The Great Pumpkin Hunt - A Boomerang Adventure!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- A father/son adventure that's fun for the whole family to watch! Join Charlie and his Dad, as they hunt for pumpkins the "old fashioned way"..., with Aboriginal Boomerangs???
In the end they find that the old ways are even more exciting than the new, and everyone gets a big pumpkin feast!
Featuring an educational Aboriginal Boomerang hunting demo, and a whole lot of fun packed in.
Warning: This video shows graphic footage of a large ugly pumpkin being hunted the primitive way, with Aboriginal Boomerangs....
Visit us on the web at www.throwsticks.com
Great throws. Thats a tough stick. I have dinged poly before. I just put epoxy over the ding and smooth it out. It keeps the ding from spreading or affecting the flight. Thanks for sharing.
@ Gary J - Good advice and I wonder if you have ever used hedge wood / hedge apple wood . The toughest wood in America ... and maybe the world .
All the best to you . Lefty
Looked like great father-son adventures. I have to admit, throwing at the rock made me cringe every time. Such beautiful throwing sticks with battle scars.
Glad you liked the video and it made me cringe to throw them at the boulder as well. It took a lot of work to make each stick, but since then my work has only grown better and better.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
nice video
Whish my dad would have done this me :3
Me too. One reason why I did it with my son. Good memories!
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
what a strong stick :D
Cool stuff cute kids. Does your son do any of this Making a throwing?
On one of The times, The Piece got Out of Place!
im an aussie and youre a legend mate
Thanks mate; I'll take that as a compliment :)
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
That is one dead pumpkin. If that was a human, somebody would be... well... dead lol 😊
Yo, that boomerang looks mean af. Cool video.
Thanks. We made this video just before launching our business selling these boomerangs.
Benjamin Scott
www.Throwsticks.com
"That's not a knife."
"Now THAT'S a knife"
3:30 I think you missed types it, I looked it up and it was a Wilgi (goose-neck boomerang)
Good research to find something so obscure as this. I have seen the term wilgi before as well, but I don't know which language it comes from. Perhaps it's just an alternate spelling. "Wirlki" is Warlpiri dialect and it means "jawbone". The hook itself is called "langa", which means "ear." There are hundreds of Aboriginal dialects in Australia. I believe that "Wilgi" is probably also correct. Of course none of these dialects are precisely spelled in English anyway. "Karli" is a term I use from Warlpiri as well, but in Arrernte it's "alye."
The widely recognized international term for a straight flying stick is actually a "kylie," which is again a derivation from an Aboriginal dialect. I believe that one is from the West of Australia. I now think it is best to just use the term "kylie" to avoid confusion.
Boomerangs are understood internationally to return to the thrower. Since kylies fly straight, they are technically not boomerangs at all. Though I have used that term myself in the past incorrectly. Boomerangs were invented after kylies and are derived from them. Of course the term boomerang originally meant, "I don't know what you mean." So everything is pretty ironic about all of this. The hooked kylie is a wonderful straight flying throwstick and I have manufactured quite a number of them.
Thanks for your comments,
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
several questions.
1. What were the largest game hunted with these?
2. What was the cause of death in animals? was it the abrasions, or the impact?
3. barring regular wear and tear, and obviously abuse, how did these things stand the test of time, I mean most range hunting weapons use disposable ammunition, like arrows, light spears, stones.
4. why was this hunting method chosen over something like the bow, or sling? I mean I know it's not like they had a karli, a sling and a bow and the aboriginals chose the karli, but in other cultures the bow was developed by many cultures that never interacted, why are they different?
Absolutely great questions. I think many of our viewers would be interested in this discussion so I am going to give you some detailed answers below in several parts.
To start let me make clear that although we are not opposed to hunting in general, we are not selling throwsticks for the purpose of hunting, except for in the possible exception of an extreme survival scenario. Primitive hunting is illegal in most places worldwide, and potentially cruel to wildlife in some scenarios. We are making an obvious exception for pumpkins and large melons....
But with that said, let's look at the historical situation of primitive people groups. They did not have access to fast food hamburgers or modern high powered rifles, but instead they had to stare face to face into what feeding their family cost the animals they hunted. Let's keep in mind that some modern mass animal food production operations are more cruel to animals than anything described below. Many primitive people groups were infamous for honoring the animals they hunted and killed.
