May I say that about 65 years ago my friends & I made Dutch Arrows of bamboo from the 'oil-shop', fixed cardboard flights made from a cornflake box! We launched them with a short length of knotted string that located in a notch just above the flight ! We had great fun from such simple things back then! Thank you for posting your fun things!
What a lovely post, thank you. When l was involved in Scouting I did get all the stuff together for my Cub pack to make one and actually around 25 Cubs all launch simultaneously was great. I also showed them an atlatl too so hopefully it's sown a seed for some of them. Thanks again.
My grandfather, part Osage, showed me a throwing stick he said he was taught to make as a kid that had a very narrow fork with a thong between them sort of like the last example you showed. It also had a banner stone that is on top of the stick with a notch the dart sits in. We used unfletched river cane for darts with quite heavy heads for a very weight forward projectile. Your example is the only other I have seen but to me it's the most logical and best design, perhaps partly because it was the first I learned!
When l saw your post l let out a "Wow". I must say l prefer a point rather than a string to launch but to my mind the latter helps the flight go smoother because a point will start to change angle. Do you know why did the Osage add banner stones? The reason l ask is that there seems to be conjecture as to their use (balance, silencer, charm), and I've only seen them attached underneath. Thank you so much for swinging by.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist I have no knowledge of Osage traditions, or anything about the way they used throwing sticks, just what I was taught. The stones we used added weight as well as made for consistent positioning of the dart. If the weight wasn't desired they could have been made of lighter material.
Hey Todd, thanks for visiting, I've had a look at your channel and subbed back...great countryside to play in by the looks of it. If you are interested I have 1000 subs playlists of other channels and if you'd like me to chuck one of yours on please do send me a link to one that you would like adding. ATB.
I use a shillelagh as spear thrower. There is a reason for the curved shape. It works for darts too. You just choke up on it for darts. Irish museum has a few on display mislabeled as throwing sticks, or fighting sticks, or shillelagh. The thorn on end of bulbous area and curved shape gives it away as for true use. Some just have a hole.
love an atlatl, one combo i once saw was this 80 year old hunter, he used an atlatl with a rungu war club, hunt with the atlatl then finish the animal with a swift blow from the club edit: he also used to tally his atlatl for each kill, he had taken out 160-ish deers with it, and had 10 cross marks for bears and 4 circles for mountain lions
That's amazing and shows the potential multi role potential of an atlatl. The accuracy to take down a beast is something this hobbyist bushcrafter can only dream of. Thanks for swinging by.
Hello from Maine, USA. I throw a dart with an atlatl of my own making. I use a double, leather finger loop like the one you displayed. You mentioned incorrect hand angle,I agree, therefore I use my thumb and fore finger in the loops. Works great for me.
Hey, good to hear from you and thank you for swinging by. Pleased to hear that you get the hand angle thing, I recently did a bow drill video exploring the self same thing. I have a lot of projects I keep putting off but I'd like to address the angle thing with a curved stick, I'm not pro-actively looking but when one presents itself...I'd hope to get a curved throwing stick out of the other half of it when split with a bit of luck. All the best.
With your enjoyment of shorters spears and throwers I'm surprised you haven't made an Alutiiq spear thrower yet. You should give one a try, they are quite nice.
Ah that's the beauty of this subject in that there are so many variations. I did the video with a spread of different styles but not a full set by any means. Thanks for swinging by 🙂
Very enjoyable vid, i made one last week on a whim , lol im staggered how far they go and how accurate. Im going to make a variation on your y shape one next . Great fun out in the fields with my lad 😎😎😎
So glad you liked it, l just make videos for the fun of it and if people find value then happy days. Another vid l've done that l can recommend you make with your youngun is the Dutch arrow one. Thanks for swinging by.
Lots of different shapes ,names and types of wommera in Australia. Also they are still used for hunting today, especially in the desert areas. Some are quite short from elbow to hand ,some as long or longer than arm. They don't ever have a leather grip.They are a 'll wood.The glue is from sponges or grass tree sap.The spear is the correct length for the th thrower, and it is designed to be a set.I know indiginous hunters and have hunted with them myself.Th asta a 'll I c a n tell you a bout them
Hi Redwolf, sorry l missed your comment when you posted. The woomera is my favourite design since it is the arguably most 'multitool' of all the designs. You are of course right about the handle, all the launchers l made are slightly stylised and the salmon leather was just an embellishment. Thanks for your comment.
