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The throwing stick or throwing club is a wooden rod with either a pointed tip or a spearhead attached to one end, intended for use as a weapon. A throwing stick can be either straight or roughly boomerang-shaped, and is much shorter than the javelin. It became obsolete as slings and bows became more prevalent, except on the Australian continent, where the native people continued refining the basic design. Throwing sticks shaped like returning boomerangs are designed to fly straight to a target at long ranges, their surfaces acting as airfoils. When tuned correctly they do not exhibit curved flight, but rather they fly on an extended straight flight path. Straight flight ranges greater than 100 m (330 ft) have been reported by historical sources as well as in recent research.

Distribution

The ancient Egyptians used throwing sticks to hunt small game and waterfowl, as seen in several wall paintings. The 18th-dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun was a known lover of duck hunting and used the throwing stick in his hunts, and a number of throwing sticks were found in the tombs of pharaohs. Menceys, the kings of the ancient Guanches of the Canary Islands, also used throwing batons. Gimel, the third letter of many Semitic alphabets, may have been named after a weapon that was either a staff sling or a throwing stick, ultimately deriving from a Proto-Sinaitic glyph based on an Egyptian hieroglyph.

The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are well-known for their use of the boomerang. Although returning boomerangs are found in many Aboriginal cultures and will return to the user if thrown properly, the choice weapon of the Indigenous Australian peoples and most cultures was the heavy throwing stick, known internationally as the kylie.^{[citation needed]} It was primarily used to kill kangaroos, wallabies, and emus from afar, though it could also be swung like a club.

Some Native American tribes such as the Hopi, as well as all southern California tribes,^[1] utilized the throwing stick to hunt rabbits and occasionally deer.

The throwing stick was also one of the first weapons used by European stone age people to hunt. Stone carvings in Brittany, France have been found depicting throwing sticks.

Though originally designed for hunting and survival, the throwing stick can be used as a weapon in human conflicts, though the heavy non-returning boomerang was the only variant ever to become truly effective against a human opponent.^{[citation needed]}

Survival tool

As a survival tool, the throwing stick is one of the most effective and easiest tools to obtain. It can be used as a digging tool for making fire-pits and underground shelters in addition to its function as a weapon. A curved branch will suffice as a basic throwing stick. Ancient throwing sticks were made of hardwood with a weighted or curved end to one side to impart momentum so the stick stays straight and does not wobble in mid-flight.

Variations

Some variations of the throwing stick are 2 to 3 ft (61 to 91 cm) long pieces of thick hardwood, usually about the circumference of the user's wrist. They are intended to be thrown with spin, creating the image of a blurry disc.

Pommel point throwing sticks are noted for their slightly blunt points that can crush skulls if thrown at sufficient speed. Thus, they are also dubbed the "skull crusher" throwing stick.

Return boomerangs have a flat convex surface and must be thrown about 10-15 degrees from upright with a sharp flick of the wrist, but throwing sticks are thrown horizontally.

References

^ "GERARDO ALDAMA JR KUMEYAAY California Indian Rabbit Sticks". www.kumeyaay.info.

[1] "GERARDO ALDAMA JR KUMEYAAY California Indian Rabbit Sticks". www.kumeyaay.info.

[1]

