time and we have it today, thankfully. What were boomerangs used for? Life is no fun without playtime. Wouldn't you agree? Returning boomerangs were used as toys and for sport. Of course the Aborigines used what few tools they had for all manner of tasks. They would use Kylies and boomerangs to dig up roots to eat. They would use them as cooking tools. They would also use them to rub or clack together to make music. They also used them as clubs and for throwing. Modern day: Sport enthusiasts in many countries of the world use boomerangs today. The pure joy and pleasure of throwing a boomerang is unmatched to other sports, in my opinion. Boomerangs are also used in competitions. Yes Boomerang Competitions. Some of the events include Long Distance, Fast Catch, Endurance, Trick Catch, Doubling and Accuracy and Aussie round. Boomerangs today are fashioned in hundreds of different shapes. Some have three or more wings! A boomerang can be crafted to fill a certain niche or have specific flight characteristic. Airfoils can be modified to increase lift or decrease lift. Drag can be added to the design to slow the boomerang down on its return. Even the material itself can be changed. Don't think of boomerangs being made from wood only. Today boomerangs can be made from high-grade plywood, exotic woods, plastics of all sorts, resin impregnated paper, linen and fiberglass cloth. Even space age materials like kevlar and carbon fiber are used by some manufactures. So there you have it. Boomerangs History 101. Boomerang History 101 It's time for Boomerang History 101. The real question is where do they come from? Most people would say Australia, and they would be correct, for the most part. We need to establish the difference between a returning boomerang and a non-returning boomerang. Many people, even today, get the two confused. Non- returning boomerangs were used for hunting. Hunting boomerangs, called Kylies, are about three feet long and have a chord width of three to four inches across, being about one half inch thick and similar in shape to a banana. When thrown they fly straight and do not return to the thrower. A throw stick can fly great distances. One hundred to one hundred fifty yard flights are not uncommon. Throwsticks have been found in many countries such as Egypt, Africa, Poland, Holland, United States and of course Australia, just to name a few. How did the kylie come into existence? The best thinking is that prior to throwing sticks people used clubs to settle their differences. They'd use them like a battle-axe and even throw them at their opponent when they ran away. Perhaps it was discovered that a curved club flew further when thrown than a straight one did. They then realized that a thin club flew further than a thick one. At this point the basic concept of a throwing stick was established and used. In Australia it became engrained into the culture and was handed down from generation to generation. How old are Kylies? The oldest known kylie found carbon dated back 20,000 years old and was made from Mammoth tusk! By the way it was found in Poland. Hopi Indians in the Southwest United States used kylies, though they called them rabbit sticks. No matter what you call them the Kylie, throwstick or Rabbit stick was a well-suited weapon for hunting in open country. Imagine a three-foot wide stick spinning around its center of rotation as it traveled through the air. Since you aim the kylie at what you are throwing at it has an advantages over a spear. With a spear if you want to hit something off in the distance you have to throw the spear up, which gives it a curved flight. This is because a spear does not generate lift as it travels through the air. Kylies do and so can stay "afloat" at it travels. So where did boomerangs come into the picture? Truthfully no one can answer the question with surety. Based upon what has been found, it is common belief returning boomerangs originated in Australia. That really doesn't surprise you does it? How do we know that? Primarily from the abundance of boomerangs found there and the lack of returning boomerangs anywhere else in the world. Oh sure there are a few examples found in other regions that many return, but that is still questionable. How was the returning boomerang developed? Once again, we really don't know for fact. See if this makes since to you. One day an Aboriginal person was shaping a smaller, lighter slightly more bend throwstick than he normally used. When he tested his small throwstick he was very surprised to observe that it didn't fly straight at all but rather it started turning back to him. Viola the birth of first returning boomerang! Created by chance or skill? No one really knows. What we do know is they made it and passed the technique down through generations of time and we have it today, thankfully. What were boomerangs used for? Life is no fun without playtime. Wouldn't you agree? Returning boomerangs were used as toys and for sport. Of course the Aborigines used what few tools they had for all manner of tasks. They would use Kylies and boomerangs to dig up roots to eat. They would use them as cooking tools. They would also use them to rub or clack together to make music. They also used them as clubs and for throwing. Modern day: Sport enthusiasts in many countries of the world use boomerangs today. The pure joy and pleasure of throwing a boomerang is unmatched to other sports, in my opinion. Boomerangs are also used in competitions. Yes Boomerang Competitions. Some of the events include Long Distance, Fast Catch, Endurance, Trick Catch, Doubling and Accuracy and Aussie round. Boomerangs today are fashioned in hundreds of different shapes. Some have three or more wings! A boomerang can be crafted to fill a certain niche or have specific flight characteristic. Airfoils can be modified to increase lift or decrease lift. Drag can be added to the design to slow the boomerang down on its return. Even the material itself can be changed. Don't think of boomerangs being made from wood only. Today boomerangs can be made from high-grade plywood, exotic woods, plastics of all sorts, resin impregnated paper, linen and fiberglass cloth. Even space age materials like kevlar and carbon fiber are used by some manufactures. So there you have it. Boomerangs History 101. EOF