There are a lot of misconceptions around the humble boomerang. On the surface, it seems like a simple enough device but the truth is that boomerangs are varied, highly scientific and full of contradictions. This list challenges what we thought we knew about this unique Australian icon.
They are deadly weapons
The boomerang is first and foremost a weapon (link 1). Despite the fact that today the boomerang is seen as a recreational item or a cultural symbol, Indigenous Australians designed the boomerang as a hunting tool. Boomerangs can go as much as three times as far as a hunting spear and have been measured reaching distances of over 650 feet (200m). In 1802 Englishman Francis Barrallier witnessed Indigenous Australians hunting with a boomerang and noted ‘where it strikes, it breaks through with excessive impetus.’ Boomerangs were mainly used as a projectile to hunt kangaroos, wallabies, emus and other native animals. They were also used to bludgeon fish close to the surface of the water.
They are very versatile
Boomerangs really are the Swiss Army Knife of weapons. Indigenous Australians were very resourceful and one tool often had many uses (link 2). During hunting, boomerangs could be used to frighten or herd birds and animals as well as a bludgeoning tool for small or injured animals. But the boomerang’s uses do not end there – they could also help start fires, stoke coals, remove bark from trees, dig into the ground, clear areas of ground, cut cooked meat and scrape and smooth other tools. Boomerangs also have a cultural and spiritual significance to the Indigenous Australians. This is evidenced by their value in trade, their place in traditional rituals and their prominence in Aboriginal stories and legends. It is reported that boomerangs were also used in Australia as clapping sticks, dance props, children’s toys, and in games and exhibitions of skill.
The word ‘boomerang’ was not used by the Indigenous Australians
There is no one Aboriginal language in Australia. In fact, there was between 500 and 600 different Aboriginal languages at the time of European settlement, each with their own word (or words) for what we call a boomerang today (link 3). The word boomerang (spelt bou-mar-rang) did not appear in writing until 1822. It seems to come from the dialect of the Turuwal people of the George’s River, NSW. They used the word ‘boornarang’ to refer to a returning throwing stick.
They are not exclusively Australian
The boomerang is synonymous with Australian culture. It was even part of the logo for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. However, boomerang-style tools have been uncovered in many other parts of the world (link 4). A 9000 year old boomerang was discovered in Little Salt Spring in Florida and the Hopi people of Arizona hunted rabbits with a boomerang-like device. There are also historical accounts of tools similar to the boomerang being used in Africa, Europe and Asia. The Sumerians, who invented the first writing system, had a graphic symbol for an object styled like a boomerang dated around 3000BC. The oldest boomerang ever found was discovered in Poland in 1986. It is about 23 000 years old and carved delicately from the tusk of a woolly mammoth.
There are many types
Boomerangs come in an extraordinarily wide variety of shapes, sizes, uses and materials (link 5). Some examples of the many variations are club boomerangs, hooked boomerangs, bossed boomerangs, sword boomerangs, pegged boomerangs, cross boomerangs and lill-lill boomerangs. This diversity makes scientific classification of boomerangs a tricky business. American Anthropologist Daniel Davidson categorized Australian boomerangs according to the region they came from, such as the Kimberley, Western Australia, Central Australian, South Australia and Coopers Creek. However, most historians agree that boomerangs are too diverse to easily define or categorize.
Traditionally, boomerangs in Australia were made from wood, roots or seed pods. However, in other countries they have been known to be made with ivory and rock. Modern boomerangs are made with plastic, paper, carbon fibre or steel (link 6).
They actually fly
The boomerang’s curve and the surface shape of the arms are key to their aerodynamic success (link 7). Boomerang arms are designed like airplane wings – slightly curved on top and almost flat on the bottom. This means that when a boomerang is thrown fast enough it creates its own lift by means of air pressure. The rotation of the boomerang in the air creates more movement which increases the effects of air pressure on the boomerang. On average, a boomerang spins between 8-11 times per second. The boomerang’s large surface area and thin body also assist it to fly (link 8). The boomerang is a rare, and possibly the first example of a non-ballistic missile. It can travel large distances roughly parallel to the earth instead of following the ballistic trajectory of curving up and then down. This means that it is actually flying.
