Woomera
This article is about the woomera, a weapon. See Woomera, South Australia, for the rocket launch site and the town and location of the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre.A
woomera is an
Aboriginal spear-throwing device. Having the same function as the American
atlatl, its main differences are only in materials and method of construction, and in that the woomera has had continued use into the
21st century in some remote areas of
Australia. The name
woomera comes from the
Eora Aboriginal tribe who were the original inhabitants of the
Sydney area.
Some woomeras, especially those used in the Central and Western
Australian
deserts, were multi-purpose tools. These woomeras were often shaped like long narrow bowls and could be used for carrying water-soaked vegetable matter (which could later be sucked for its moisture, but wouldn't spill) as well as small food items such as little lizards or seeds. Many woomeras had a sharp stone cutting edge attached to the end of the handle with black gum from the
spinifex plant. This sharp tool had many uses - and was commonly used for cutting up game or other food, cutting wood, and so on. The woomera could be used as a shield for protection against
spears and
boomerangs. Some boomerangs were deliberately made with a hook at one end designed to catch onto the edge of a woomera or shield, which then caused the boomerang to swivel around and hit the enemy. The woomera was traditionally decorated with incised or painted designs which gave a good indication of the owner's tribal or clan group.
*
A drawing of a woomera, from the book
Boy Scouts Beyond the Seas: "My World Tour" by Sir
Robert Baden-Powell, 1913
