Traditional cultural knowledge and functional analysis of a non-returning wangim (boomerang) from Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, southeastern Australia

Abstract

Boomerangs are part of a suite of Australian throwing sticks, which are specialised wooden implements of purposeful design and aerodynamic properties that are used as projectiles. While throwing sticks are known to occur throughout Australia, they are less commonly found in buried contexts. In this paper, we report on a single, non-returning wooden wangim (boomerang) recovered from a reported burial mound at Yarra Junction, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, Victoria. Analysis of morphometrics (shape, size), wear traces and residues, combined with traditional cultural knowledge, indicates that the wangim was made and maintained primarily using a variety of metal tools from the nineteenth century. The presence of impact traces, right-handed grip marks, blood, and charcoal indicates that the wangim had many purposes. The steps required to craft (and maintain) this wangim, along with evidence for its continuous use for multiple activities (throwing, hunting, fire management) and its association with a reported burial, indicate that it probably held some form of prestige to its owner(s), who formed a strong personal attachment. The shape, symmetry and cross-section of the wangim appear to be distinct from other Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung wangim housed at Museums Victoria and elsewhere. This study sheds light on boomerangs in southeastern Australia, and is the first of its kind to combine traditional cultural knowledge and functional analysis of a boomerang.