So now to answer your questions:
1. Historically in Australia, emu and kangaroo, as well as numerous smaller game, both flying and land based, were hunted with throwsticks with tremendous success. In North America deer and coyote were taken with throwsticks as well. Geese, ducks and other large ground dwelling flock birds were vulnerable targets in some regions. Throwsticks were used on many continents. In India they reportedly were used to hunt deer. The Hopi Indians of S. California primarily used throwsticks to hunt rabbits, and with tremendous success. A single hunter could bring in several rabbits a night. In the desert environment they could be deployed more successfully than a bow, and strike a rabbit on the run, often causing instant death. Also, the stick could skim after the rabbit on the desert floor if they missed their shot directly.
2. Cause of severe injury (and sometimes death) was blunt force trauma from the impact of the heavy hardwood stick. The targets were the animals legs, or alternatively the neck or head, depending on the animal. A leg shot could easily cause a break and thus a lame animal. A head shot would cause a knockout. On smaller animals the target was the whole animal. As necessary, the hunter would finish the disabled animal off at arm's reach with a further blow to the head. Some throw sticks had sharp ends and could kill by piercing on a lucky shot to vital organ, like a large throwing knife.
I will answer your other questions in follow up posts.
Benjamin J. Scott
Throwsticks.com
3. In terms of disposable ammo, I think that's a common and understandable misconception. No hunting projectiles were ever truly considered completely disposable other than the modern bullets we use today at $1 a shot. In hunting, only one shot is usually available on a target before it escapes or is taken. Thus the main concern would be whether the non-disposable projectiles could be re-collected and used again or not. In warfare the concerns are quite different.
While the sling uses disposable ammo, it was never too much of a hunting weapon due to accuracy and rapid or stealth deployment issues. It could be used in a pinch and definitely was. But it could only kill on a head shot against large game, and historically it was used primarily by agricultural societies/empires, to guard crops and animals. It was also practical for ranged warfare against an army. The bola is an exception to this in many ways, but is not considered disposable.
Good quality (accurate) arrows, more than bows, and even throwsticks, were always the most difficult ranged weapons item to source and construct properly in all regions of the world. Even assuming suitable materials were available in a given region, a single arrow could take a huge amount of work to produce correctly, let alone a quiver full of arrows with matched spines and weights. Arrows were thus not particularly disposable items, despite their fragility and shots had to be chosen or costs would be high. This is one drawback that primitive peoples had to deal with whenever they released a bowstring. Speaking of which, bowstrings themselves were fragile as well, and generally needed dry weather conditions to be effective until they eventually would break and need replacing with specialized materials.
For large game hunting where the cost of an arrow was worth less than the game it would take, the bow was an effective choice for large game at ranges below about 20-35 meters max. But the valuable arrow was rarely worth the risk of a long shot that would probably miss, or a rabbit, even at close range. And even a heart shot on a large animal might still not take it fast enough to guarantee it wouldn't run away and die in a hidden place. The Hopi Indians knew these things and used throw sticks on rabbits at ranges out to 50 meters or more, where even if they missed they just picked up their stick and kept trying. The American Indians did hunt large game at close range with the bow to some degree, but they also used numerous other clever methods which were more effective, including traps, etc....
The atlatl required suitable dart material, which was not available everywhere. And the high skill level needed to make matched spine darts for accurate shots, is similar to that of matched spine arrows. Atlatl darts are also very fragile and break off in game. The spear thrower was more crude than the atlatl and had shorter ranges than many other range weapons, but was deadly within its maximum range. The spears were collected again after each use. Manufacture of spears is relatively fast and easy, even if broken. Thus the spear thrower is a great sustainable hunting weapon. But it requires a specialized environment to allow for a close concealed stalk up on game, yet without numerous trees in the way which could tangle with the spears.
The Australian continent was isolated from the rest of the world and the ancient Aboriginal culture presumably did not have access to or knowledge of primitive ranged weapons other than the throw stick and the spear thrower. I am unsure as to whether they had access to suitable archery components anywhere on the Australian continent, whether they knew they did or not. Like the unique animals on their continent, they used unique weapons. They developed them to the highest height of technological development found anywhere in the world. Particularly in the central desert region of Australia where very long range shots were necessary, since close stalking was impossible to do in the open. Also, very dense local hardwoods such as desert mulga, provided a durable and deadly construction material which makes most oak feel light in weight by comparison.
Over ages they refined and passed on very advanced information on the proper making and tuning of long range throw sticks. This practical development eventually gave them flight ranges beyond 100 meters and in extreme cases beyond 200 meters as well. Where the bow shoots on an arched trajectory with a limited effective range, the throwstick flies straight and has an effective range at least 2 to 4 times longer, making close stalking skills less important. I think it could thus be effectively argued that the karli and wirlki are more effective desert emu hunting tools than the bow and arrow would have been, if the Aborigines would have had access to them.