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+{{Short description|Throwing weapon}}
+{{More citations needed|date=February 2019}}
 [[Image:Aboriginal craft.jpg|thumb|240px|Aboriginal craft: throwing sticks]]
 [[Image:Maler der Grabkammer des Nacht 006.jpg|thumb|240px|Hunting birds with throwing sticks in ancient [[Egypt]]]]
-The '''throwing stick''' or '''throwing club''' is one of the first [[weapon]]s used by early humans and cultures all around the world. In essence, it is a stave or wooden [[club (weapon)|club]] thrown as a projectile to hunt small game such as rabbits or waterfowl. In flight, it rotates rapidly, hitting the target with one of the ends, maiming or killing it. One difference between a throwing stick and a [[javelin (weapon)|javelin]] is in their shapes and lengths. A javelin is almost always a straight shaft with either a pointed tip or a spearhead attached to the front end. A throwing stick can be straight like a pointed wooden shaft or curved like the [[boomerang]], and is much shorter than the javelin. It became obsolete as [[Sling (weapon)|slings]] and [[Bow (weapon)|bows]] became more prevalent, except for on the Australian continent, where it was developed to a high technology. Throwing sticks shaped like returning boomerangs are designed to fly straight to a target at long ranges. Their surfaces are shaped as airfoils.  When tuned correctly they do not exhibit curved flight, but rather they fly on an extended straight flight path.  Straight flight ranges greater than 100 meters distance have been reported by historical sources as well as in recent research. There were some throwing sticks placed in the tombs of [[pharaoh]]s.
+The '''throwing stick''' or '''throwing club''' is a wooden rod with either a pointed tip or a spearhead attached to one end, intended for use as a weapon. A throwing stick can be either straight or roughly [[boomerang]]-shaped, and is much shorter than the [[javelin]]. It became obsolete as [[Sling (weapon)|slings]] and [[Bow (weapon)|bows]] became more prevalent, except on the [[Australia|Australian continent]], where the [[Indigenous Australians|native people]] continued refining the basic design. Throwing sticks shaped like returning boomerangs are designed to fly straight to a target at long ranges, their surfaces acting as [[airfoil]]s. When tuned correctly they do not exhibit curved flight, but rather they fly on an extended straight flight path. Straight flight ranges greater than {{convert|100|m|abbr=on}} have been reported by historical sources as well as in recent research.
 == Distribution ==
-[[File:MNH - Mencey-Stab.jpg|thumb|upright|Throwing baton of a [[Guanches|Guanche]] mencey (king).]]
+[[File:MNH - Mencey-Stab.jpg|thumb|upright|Throwing baton of a [[Guanches|Guanche]] mencey (king)]]
-The throwing stick is a tool used in hunting small game and waterfowl. The [[Ancient Egypt]]ians used throwing sticks to hunt ducks, as seen in several wall paintings. The [[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]] Pharaoh [[Tutankhamun]] was a known lover of duck hunting and used the throwing stick in his hunts. [[Mencey]]s, the kings of the ancient [[Guanches]] of the [[Canary Islands]], also used throwing batons. [[Gimel]], the third letter of many Semitic alphabets, may have been named after a weapon that was either a staff sling or a throwing stick, ultimately deriving from a Proto-Sinaitic glyph based on an [[Throw stick (hieroglyph)|Egyptian hieroglyph]]. The [[Indigenous Australians|Aborigines]] of [[Australia]] used the [[boomerang]]. Although returning boomerangs are found in many Aboriginal cultures and will return to the user if thrown properly, the choice weapon of the Aborigines and most cultures was the heavy throwing stick, known internationally as the kylie.  it's range was in excess of 100 meters and it could also be wielded as a club or knife for attacking close [[kangaroo]], [[wallaby]], and [[emu]] by using it as a club.
+The [[ancient Egypt]]ians used throwing sticks to hunt small game and waterfowl, as seen in several wall paintings. The [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th-dynasty]] [[pharaoh]] [[Tutankhamun]] was a known lover of duck hunting and used the throwing stick in his hunts, and a number of throwing sticks were found in the tombs of pharaohs. Menceys, the kings of the ancient [[Guanches]] of the [[Canary Islands]], also used throwing batons. [[Gimel]], the third letter of many Semitic alphabets, may have been named after a weapon that was either a staff sling or a throwing stick, ultimately deriving from a Proto-Sinaitic glyph based on an [[Throw stick (hieroglyph)|Egyptian hieroglyph]].
