Williams Gallery West Collectibles - Swords, Knives, Spears and other weapons

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Two 19th century Australian Aboriginal boomerangs

collected in 1938

Two antique "natural elbow" boomerangs, carved following the natural form of the wood selected for the weapon.   Form, patina, and surface detail are very nice.  Display pieces from Skipper Kent's restaurant in San Francisco in the 1940s and 1950s.

 Fair Condition. Both have some cracking and small drill holes from display. The smaller boomerang has a ragged, chipped edge on the right tip.

dimensions #1-  32" tip to tip ....... #2 - 22 1/4" tip to tip

Historical Note

Boomerang is an Australian word borrowed from the Dharuk word "boomori", the Aboriginal language spoken in the Sydney region.  The Australian Aboriginal boomerang is a crescent-shaped wooden implement used as a missile or club, in hunting and in warfare, and for recreational purposes. The best-known type of boomerang, used primarily for recreation, can be made to circle in flight and return to the thrower. Although boomerang-like objects were known in other parts of the world, the earliest examples are found in Australia.  A specimen of a preserved boomerang has been found at Wyrie Swamp in South Australia and is dated at 10,000 years old. Boomerangs were not known throughout the entirety of Australia, being absent from the west of South Australia, the north Kimberley region of Western Australia, north-east Arnhem Land, and Tasmania.

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