Are there any designs that might double as a war club? The point would have to be durable or the club would need to be on the other side but it seems like there could be potential. Perhaps even a short spear, using point as barb perhaps? EDIT: Just saw the Australian aboriginal version, so it does seem probable. Although the paddle like design seems like it would have lots of air resistance when used for spear throws. Have you used it? How did it feel?
As you mentioned the Austrailian woomera (which is the one in the vid with the salmon leather wrapped handle) often had a stone tipped rounded handle to double as a weapon/ tool. It's a favourite to use and l know what you mean about resistance as some of the originals are huge!
@@theoutdoortraditionalist You gave me quite the Idea. For Wind Resistance, the "Paddle" type Shape could be turned 90° It would look more like the Shaft of an Axe, a little and Wider curved. On the Backside of it, you can Place a Axe Head. On the Front, like he said, make the Point bigger as a Club Penetrator. ( Not Primitive) but i would still ad, your V String design, you can use it to Throw or attach a Modern, Slingshot Rubber, to shoot stones for small Animals. Even Arrows with the Feather Whole Version. To Bad a can not show you my Drawing. Because of the "Speer/ Arrow" is not touching the Atlatl besides the Point and this V Shape holder (some modern once use Little Velcro). You can Place one of the Extendable Fishing Rods, on top of the Stick. If you turn it around. This one Stick could shoot, Pebbles/ Rocks and Arrows (slingshot), Shoot the Speers (all kinds/ fishing...) Be a small Axe and a Digging /smashing skulls Tool. Plus a Paddle.
Time well spent if you enjoy it,.....cheaper and better than golf. But I didn't see a cuped Atlatl? a hole as a launcher? I believe the atlatl is supposed to flex like a bow limb to give it the mechanical and kennetic advantage.
I thought the stones were to give the thrower more weight and give the throw more energy for distance/penetration? But you'd want them more towards the end for that I'd think....I'm no physics expert by any means.
There are several thoughts on the stones: To add mass, to balance the set up, ad lucky charms and as silencers. I reckon it might make a set a bit too heavy at the rear but it may work as a club re you other comment. Many thanks for swinging by.
I have this strange temptation to try and make one that doubles as a pipe, maybe with a mouth piece that can also be used to fling whistling ring-bullets for a Shepard sling. Seems like something the Indo-Europeans would have done if they had tobacco and hadn't switched to amentums.
Hi William, no l've not found anything from the Phillipines but if l recall it is more of a bladed weapon culture. Maybe some anthropology based museums might yield something from their websites? Thanks for swinging by.
@@tiagon19 l theory even a short length a few inches long would work but the advantage comes in being able to propel the dart long after you've let it go. 16-17 inches should work fine but it will depend on the size of an individual. My launchers would probably be too long for a child as an example.
At the beginning of your video you were throwing your atlatals without weights on them. I'm from the United States and over here for some reason archaeologists over here think that we got to have banner stones, or weights. I argue with them all the time. I always ask them if you got to have a weight on an atlatl why doesn't any other countries in the world have weights on theirs. They still hunt with atlatls in Australia, South America etc etc etc. They have absolutely no weights on them. I too make atlatals and I also compete. 90% of the banner stones found here in the United States they claim are atlatl weights. They are too fragile they will break. I also am a serious Indian artifact collector and I have never found more than one banner Stone on any campsite. Some people have found two or three on a campsite but that is very very rare. My theory is if they used banner stones for atlatals, wouldn't they be quite numerous on every campsite? But they're not so are archaeologists saying that only one person in the whole clan or tribe or whatever hunted. I'm a flint napper and I also grind slates and hard stones. I've tried it both ways with weights, and without weights. I really enjoyed your video thank you for proving my point. Hope you have a nice day
Hi there. First of all as a salt of the Earth little CZcams player I was genuinely pleased that the took the time to write such a fullsome comment so many thanks for that. Yeah some designs are without stones and I tried to do a representative spread of styles, again as a small player I try not to make videos too long. There's certainly scope for future investigation. Thanks again.
Thanks for the comment Edward and sorry for the delay in replying, I managed to overlook it somehow. is the spear called a nugaq as I've tried an internet search with no look. I am heading to Canada with my wife next year and hope to visit the recently reopened Anthropology Museum in Vancouver. and i'll keep a lookout for any examples. Thanks again.
