Native American Atlatl

An atlatl is a stick that propels a dart or a spear used by Eskimos and early Native Americans. There is a handle on one end and a hook or socket on the other were the spear or dart is held. The term atlatl comes from the Aztecs who were the first culture to actually write down this term. In modern time we use the expression throwing stick, throwing board, or even speer sling the problem is that these names do not just pertain to an atlatl. Throughout the years there are many cultures that have use this piece of technology including the Aztecs, Eskimos, early Germans, Russians, and the Ancient Egyptians. (Questions 1, 2, and 3) As the Atlatl is accelerated forwards the dart or spear flexes and is compressed then is launched forwards at at
velocities that exceed 100 mph. Using longer atlatls and adding weight to the atlatl tend to help launch the spear or dart farther. There are two kinds of atlatls springy and solid. Based on results of an experiment done in April 2006 by John Whittaker and Andrew Maginniss. They found that the flex or spring in the atlatl had no effect on the velocity of the dart. After testing three atlatls one with no spring, one with 4-5 cm of spring, and one with 13 cm of spring they found that all three had a velocities of 19m/s therefore concluding that there is no difference between the difference in spring of an atlatl. (Questions 4, and 5) There are many different kinds of atlatls. The basketmaker discovered in Northern Arizona is made of oak with finger holes made out of skins at the base. Its is 534 mm long which is a little shorter than usual. That is because of a dark stone that has been tied to the back for luck. On the other hand the Australian woomera is a atlatl that could be used for a mixing bowl or a aid for starting a fire. On the bottom of an atlatl there can be an atlatl weight. The weight adds weight to the atlatl when you throw it but the weight aid accuracy to the throw.(Questions 6, and 7)
Atlatl spurs are the little nubs on the end of the atlatls that connect the atlatl and the spear together. There are two main types of spurs Male and Female. The female spur is carved into the surface of the atlatl but the male spur stick out above the atlatl. The male spur is the more common of the two. A major advantage of these spurs is that as long as it does not interfere with the casting process it should work. However the spurs can break if glued for pined on wrong. There are also many different finger positions for atlatls. There is the knuckle grip where you put your index and middle fingers through holes in the base but you have to rest the speer between you knuckles. The other index finger hold is the hammer grip. You hold the atlatl like a hammer and the spear rests on a dart rest. The disadvantage of this one is that you have to hold the atlatl tilted so the spear doesn't fall off. The Thumb grip is when you place your thumb in a hole in the atlatl and wrap your hand around the handle. The major advantage of this one is that it is less likely that the dart falls off of the atlatl. (Questions 8 and 9)
There are many materials used to make an atlatl. The main part of the atlatl has always been made out for wood. However the bindings have been made more recently out of wax cord instead of twine which makes the binding stronger. The spur is still being made out for bone antler or wood just as it used to be. (Question 10)

It is often debated if arrows spears or darts are thrown by atlatls. An arrow is a shaft sharpened at the end with feathers at the end of it. A spear is a long usually metal shaft but unlike the arrow the spear does not have feathers and it is thrown and not shot in most cases. A dart is smaller then an arrow but can also be fired or thrown. In my opinion atlatls throw arrows because the projectile thrown has feathers on the end plus it is larger than a dart and not always made out of metal like the spear. If I had to design an arrow for an atlatl I would use Composite arrows because of their straightness and how they are made for long distances. (Questions 11-13) There are many different designs for example, Eskimos atlatls have a major difference then the plans indian.
The Eskimos design is not very long, wide and has the spur embedded in the atlatl itself. The southern native americans design is very long, skinny and has the spur mounted up above the atlatl itself. The major difference between american and European atlatls is that the European has a rest of the arrow at one end of the atlatl. This rest causes the arrow to be thrown more accurate. It also causes the arrow to be more stable because it isn't just your hand holding the arrow up. Over time metal tools have taken over the making of atlatls. However in the original atlatls had arrowheads made of flint, atlatls were only made out of hardern wood, they could get rid of as much material so the atlatl were longer, and they also didn't add a place for them to rest their arrow so they had to hold the arrow on the atlatl. (Questions
14-16) There are many kinds of atlatl for different cultures. The ones form the Aleuts and Eskimos have so very similar aspects. Both of there atlatl are relatively flat and wide compared to the ones from europe and the southern United States. They also both have a hole in the atlatl for their index finger to go through instead of a grove on the side. However the Aleut is more of a rectangle shape while the Eskimo is longer. (Question 17) There are also many historical atlatls many of which has designs on them.
Aboriginal spear thrower is an Australian atlatl that is designed to be very flat and has decorative carving on one side. It is looked to be used because of the ware on it and there is a chip out of it. Also from Australia a carved woomera was found. It is carved in a zigzag pattern it also has a flint cutting tool on the end. This flint makes the woomera a multi purpose tool and shows that it probably was once used for something. The Facsimile was found in the cave of Le Mas d'Azil, Ariege in 1940. Carved out of one piece of antler there is a young ibex on one end of it. Judging by how small it is and the design on it I don't think that it was used for one purpose. The propulseur with the hyena is a known historical atlatl but there is only recreation because the hyena found was not connected to the atlatl because of this it is hard to know whether the original atlatl was used. The Broken Roof Cave atlatl is unique in the way that there is a moonstone charm just above the loops of the handle. Even with this stone this atlatl has been known to of been used.(Question 18) There is lack of atlatls and bows in the Tlingit cultures all over the southeast Alaska. This is because the majority of the Tlingit diet is based off of salmon and berries there for not needing altal and bows as much. Tlingit atlatls had intricate designs on the sides on them and do not have many signs of use on them. This leads you to
believe that they were used for decoration.(Question 19) The atlatl was first founded in europe 30,000 years ago and was the first true weapons system. However around the birth of Christ the atlatl was replaced in Europe by the bow and arrow except for in some native tribes. Over 12,000 years ago the atlatl was brought to North America. Here is was used for hunting while tracking animals over the frozen tundra of Alaska. Later the Aztecs in South America perfected it as a weapon. This new perfected weapon was feared by the spanish when the came to conquer the Americas because it was the only weapon that could penetrate their armor.(Question 20)