Out of all the variety of throwsticks used in Australia, the central desert karli and wirlki represent some of the highest achievements of long range straight flight technology on the Australian continent, and they were traded in pairs across large regions of the continent to the outlying tribes, who valued them very highly.
Of all the hunting weapons mentioned above, none had ammo that was truly disposable, but only three had ammo that was truly durable. The bola, the spear thrower and the throw stick. In a survival hunting scenario where one is not being backed up by the manufacturing capabilities of an empire or at least a village, unless one has the skills to manufacture good arrows and darts, the bow and atlatl are poor weapons to use. But the throw stick never runs out of arrows/bullets, and can always be retrieved again after a hunt is over. This makes the throwstick an ideal survival weapon against a variety of game, large and small that wouldn't be even attempted with a bow. It stood the test of time for long generations until it encountered the firearm..., which was one of the great human tragedies of the modern age.
Up until the 1950's and to a limited degree beyond, there were still Australian Aborigines in the central part of Australia, un-contacted and using their bushcraft ancient weapons to put meat on their fires. The throwsticks and spear throwers provided the Aborigines with ample food supply until the Aborigines themselves were defeated and removed from their primitive lifestyle by the European colonists who used firearms. The throwstick is a great long range desert hunting tool, but a poor weapon for long range warfare. The Aborigines rapidly lost the fight against guns, and their obsolete throwstick technology was collected and put onto the walls of Australian homesteads as decorations, and eventually into museums as another culture became dominant through the use of superior weapons technology which was imperial generations ahead of that of the Aborigines. The ancient throw sticks that remain are now sometimes valued at over $2000 a piece, depending on the quality and age. Relics of an old way of life now vanished. But to the Aborigines they were not valued in terms of dollars but in terms of the food they provided. A simpler way to think.
As a long term sustainable survival hunting weapon which is not dependent on empire, even today the throwstick has many advantages over the bow, as well as other possible choices. In an open country scenario it has a longer effective hunting range than even the modern compound bow. It's much more durable than arrows. With the proper knowledge at hand and some basic tools, its easier to make than to make a good arrow, even with stone tools. It offers long term usage unless it is abused and thus broken or lost. It is deployed much more rapidly than a bow, even against moving targets, and is easier to keep in ready position for long periods of time, making opportunistic shots possible and eliminating the need for a tree stand. It flies on a straight trajectory making range to target, trajectory/holdover calculations irrelevant. It is able to break legs, making the escape of game impossible compared to a shot with an arrow which kills slowly, allowing possible escape. It has other uses than as a hunting weapon including digging, hand to hand fighting, clearing brush, tending fires, clearing trails, etc.... It has a shotgun like effect when thrown at a flock of birds, allowing the taking of multiple animals in one single shot at extreme ranges. On a single day's hunt with a throwstick, it can be instantly deployed hundreds of times and retrieved afterwards. It is useful to hunt a variety of both small as well as large game. It is the last ditch weapon of opportunity when everything else has failed. It was one of a very few items the Aborigines carried to survive.
It has disadvantages too. It is difficult to develop and maintain accuracy unless practiced with frequently. It is not good in thick brush where it gets hung up before it can even reach its target. It is only as powerful as the thrower can throw it to be. It is right or left hand specific. It can be lost if thrown in the wrong places and it does not float in water. It is..., primitive. It is not nearly as easy as hunting with a rifle. Yet even against the modern rifle, as a survival weapon, the throwstick has some advantages to speak of as well. It is silent and stealthy, not scaring away surrounding game or attracting unwanted attention. It never runs out of bullets. It has no moving parts to fail or to keep clean or dry. It is much lighter in weight than a gun. It can replace other tools one might carry such as a shovel or machete. It is more quickly deployed than a gun at close range targets.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
4. The history of the world and human culture is really the history of weapons technology development and its eventual results. Even today it is so.
Since weapons technology gave an edge in warfare as well as hunting, "arms race" development through
the threat and reality of violence was inevitable globally, as it still is today. Certain weapons were so powerful and refined that they tended to actually work towards producing empires, and empires in turn
produced these weapons as a means to further their empires....
In primitive times, different regions of the world and people groups would specialize in different weapons.
This was due firstly to availability of natural resources suitable for manufacture of weapons.
Secondly to friendly or foe exposure (or lack of exposure) to various technological breakthroughs.
And thirdly, their own ability to use innovation and organized labor to manufacture weapons on a higher level than their enemies.