May I say that about 65 years ago my friends & I made Dutch Arrows of bamboo from the 'oil-shop', fixed cardboard flights made from a cornflake box! We launched them with a short length of knotted string that located in a notch just above the flight ! We had great fun from such simple things back then! Thank you for posting your fun things!
What a lovely post, thank you. When l was involved in Scouting I did get all the stuff together for my Cub pack to make one and actually around 25 Cubs all launch simultaneously was great. I also showed them an atlatl too so hopefully it's sown a seed for some of them. Thanks again.
Very cool Austin! Love the way you've incorporated your past projects here, kinda brings it all together. A+ video!
My grandfather, part Osage, showed me a throwing stick he said he was taught to make as a kid that had a very narrow fork with a thong between them sort of like the last example you showed. It also had a banner stone that is on top of the stick with a notch the dart sits in. We used unfletched river cane for darts with quite heavy heads for a very weight forward projectile. Your example is the only other I have seen but to me it's the most logical and best design, perhaps partly because it was the first I learned!
When l saw your post l let out a "Wow". I must say l prefer a point rather than a string to launch but to my mind the latter helps the flight go smoother because a point will start to change angle. Do you know why did the Osage add banner stones? The reason l ask is that there seems to be conjecture as to their use (balance, silencer, charm), and I've only seen them attached underneath. Thank you so much for swinging by.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist
I have no knowledge of Osage traditions, or anything about the way they used throwing sticks, just what I was taught. The stones we used added weight as well as made for consistent positioning of the dart. If the weight wasn't desired they could have been made of lighter material.
@@shermanhofacker4428 Thank you.
Nice to see an english man with a woomera thanks so much
I appreciate your knowledge and looking forward to hitting the woods
Thanks for your comment, l'm just a hobbyist bushcrafter who knows a few moves...Always learning :)
Thanks so much Austin! Great video and very nice atlatls aswell!
Thank you :)
Great demonstration! Nice work!
Hey Todd, thanks for visiting, I've had a look at your channel and subbed back...great countryside to play in by the looks of it. If you are interested I have 1000 subs playlists of other channels and if you'd like me to chuck one of yours on please do send me a link to one that you would like adding. ATB.
Great video Austin :D
Why thankyou🙂
Uniquly fascinating. thanks Austin
Pleasure as always :)
I use a shillelagh as spear thrower. There is a reason for the curved shape. It works for darts too. You just choke up on it for darts. Irish museum has a few on display mislabeled as throwing sticks, or fighting sticks, or shillelagh. The thorn on end of bulbous area and curved shape gives it away as for true use. Some just have a hole.
That's a good additional use of one and gives it that sort of 'multi tool' feel. Appreciate the comment, thanks.
love an atlatl, one combo i once saw was this 80 year old hunter, he used an atlatl with a rungu war club, hunt with the atlatl then finish the animal with a swift blow from the club
edit: he also used to tally his atlatl for each kill, he had taken out 160-ish deers with it, and had 10 cross marks for bears and 4 circles for mountain lions
That's amazing and shows the potential multi role potential of an atlatl. The accuracy to take down a beast is something this hobbyist bushcrafter can only dream of. Thanks for swinging by.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist yeah, he told me it took him 30 years to get good enough to hit a deer at full sprint
Your collection is really cool, I also like to recreate my own relics, you’ve done a great job on yours 👍😁💪🏻
That's very kind of you to say. With so much self made stuff it was actually one of the more fun and satisfying vids to make. Thanks for watching.
Very good. I too an an atlatl fan.
Good to hear, thank you.
Hello from Maine, USA. I throw a dart with an atlatl of my own making. I use a double, leather finger loop like the one you displayed. You mentioned incorrect hand angle,I agree, therefore I use my thumb and fore finger in the loops. Works great for me.
Hey, good to hear from you and thank you for swinging by. Pleased to hear that you get the hand angle thing, I recently did a bow drill video exploring the self same thing. I have a lot of projects I keep putting off but I'd like to address the angle thing with a curved stick, I'm not pro-actively looking but when one presents itself...I'd hope to get a curved throwing stick out of the other half of it when split with a bit of luck. All the best.
With your enjoyment of shorters spears and throwers I'm surprised you haven't made an Alutiiq spear thrower yet. You should give one a try, they are quite nice.
