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The awesome atlatl it, along with overkill tactics, may have caused the extinction of the wooly mam- Prehistoric moth in North America before the end of the Ice Age. weapon The word “atlatl” comes from Nuttal’s (1891) translation of the two Aztec words, one meaning “throwing,” the other “on wa- serves hunters ter.” The atlatl is a weapon system consisting for centuries of two parts: the atlatl itself and the dart.

By DAVID BATTON The atlatl, generally 15- to 24-feet long, is Historic Preservation Department held in the hand, and acts as a lever to pro- Summer Youth Worker pel the dart with more force. It resembles a short stick with a spur at one end that fits in What is the oldest and most deadly in- the base of the dart. The atlatl can be made strument created long ago by Indian tribes? completely of wood, bone or both and Some believe that it is the bow and ar- some may incorporate weights made from row; others believe that it is the basic spear. stone or shell. Photo provided However, there is a weapon older than The darts may be far more complex. the bow and arrow and far deadlier than the They can be constructed from numerous David Batton, holding at atlatl, dart basic spear – the atlatl, a weapon capable types of wood or rivercane and resemble a and detachable foreshaft. of sending a projectile over 120 yards and large arrow. There are two different types killing a wooly mammoth. of atlatl darts, compound and self. “Com- the device. Longer atlatls tend to increase Still being used by today’s hunters and pound darts” have detachable foreshafts, the range of the dart. This particular inven- competitors, the atlatl has aged gracefully allowing points to be quickly replaced for tion allowed the user to hit targets over 100 through the years. a quick reload. The other type of dart is the yards away. Many archaeologists believe that over “self dart.” It, unlike the compound dart, To date, the world’s farthest recorded 12,000 years ago, hunters tracking herds does not disconnect at the foreshaft. Atlatl throw using traditional materials is 252 across the frozen tundra of what is cur- darts are generally 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch in yards (230.48 meters) by Ilkka Kontinaho rently the state of Alaska became the first diameter, 4- to 6-feet long, and can reach from Finland, using a 30-inch birch atlatl immigrants to enter the North American up to 100 miles per hour when thrown by and a 58-inch, 86-grain wooden self dart. continent. These hunter-gatherers brought an atlatl. This throw was accurately measured and the atlatl, a weapon that reigned supreme The mechanical foundation of atlatl was in the presence of law enforcement among them and their descendants for technology is the flexible dart. Under- ac with a dense crowd and was presented to thousands of years. celeration by the atlatl, the dart flexes and the Guinness Book of World Records, but It was the first complex weapon system compresses like a spring. Spring energy as Dave Engvall’s synthetic atlatl distance developed by humans, originating in Eu- pushes the dart itself away from the atlatl record still stands some 20 yards further, rope over 30,000 years ago and spreading and launches it at velocities that easily ex- they declined. Given that Ilkka threw the to every corner of the globe that humans ceed 100 miles per hour. Instead of throw- present primitive world record into a side occupied. In fact, the atlatl and dart were ing a dart 30 or so yards, the maximum ob- wind, and it was his last throw after hours used and improved upon for so long by tainable with an unaided arm, the atlatl will of chucking spears, it is only a matter of our ancient ancestors that comparatively allow an average person to throw the dart time until probably he surpasses Envgvall’s speaking, the bow and arrow can be con- 90 yards; and a gifted thrower 125 yards, long-standing record using plain ol’ sticks. sidered a recent development in projectile or more. Although largely replaced by the bow technology. The first of many improvements to this and arrow in North America around the So powerful and effective was the atlatl mechanical system was the implementa- time of the birth of Christ, the atlatl was that scientists and scholars speculate that tion of multiple length atlatls to fine-tune still being used by a few Native Americans during the Age of Discovery, 500 years tions established by I.S.A.C., primitive and ago. ppen. When Columbus encountered natives us- For primitive equipment, both the atlatl ing the atlatl during his voyage to the New and the darts must be made of natural ma- World, Europeans who had long forgotten terials that would have been available to the weapon soon became familiar with it Drawing of an atlatl and dart, by Ruby prehistoric people. The open class is any again. These encounters were certainly Bolding. type model or design of the atlatl as long with the business end of the weapon – leav- as they follow the standard length, weight ing a European wondering, “What was and diameter. that?” just before dying. as a counter balance that makes it easier to The World Atlatl Association (WAA) Experiments conducted in March of hold the dart in a throwing position for an publishes information about events and 1978 by Dr. Dennis Stanford, chief nation- extended period of time. competition results, archaeological finds, al archaeologist at the Smithsonian and a To date, definitive evidence does not ex- scientific information, reports, cartoons, primitive technologist, have demonstrated ist to suggest one of these uses over the oth- and just about anything else that is related that without an atlatl, the stone-tipped ers, but some modern practitioners do use to the atlatl as a primitive weapon or con- spear could only penetrate three inches into atlatl weights, claiming that the weights temporary sport, though they do not set the an elephant carcass, but with the atlatl the provide one or all of these benefits. rules and regulations for competition. spear could penetrate about half the depth Today, atlatls are primarily used in two The atlatl has aged relatively well over of an elephant’s chest cavity, enough for a different ways, hunting and competition. the years. Standing as the oldest and most sure kill. The legality of atlatl hunting differs from powerful weapon of our ancestors, it has The debate has never been centered on state to state. Some states place restrictions changed little over the years, and is a great the killing power of the atlatl, but with on what type of animals may be hunted or legacy of the early Indian tribes. weights that some believe may have been fished. Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas allow From hunting to competition, the popu- tied onto the atlatl. atlatl hunting and fishing with certain- re larity of the atlatl is increasing, and the use There have been many theories over how strictions. of the device may again soon span across these weights may have been used, includ- The International Standard Accuracy the entire world. ing the ideas that they increase the effi- Contest (I.S.A.C.) organizes many of the ciency of the transfer of energy from the atlatl competitions in the United States. © BISKINIK, August 2011 atlatl to the dart, as a silencing device, or There are two different types of classifica-