One or all three of these reasons could have been the cause of why Aborigines never used bows and arrows. But in terms of hunting I could also speculate that their exceptional success with the throwstick and spear thrower could eventualy have actually prevented them from asking for something different and possibly less effective for the ways in which they had learned to live and hunt.
The sling is another example of an isolated weapon, when considered in the context of the Andes mountains. The Inca, which were an agricultural empire who used the sling extensively because of the abundance of suitable llama wool to manufacture them, and the abundance of stones to use as projectiles. They did not use bows and arrows because of the lack of supply of suitable wood. Yet they developed sling braiding to a breathtaking complexity and beauty, and they became deadly with them, as recorded by their conquistador invaders.
As mentioned in the last post, bows and arrows are a high technology for ancient man. Empires could divide labor, import materials, and specialize in making high quality arrows, bows, and strings the way global empires specialize in making nukes today.... But lone hunters and tribal peoples were generally not as good at this in most places of the world, and thus their ways of life tended towards being wiped out by the nearby empires which possessed superior ranged firepower. The bow attained warfare weapons dominance in most parts of the world due to its high velocity, range, organ piercing power, repeat shot capacity, and easy adaptability to horseback. The bow and arrow don't go hand in hand with hunter/gatherer cultures as much as we sometimes perceive that they do. They were used in a developed form more by agriculturally based empires than by small hunter/gather groups.
The karli was not much of a weapons advantage for warfare, but only for hunting. Thus the highest refinements of weapons technology available in Australia, left the continent at a warfare technology stalemate among the different tribes. The rise of empire was not bolstered by the bow and arrow as it was elsewhere in the world. It seems theoretically true that without empire, technological innovation reaches its upper limits at advanced bushcraft and goes no further.
In theory, this self limiting technological development, whether geographical or due to preference or natural resources, preserved a more ancient way of life among the Aborigines and worked to prevent the formation of centralized empire and its resultant accelerated arms race. The throwstick was certainly not the only factor, just one possible ingredient in a list of them which transported the ancient Aboriginal cultures into the 20th century in primitive form, and into their eventual and bloody conflict with European colonization and the deadly modern weapons that came with that.
Regardless as to the answers to any debate on these subjects, the Aboriginal throwstick truly is a fascinating relic. For me it stands as a symbol of personal independence and a more simple world from a more simple time.
Ironically, though something of "primitive" origin, it actually exhibits flight characteristics which make it seemingly defy the laws of gravity. Modern physicists cannot decode all of its secrets, and only a few people on the planet have learned how to properly make them. So it's true brilliance and complexities, passed down through the generations from father to son, are a reminder to me as a researcher on this topic, that "primitive peoples' were not really primitive at all. It was the primitive thinking which classified them as "primitives" which lead to their murder and even their being stuffed and placed in museums alongside their throwsticks. They were advanced thinkers who were set in in different circumstances from the dominant ones of history.
Throwsticks are now a great way to connect with the outdoors, with pumpkins, and with the past.
Thanks again for your excellent questions.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
wow, thanks for the detailed reply, I found every point super interesting, and I may have made it seem like I wanted to hunt with these, but I assure you it's more the curiosity on how these worked than anything else. also, I'll be honest, this information is really awesome and anyone who finds your channel should read this post, but I don't think many people are inclined to read such a long informative post like I am, so I would suggest making a video on each of these points so that people will actually see how knowledgeable you are on the subject in general. at the very least they're easy videos to produce
Hey thank-you. I really appreciate your interest and personally taking the time to read. Great suggestions. And my statement on hunting was more to lay out our company stance than anything else, since these are public comments and I get diverse interest.
Any feedback we receive is a priority and I'll always listen to your suggestions. I agree that this information needs to be more widely distributed for anyone interested in this obscure subject. Our posts here are a first step, but a video may be the best way to do that, once we are able to find time. And once we get our website running on all cylinders, then we'll have another vehicle for education, which should be information dense as well, and will contain some of this same info here.
We want to sell throwsticks but we also want to educate the public about their fascinating history, science, etc..., and to clear up the common misconception that Aborigines hunted with returning boomerangs. Most people have never seen a true flying throwstick in action or know of their unique capabilities. But they know about boomerangs and sometimes think they were used to hunt. Boomerangs could aid in a hunt through diversion, distraction and decoy, but were not weapons themselves. Like today, the Aborigines enjoyed the return boomerangs as a sport. They hunted with throwsticks, known variously as kylie, karli, wirlki, alye, etc..., etc....