Ah that's the beauty of this subject in that there are so many variations. I did the video with a spread of different styles but not a full set by any means. Thanks for swinging by 🙂
Great content 👍. I love it
That's very kind of you to say. Thankyou for swinging by, l don't push my content hard so it's very gratifying when someone stops by.
Very enjoyable vid, i made one last week on a whim , lol im staggered how far they go and how accurate.
Im going to make a variation on your y shape one next .
Great fun out in the fields with my lad 😎😎😎
So glad you liked it, l just make videos for the fun of it and if people find value then happy days. Another vid l've done that l can recommend you make with your youngun is the Dutch arrow one. Thanks for swinging by.
Thanx Austin
Glad you liked it, thanks for swinging by.
Adorei ver está variedade de modelos.
é legal da sua parte dizer, obrigado.
Nice video. Thank you for sharing and wishing you a lovely day. Stay Safe and see you again soon.
Thank you, great fun to shoot it after all tbe work that went into making them.
Subbed, North Devon 😎
The way you throw that i knew instantly you weren't australian
I can't be good at everything 😄
Not all of us are big fella haha, have a great rest of your year matey
Your crab claw idea is great.
You worked with William Lord?
Hes very skilled, great guy.
I've recently completed my third session with him. He's just like he was in the Ed Stafford episode.
Lots of different shapes ,names and types of wommera in Australia. Also they are still used for hunting today, especially in the desert areas. Some are quite short from elbow to hand ,some as long or longer than arm. They don't ever have a leather grip.They are a 'll wood.The glue is from sponges or grass tree sap.The spear is the correct length for the th thrower, and it is designed to be a set.I know indiginous hunters and have hunted with them myself.Th asta a 'll I c a n tell you a bout them
Hi Redwolf, sorry l missed your comment when you posted. The woomera is my favourite design since it is the arguably most 'multitool' of all the designs. You are of course right about the handle, all the launchers l made are slightly stylised and the salmon leather was just an embellishment. Thanks for your comment.
The glue is from spinifex not sponges,bloody autospell!,
@@redwolf7929 Knew what you meant bed, we don't sadly have it in the UK.
The woomera is missing a sharp edge. These thing are used as a firesaw as well.
Thank you for that, l hadn't realised. Every day's a school day and all that.
Australian here. Just fyi. Woomera is pronounced with the "wo" from woman. You got the rest of the pronunciation right tho.
That's kind of you to swing by and mention that, thank you.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist no probs man. Awesome video btw.
@@jaguarholly7156 Thank you for your kind words.
Are there any designs that might double as a war club? The point would have to be durable or the club would need to be on the other side but it seems like there could be potential. Perhaps even a short spear, using point as barb perhaps?
EDIT: Just saw the Australian aboriginal version, so it does seem probable. Although the paddle like design seems like it would have lots of air resistance when used for spear throws. Have you used it? How did it feel?
As you mentioned the Austrailian woomera (which is the one in the vid with the salmon leather wrapped handle) often had a stone tipped rounded handle to double as a weapon/ tool. It's a favourite to use and l know what you mean about resistance as some of the originals are huge!
@@theoutdoortraditionalist You gave me quite the Idea. For Wind Resistance, the "Paddle" type Shape could be turned 90° It would look more like the Shaft of an Axe, a little and Wider curved. On the Backside of it, you can Place a Axe Head.
On the Front, like he said, make the Point bigger as a Club Penetrator. ( Not Primitive) but i would still ad, your V String design, you can use it to Throw or attach a Modern, Slingshot Rubber, to shoot stones for small Animals. Even Arrows with the Feather Whole Version.
To Bad a can not show you my Drawing.
Because of the "Speer/ Arrow" is not touching the Atlatl besides the Point and this V Shape holder (some modern once use Little Velcro).
You can Place one of the Extendable Fishing Rods, on top of the Stick. If you turn it around.
This one Stick could shoot, Pebbles/ Rocks and Arrows (slingshot), Shoot the Speers (all kinds/ fishing...) Be a small Axe and a Digging /smashing skulls Tool. Plus a Paddle.
@You can Handle the Truth Great to hear and thank you for posting this.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist Maybe you will Build it, or something simular to what i have in Mind. I do not have a Outdoor Channel and Post such things.
@You can Handle the Truth Be a sensational first vid to post on a new channel bud.
