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WABUKAN Arsenal · Bows and projectiles · Oceania

Boomerang

A thrown, spinning tool with airfoil-shaped arms; strictly speaking, only the returning kind is a boomerang. Aboriginal Australians used boomerang-like throwing sticks for hunting.

Boomerang
Boomerang WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

boomerang; throwing stick; kylie (non-returning)

Origin and history

Boomerangs and throwing sticks were used for hunting, as percussion instruments, battle clubs, fire-starters, decoys for waterfowl and toys. Throwing at animals such as kangaroos appears in the Kimberley rock art of Australia. Ancient throwing sticks have also been found in Egypt, the Americas and Europe, although it is unclear whether any of them returned.

Martial arts that use it

Seen in traditional practice, historical reenactment and demonstrations; no art page on WABUKAN yet.

Construction

Usually wood (today also plywood or plastics), with arms shaped like aircraft wings so that the spinning tool generates lift. Sizes range from under 10 cm tip to tip to over 180 cm. Returning boomerangs are light; hunting sticks are heavier and fly straight.

Basic techniques

Training

Ranged weapons are trained on a range with a safe backstop: stance, grip, release and breathing are repeated until the movement is identical every time. Distance increases only after the form is stable.

Safety

Only shoot or throw on a supervised range with a safe backstop, never towards anything you would not want to hit, and never retrieve while others are shooting or throwing.

Legality (general information)

Bows, throwing blades and similar weapons are often legal to own but may only be used on approved ranges or under club rules; some throwing weapons (such as shuriken or throwing stars) are banned outright in several countries. This is general information, not legal advice: check local law and your federation’s rules.

Did you know?

The oldest surviving Aboriginal boomerang was found in 1973 in the Wyrie Swamp peat bog in South Australia; dated to about 10,000 BC, it is held by the South Australian Museum in Adelaide. The word itself comes from an Aboriginal language of the Sydney region.

More weapons

English longbow Sling Yumi Gakgung Shuriken Chakram

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Boomerang