There's a lot planned to come ahead on our channel and our website. Hope you stick around and continue to engage with us.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
Lol. A die-hard pumpkin 😂😂
31 pounds, 2" thick skin, mean and ugly. A watermelon would have been easy by comparison. Very fun challenge.
In one second a pumpkin was transformed into lemongrab
No offense, but if you set that pumpkin on the ground, those weapons wouldn't have suffered so much hitting that nasty bolder. All in all, your a pretty good shot with Australian sticks. Impressed, all the way from Texas.
I'm thinking that since he plans on selling them eventually, showing how his can be bashed into a rock, over and over without breaking apart was as much of a message as hitting the pumpkin.
You're correct. The polycarbonate is very tough. We're selling them already.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
Texas is awesome! I was just showing off how tough the sticks are. They can break but they take a lot of abuse. That camera however....
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
It took me years to miss this many shots
What's more impressive, hunting pumpkins or hunting boulders? I included the misses on purpose to show how tough the products are. I was aiming to paint a picture of reality, not do an episode of Dude Perfect.
Sweeeet
What's the long green cord wrapped around your wrist? Beautiful work on your kylies.
It was a simple quick deploy paracord cuff I had made using a basic 3 strand "secret plait." I love braiding. I have made fine kangaroo bullwhips for over two decades, as can be seen on my other channel, Whipartist, and one of the Peruvian slings I braided is hanging from my belt in the newest video on this channel. Sounds like you're interested in slings as well, and I'd wager you're a southpaw.... I love slings, especially when that stone gets the backspin on them and they fly out flat like a kylie. Keep enjoying the outdoors.
Thanks for the compliments on the kylies.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
@@Throwsticks What on earth!? Another slinger in Yokuts (or Squaw) Valley? Gorgeous throwing sticks though, I've never really looked into them before but I might need to pick one up at some point! Your videos definitely make them look deadly, and I'm sure they're even harder-hitting than they look.
@@CaspianT Have been slinging since I was 15 years old. Love it! Glad you like the sticks.
Benjamin Scott
www.Throwsticks.ocm
@@Throwsticks Might have to meet up for some slinging at some point! Granted I'm still a terrible aim, haha!
nicely done
Excellent video
Thanks. I appreciate the appreciation. Happy Holiday Season!
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
what kind of wood are they made out of?
Joe,
The Aborigines primarily used mulga wood, which is a variety of acacia. Boxwood, dogwood, etc..., all do well. You want specific gravity over 1.0. Many oaks are too light in weight.
The throwsticks in the video are made of hand carved polycarbonate, which is an extreme impact resistant plastic used to make bullet proof glass. It has just about the same specific gravity as mulga wood and is more durable.
Benjamin Scott
Throwsticks.com
Throwsticks Channel thanks for that information looks like your having fun keep up the good work.
My pleasure. Thanks.
Ben
When are you going to start selling the throw sticks?
Well our goal is to be open for business by around February of next year. We hope we can do sooner than that but we don't want to promise something we can't deliver.
Those throws sticks leave a devastating impact when thrown. Imagine what they would do against enemy formations.
Yeah I agree. I would imagine that Aboriginal tribal warfare must have been a spectacle to behold. Enemy formations are perfect targets as long as they don't have shields. Of course it's tuff to block leg shots either way.
That pumpkin was tuff, heavy, and thick. A watermelon would have been quick work by comparison. I'm always amazed that once in flight the sticks can deliver even more impact to a target than when kept in hand and swung with the same force. 13oz-16oz of solid throwstick with a thin impact edge, thrown at full force, has some serious blunt force impact on a target. It's a cross between a flying machete and a baseball bat! The most power is delivered on the right side (outside) of the spin, such as toward the end of the video where it just rips right through the left side of the pumpkin's face.
We'll do more demolition demos once we get some time.
I can imagine if these were used in civil unrest. The injured parties going to the hospital to receive numerous stitches! Even death.
Powerful yes..., but usually during civil unrest, the crowd prefers to use weapons that are cheaper and disposable. I've seen videos where stone slings were used in Palestine, for instance.
In a bad situation like that, a throwstick would be best suited for the light traveling nomad who would prefer to "get out of Dodge" fast, and head for the hills to survive, rather than stay and cause trouble. A throwstick gives you one shot against an enemy, and if you miss, he's well armed and headed your way.
In any case, we may be selling something that has historically been used to hunt and fight, but our intent is not to promote violence or even primitive hunting, except in extreme self defense or survival situations. Other than that, throwsticks are just a fun hobby, like archery, the atlatl, or any other primitive bushcraft skill.