Time well spent if you enjoy it,.....cheaper and better than golf.
But I didn't see a cuped Atlatl? a hole as a launcher?
I believe the atlatl is supposed to flex like a bow limb to give it the mechanical and kennetic advantage.
Definitely better than golf 🙂 The shafts do indeed flex, at 17:10 l launch a fletchless dart in slo mo to show the bend.
I thought the stones were to give the thrower more weight and give the throw more energy for distance/penetration? But you'd want them more towards the end for that I'd think....I'm no physics expert by any means.
There are several thoughts on the stones: To add mass, to balance the set up, ad lucky charms and as silencers. I reckon it might make a set a bit too heavy at the rear but it may work as a club re you other comment. Many thanks for swinging by.
I have this strange temptation to try and make one that doubles as a pipe, maybe with a mouth piece that can also be used to fling whistling ring-bullets for a Shepard sling.
Seems like something the Indo-Europeans would have done if they had tobacco and hadn't switched to amentums.
Always worth trying :)
The other common name in Australia is karli most of the desert tribes know it as karli the same word the use for boomerang
Hey, sorry I missed your post. Thanks for that :)
Any discoveries of a Philippine atlatl in your research?
Hi William, no l've not found anything from the Phillipines but if l recall it is more of a bladed weapon culture. Maybe some anthropology based museums might yield something from their websites? Thanks for swinging by.
Please, how long would a historical atlatl be? 17 inches or less? Still workable? How much less? Thanks
Hiya. Mine are 20-24 inches in length but l guess a thrower"s size would influence this. Thanks for watching.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist Thanks. But I meant, and I did not type, was how "SHORT" could a functional atlatl be? Any guess? 17in? 16in?
@@tiagon19 l theory even a short length a few inches long would work but the advantage comes in being able to propel the dart long after you've let it go. 16-17 inches should work fine but it will depend on the size of an individual. My launchers would probably be too long for a child as an example.
@@theoutdoortraditionalist I understand, thanks a lot for the tip. Regards from Brazil.
Make an aztec atlatl like the mexica, mixtec, maya and more
Hi Diego. I did a spread of certain versions as a representative selection and yes, it could quite easily make a second video. Thanks for commenting.
Only last one whit a string is good if you do it right ✨🧸✨🇫🇮
Actually it did occur that cordage offers a 'flat' area to launch off whereas a point changes it's orientation in the socket. Thanks for watching.
Stone to sharpen your arrow tip maybe 🤷🏻♂️
Yep fair point. To be honest though l don't keep any point razor sharp as l'm just a hobbyist. Thanks for swinging by.
At the beginning of your video you were throwing your atlatals without weights on them. I'm from the United States and over here for some reason archaeologists over here think that we got to have banner stones, or weights. I argue with them all the time. I always ask them if you got to have a weight on an atlatl why doesn't any other countries in the world have weights on theirs. They still hunt with atlatls in Australia, South America etc etc etc. They have absolutely no weights on them. I too make atlatals and I also compete. 90% of the banner stones found here in the United States they claim are atlatl weights. They are too fragile they will break. I also am a serious Indian artifact collector and I have never found more than one banner Stone on any campsite. Some people have found two or three on a campsite but that is very very rare. My theory is if they used banner stones for atlatals, wouldn't they be quite numerous on every campsite? But they're not so are archaeologists saying that only one person in the whole clan or tribe or whatever hunted. I'm a flint napper and I also grind slates and hard stones. I've tried it both ways with weights, and without weights. I really enjoyed your video thank you for proving my point. Hope you have a nice day
Hi there. First of all as a salt of the Earth little CZcams player I was genuinely pleased that the took the time to write such a fullsome comment so many thanks for that.
Yeah some designs are without stones and I tried to do a representative spread of styles, again as a small player I try not to make videos too long. There's certainly scope for future investigation. Thanks again.
I'm Alaskan yupik we have our own spears an nugaqs ours are different
Thanks for the comment Edward and sorry for the delay in replying, I managed to overlook it somehow. is the spear called a nugaq as I've tried an internet search with no look. I am heading to Canada with my wife next year and hope to visit the recently reopened Anthropology Museum in Vancouver. and i'll keep a lookout for any examples. Thanks again.
Очень познавательно и интересно, но, дружище, по-русски всё тоже самое, плиииззз. 😊
Спасибо за просмотр