AustraliaEngraved boomerang from Australia, Oceania. Collected by T. Herbert Brown. Given to the Museum in 1914.

This is a classic returning boomerang from north-west Central Queensland. It is likely to have a cultural origin among the Pitta Pitta people, among whom it was known as a make.

These boomerangs were carved from a local wood that was never traded outside of the area. They were made and used by men only, as sporting playthings. They often have designs incised on their upper surface such as wavy lines, as on this example, or sometimes depictions of emu, iguana, and other °local animals.

Form and Function

Most boomerangs are non-returning. These types are used for hunting. Yet it is Australian returning boomerang that is most well known. This type is used predominantly for sport and entertainment. How does it achieve returning flight? The answer is in its aerodynamic shape and the way it is thrown, allowing it to behave as both wings and a spinning top.

A straight stick thrown forward at a slightly elevated angle will follow a 'parabolic arc' that gently rises and falls in a straight line stretching out from the thrower. The boomerang achieves both greater lift and a curving flight. It achieves the greater lift by having a slightly convex upper surface, like an aircraft wing. As the boomerang slices through the air, the air moves faster over the top surface than it does over the bottom. This creates an imbalance of pressure and therefore, greater upward lift.

The curved, returning flight of the boomerang is mainly due to the bent shape and the way with which it is thrown. The arms are usually set at an angle between 70° and 130°. If the arms are of a similar length this also helps it to return. As the arms rotate, the greater lift on the upper surface of the blade eventually causes the axis of rotation to shift and, just like a spinning top, the rotating boomerang tilts, the inside arm dipping and causing the boomerang to turn. If it is thrown right-handed, the turn will be to the left and vice versa. It is vital that the boomerang is thrown with enough force and spin so that it has enough speed to come out of the turn. As it loses height, it accelerates and this rights the tilt angle so it stops its severe curve and travels back towards the thrower in a broad arc.

There were a number of different games that could be played with a returning boomerang such as the make. In a common Pitta Pitta game, five or more men stood in a line, each man an arm's-length from the man in front. Another man, the pitcher, stood by himself some distance away, in front of the others and facing the first man. The pitcher threw the boomerang over their heads, and as it circled back towards them, the players attempted to avoid being hit by jumping or crouching, although they were not permitted to leave the spots they were on. The first player to be hit took the next turn as the pitcher. Early accounts of Pitta Pitta boomerang throwers seem to suggest that a skilful thrower could manage to make such a boomerang complete three or four paths before falling to the ground.