They return to the thrower
This point should not be all that surprising – but it is pretty amazing. Boomerangs are so famous for returning when they have been thrown that their name has become slang for something that goes away and comes back. For instance, adult children who move back into their parents’ home are known as boomerangs (link 9).
The secret to a boomerang returning is in the rotating arms. One arm is travelling in the direction of the movement of the boomerang and the other arm is not (link 10). This means that one arm starts to turn with slightly more speed than the other. Have you ever been in a canoe when your buddy is not putting in any effort? Just like rowing a canoe faster on one side than the other, the boomerang will eventually circle back.
They do not all return
Despite the infamy of returning boomerangs the Indigenous Australians often tried to curb their boomerangs’ ability to change direction. Many boomerangs were designed specifically to travel only in one direction. Non-returning boomerangs are larger than the returning ones and have a hooked or long curved teardrop shape (link 11). These boomerangs have sharp edges and their main purpose is to kill prey (link 12). Sharp edges are not advisable on returning boomerangs.
Throwing them is a skill
Lobbing a piece of wood sounds easy… But throwing a boomerang correctly to optimize its aerodynamic design is a special skill and there is plenty of science behind the simple device (link 13). The Government of Queensland, Australia advises boomerangs will return to the same spot if thrown ‘around’ the wind (link 14). If you are right-handed, you would need to face the wind, throw to the right and catch on your left. Boomerangs should be thrown about 10 degrees above the ground and about 50 degrees across the wind. The Indigenous Australians achieved this by launching the boomerang at eye-level towards nearby tree tops. Most boomerangs should be thrown almost vertically and they will turn parallel to the ground during flight.
Boomerang throwing is a modern sport
According to the Boomerang Association of Australia, boomerang throwing is now a world-wide competitive sport (link 15). Modern boomerang tournaments are played on a field with concentric circles marked on it. Boomerang throwing can be participated in individually or in teams and are usually divided into 6 events – Accuracy, Aussie Round, Endurance, Fast Catch, Maximum Time Aloft (MTA), Trick Catch/Doubling.
The United States Boomerang Association was formed in 1981 inspired by a milestone article on boomerangs in a 1968 Scientific American (link 16). International Team Cup Challenges and World Team and Individual championships are held every two years (link 17).
References
Link 1 http://australianmuseum.net.au/hunting-boomerang-a-weapon-of-choice
Link 2 http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/~/media/Documents/Learning+resources/QM/Resources/Fact+Sheets/fact-sheet--boomerangs.pdf
Link 3 http://boomerang.org.au/wp/articles/what-is-a-boomerang/
Link 4 http://australianmuseum.net.au/world-of-the-boomerang
Link 5 http://australianmuseum.net.au/the-boomerang-so-many-forms
Link 6 https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Boomerang
Link 7 http://australianmuseum.net.au/the-boomerang-is-curved-to-fly
Link 8 http://australianmuseum.net.au/why-a-boomerang-flies
Link 9 http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/boomerangs.asp
Link 10 https://plus.maths.org/content/os/issue7/features/boomerangs/index
Link 11 http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/~/media/Documents/Learning+resources/QM/Resources/Fact+Sheets/fact-sheet--boomerangs.pdf
Link 12 http://murruppi.com/boomerang-information
Link 13 http://www.boomerangs.com/pages/how-to-throw-boomerangs
Link 14 http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/~/media/Documents/Learning+resources/QM/Resources/Fact+Sheets/fact-sheet--boomerangs.pdf
Link 15 http://boomerang.org.au/wp/articles/boomerang-competition-events/
Link 16 https://www.scientificamerican.com/magazine/sa/1968/11-01/
Link 17 http://www.leadingedgeboomerangs.com/boomerang-sport-history.html