Was the boomerang an invention of the Australian aborigines or was it invented in America?

By Ranjana S.

Most people probably think of the boomerang as an invention of the Australian aborigines, unique to the island continent. After all Australia has been known as the largest producer of diverse boomerangs. In addition, the term itself is a phonetic spelling of the aboriginal word 'boumarang'. But, while the modern use of the boomerang, both as a play equipment and weapon, is indisputably an Australian speciality, recent excavations have suggested that it might have originated elsewhere.

The remains of ancient boomerangs have been found, in Europe, Egypt, and India. But the oldest boomerang have been dredged up in Florida a few years back. It dates back to about 10,000 BC, and its discovery has given rise to intriguing speculation that the first boomerang was invented in America rather than Australia.

The Florida boomerang has been preserved in the mud of a ledge 85 feet (26 metres) below the surface of Little Salt Spring, a deep lake near the Gulf Coast north of the Everglades. Part of the longer wing of the boomerang which was made of oak, is missing, but enough of the weapon remains to help us ascertain what it was like. It was built to fly, hit its target and stay there, not to return back to the distant thrower.

This was some sort of aberration, as boomerangs were designed to hit its target and come back "home." Though this assumption has been refuted time and again. In Australia or elsewhere you will find both returning and non-returning boomerangs, and the non-returning ones are the most preferred-because they hit their target with accuracy and precision.