The History of the Boomerang – An Overview

Where does the boomerang come from? If you ask this question of people most of them will say Australia, and they would be right, well, mainly right. However, a distinction must be made between a boomerang that returns and one that does not. So many people today get the two types confused. Boomerangs that do not return are used for hunting animals. So called hunting boomerangs, often called Kylies, are around three feet in length and possess what’s called a chord width of 3 to 4 inches wide, the thickness is roughly 1.5 inches thick and is shaped very much like a banana. When a hunter throws one it flies straight and true and does not return. This type of thrown stick can travel long distances. A hundred yard and perhaps a distance of fifty percent more than that is not an uncommon distance. These types of throw sticks have been discovered in quite a few countries around the world – Holland, Poland, Egypt, the United States, and of course Australia – just to point out a few.

So, let us ask the question, how did the Kylie come about? Probably the best hypothesis is that before throwing sticks mankind used brutal clubs to settle their scores. Used quite like a battle-axe at times and at other times thrown at the combatant. Quite likely it was discovered my accident that a club with a curve to it flew a good distance further when hurled in this manner. Also, ancient people discovered that a thinner club would fly farther than a thicker one. Certainly at this time the basic structure and concept of the throwing stick had come into being. In some cultures it may have gone out of fashion, but in Australia it was embedded deeply into the culture, and passed down from father to son.

About how far back does this history stretch? Well, the oldest Kylie we know about has been carbon dated back to around 20,000 years ago. It was constructed from no less than a Mammoth’s tusk. It should be noted that it was found in Poland, not Australia. The Hopi Indian tribe who made their home in the southwestern part of the U.S. used Kylies, but they were referred to as rabbit sticks. You can imagine why.

It doesn’t matter what you might call them, the throwing stick, rabbit stick, or Kylie, it was a wonderful weapon perfectly made for hunting in country with a flat wide open terrain. Picture in your head a 3 foot wide Kylie rotating rapidly as it travels through the air. It is an awesome sight. Because the thrower aims the Kylie directly at the the target, it has a distinct advantage over the spear. You must throw a spear upwards in order to pierce a target in the distance; the arc of the flight is curved. Because of its nature a spear cannot generate lift as it flies threw the open air. On the flip side, Kylies can and do generate lift, therefore it can easily remain afloat.

Where did true boomerangs (returning) first come into being? Like many questions in history an exact answer is buried in the annals of time. However based on what has been discovered and on theory it is commonly believed that boomerangs first originated in Australia. Should we be so shocked?

How exactly do we come to this conclusion? It’s been primarily thought that because of the pure abundance of artifacts found in Australia and because none have been found outside the continent that they certainly originated here. There are a few relics that have been discovered in other regions, but they are often questionable in nature.

Now, what is the best theory on how the returning boom was developed? As you might surmise, we don’t know exactly, as it was created so long ago. Try this on for size. Here is a probably scenario – one day a native shaped a smaller, lighter throwing stick than was usual. When testing it out he was probably rather surprised and perhaps a little frightened that is spun around and came back to him. Is this theory correct – was it chance or a proper idea? We just don’t know. What we know for sure is that it was created and it has been passed down from father to son throughout many generations. And thankfully it made it all the way down to us.

Returning boomerangs were used for what exactly? Well, life is a bore without a little play time. Can’t we all agree? This newer ‘rangs were most certainly used as play things and for sporting contests. But of course, the Aborigines were creative and used all their tools for multiple daily tasks. For example, they used Kylies and returning boomerangs in order to dig up roots for dinner. Also, they were used in cooking meals. There were even used as musical instruments, in addition to being used as an outright club.

In our modern day many sporting folks in quite a few countries use boomerangs for fun. Learning to throw the boomerang is a pleasure and a joy that if you try is quite addictive.

There are specific competitions in which boomerangs are featured. Yes indeed, full fledged Boomerang Competitions. Here is a list of events and competitions: Doubling and Accuracy, Aussie Round, Trick catch, Endurance, Fast Catch, and Long Distance.

Today boomerangs are sculpted in hundreds of different and unique ways. Some even have three wings, or more! Boomerangs are created to suit a certain niche and to have a distinct flying motion. To increase lift or even decrease it, the airfoils can be slightly modified. Drag is also added to the designs in order to slow the boomerang down on its return flight. The materials themselves can be changed as well. And don’t make the mistake of thinking that boomerangs are made just from wood. In our modern age ‘rangs can be constructed from plastics or all kinds, high-grade plywood, linen, resin impregnated paper, and fiberglass cloth. Spaced age quality material like carbon fiber and even Kevlar are sometimes used by certain manufacturers.

That concludes the lesson of Boomerang History. Bet you learned something new today.