+The [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal peoples]] of Australia are well-known for their use of the boomerang. Although returning boomerangs are found in many Aboriginal cultures and will return to the user if thrown properly, the choice weapon of the Indigenous Australian peoples and most cultures was the heavy throwing stick, known internationally as the kylie.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} It was primarily used to kill [[Kangaroo|kangaroos]], [[Wallaby|wallabies]], and [[Emu|emus]] from afar, though it could also be swung like a club.
-Some Native American tribes such as the [[Hopi]], as well as all southern California tribes,<ref>http://www.kumeyaay.info/california_indian_artists/gerardo_aldama_jr/</ref> utilized the throwing stick to hunt [[rabbits]] and occasionally deer.
+Some Native American tribes such as the [[Hopi]], as well as all southern California tribes,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kumeyaay.info/california_indian_artists/gerardo_aldama_jr/|title=GERARDO ALDAMA JR KUMEYAAY California Indian Rabbit Sticks|website=www.kumeyaay.info}}</ref> utilized the throwing stick to hunt [[Rabbit|rabbits]] and occasionally [[deer]].
-Other titles for the throwing stick are: rabbit stick, throwing club, killer stick, baton, boomerang, and kylie. The throwing stick can also be used as a weapon in human combat, though the heavy non-return boomerang was the only one truly effective in this use.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
+The throwing stick was also one of the first weapons used by European stone age people to hunt.
+Stone carvings in [[Brittany]], [[France]] have been found depicting throwing sticks.
+Though originally designed for hunting and survival, the throwing stick can be used as a weapon in human conflicts, though the heavy non-returning boomerang was the only variant ever to become truly effective against a human opponent.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
 == Survival tool ==
-As a survival tool, the throwing stick is one of the most effective and easiest tools to obtain. Other than a weapon, it can also be used as a digging tool for making fire-pits and underground shelter. A curved limb will suffice as a throwing stick. Ancient throwing sticks were made of hardwood with a weighted or curved end to one side to impart momentum so the stick stays straight and does not wobble in mid-flight.
+As a survival tool, the throwing stick is one of the most effective and easiest tools to obtain. It can be used as a digging tool for making fire-pits and underground shelters in addition to its function as a weapon. A curved branch will suffice as a basic throwing stick. Ancient throwing sticks were made of hardwood with a weighted or curved end to one side to impart momentum so the stick stays straight and does not wobble in mid-flight.
 == Variations ==
+Some variations of the throwing stick are {{convert|2|to|3|ft|cm|abbr=on}} long pieces of thick hardwood, usually about the circumference of the user's wrist. They are intended to be thrown with spin, creating the image of a blurry disc.
-{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2009}}
-Some throwing sticks and their variations are about 2 to 3 feet long pieces of thick hardwood, usually about the circumference of the user's wrist. When they are thrown, they spin, creating the image of a sort of blurry disc.
-Pommel Point Throwing Sticks are not actual variations of the throwing stick. They are simply throwing sticks with slightly blunt points that can crush skulls if they travel at sufficient speed. Thus, it is also dubbed the skull crusher throwing stick.
+Pommel point throwing sticks are noted for their slightly blunt points that can crush skulls if thrown at sufficient speed. Thus, they are also dubbed the "skull crusher" throwing stick.
-Return boomerangs have a flat convex surface that must be thrown upright with a sharp flick of the wrist, but throwing sticks are thrown  horizontally.
+Return boomerangs have a flat convex surface and must be thrown about 10-15 degrees from upright with a sharp flick of the wrist, but throwing sticks are thrown horizontally.
 == See also ==
-* [[Atlatl]] – spear thrower which has been called a throwing stick.
+* [[Spear-thrower]] – also called a throwing stick
+* [[Woomera (spear-thrower)]] – Aboriginal variant of the spear-thrower
+* [[Schöningen spears]] - Stone Age weapons
-* [[Boomerang]] - closely related to advanced throwing sticks, but with curved flight paths instead of straight ones.
-{{Prehistoric technology|state=expanded}}
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
-. http://www.throwsticks.com/history_science.html
+{{Prehistoric technology|state=expanded}}
 [[Category:Throwing clubs]]
 [[Category:Ancient weapons]]
+[[Category:Medieval weapons]]
+[[Category:Stick and staff weapons]]
 [[Category:Throwing weapons]]