Boomerang Throwers

In the hands of these practiced fighters, the boomerang is a weapon of remarkable precision.

While the oldest boomerangs unearthed in archaeological excavations were produced approximately 10,000 years ago, iconographic representations painted on the rock walls of some sites suggest that they were in use long before that date. Indeed, the boomerang is a tool often associated with the creation of the world in a number of aboriginal mythological narratives. Primarily used as a hunting tool, boomerangs were designed to different standards of shape, size, and weight to best suit the species being hunted and their habitats. Able to fly at high speed for hundreds of meters, they were used to fell medium-sized animals, as well as large game such as emus, kangaroos, and other marsupials. In combat, boomerangs of medium size and weight, thrown by skilled hunters, became weapons that could inflict serious injury or even death against enemies.