Main Discussion Area > Cave Men only "Oooga Booga"
more atlatl discussion
jamie:
im doing a piece for a new exhibit at a museum i do work for. if they need anything sharp and deadly im the one they ask to reproduce it. anyway ive been asked for an atlatl and dart. ive been doing quite a bit of research into the setup so it looks authentic, not just something i made with my visions. biggest question of course with atlatls is whether the bannerstones were part of the atlatl. one study says it was used to quiet the whip sound down and it does. one dig shows the bannerstone inline with handles and hooks from an atlatl, however the stone wasnt winged, as most picture a bannerstone to be. i like bob bergs theory of the bannerstone being a flywheel for a drop spindle. this makes a lot of sense to me, especially because of the large variences in size you will find with bannerstones. only problem with this theory is the bannerstone production drops off around the same time when atlatls where being replaced with the bow and arrow. so the theory that it was used to produce thread for binding points and feathers to darts doesnt make sense. the bow and arrow require just as much thread if not more, if one adds the bowstring to the equation. wondering what everybodies thoughts are on the subject. peace
Hillbilly:
I don't think anybody knows for sure. I've seen museum replicas done both with and without stones. All I know is that from what little I've experimented with them, I see absolutely no use at all for a bannerstone on an atlatl. They look cool, but actually seem to hinder the performance as far as I can tell- I can throw much farther and more accurately without one myself. Not to mention being a lot more work to make and more weight to tote around.
jamie:
i kinda feel the same about the production of the bannerstone. but in an advanced tribal society there are a lot of examples of artifacts that show they produced "unneeded" items. most of the stone knives i have seen had to be status symbols. so if it was a needed item then they would definetly use the time to produce them. you are right there is no answer and im gonna drive myself nuts figuring it out. ;D
Bone pile:
I heard a discussion were the bannerstone was used as part of a drop spindle in spining fiber into cordage.Don't know how much truth was in this observation,but an interesting thought.
Bone pile
half eye:
Fellas,
I'm certainly no expert but the bannerstones might be used in conjunction with the dart material. A lever doesn't bennift from extra weight....but if you are throwing a heavy dart (available wood, large points etc) there would be an advantage to increase the "driving" mass.
Not much different than big heavy bows for big heavy arrows. Maybe the guys with cane darts could use a good heavy hardwood thrower (atlatl) and could get more speed for the lighter weight? and the guys with only hardwood for shafts and/ or large heads (like small spear points) would want to increase the mass of the atlatl to better put energy into the heavier projectile. This might account for the differences in the size and shape of the stones themselves...or the total lack of them....just a thought
If the paleo indians were anything it was smart enough to know what works
half eye
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