Prehistoric Weapon... | SouthernPaddler.com

Prehistoric Weapon...

bearridge

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2005
3,092
4
way down yonder
Friend oldyaker,

I sho hope them spearchunkin' fellas take careful aim before they go ta flingin' atalayls ever which way. I dont figger Truthful Jack wuz round when the Anasazi 'n Cromagnums wuz doin' the chunkin', but folks tell how he showed Ole Napoleon how a air rifle could whack a surly bartender frum way off....without a big puff a smoke.

regards,
bearridge

P.S. These days only a few of us still call him "Truthful Jack". :cry: Most jest call him "Kayak Jack", but little pardners dont need ta hear what some of the fellas call him. Ole Goliath's buddies aint likely ta fergit that time he showed Little David how ta drop a dog at 50 yards with a slingshot.

They never had hot tamales in the Holy Land til Jack come along. When ya see the pichurs of all the truble they have over there, ya never see any cats on the street....dogs either. One reason wuz the Antifido.


There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance. Hippocrates
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
A few info that some research discloses differs from the newspaper article on the web.

The length of the atlatl is fairly crucial. Turns out the ratio is (Ideal atlatl length) = (length of forearm) X (Pi)

Also, the atlatl should be springy, so that it springs forward near the end of the forearm swinging forward, thus adding its velocity to the that of the velocity forearm extended by the length of the atlatl.

Also, the "spine" of the dart (how stiff it is) has to be balanced to its weight and the springiness of the atlatl.

When all of this is added together, you have the energy and velocity of the forearm, the atlatl, and the dart itself. Practiced shooters achieve velocities of over 100 mph. Darts went through Spannish armor like a hot knife through butter.
 

Bullhead

Well-Known Member
Mar 27, 2005
172
0
Indiana
They have a competition every year in Colorado for these.... distance and accuracy. It is a simple engineering principal of increasing leverage (arm length).
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
The extension of the lever arm is a basic part of it - but not all. As I cited above, the spring action of the atlatl itself, and that of the dart both add more impetus to the cast.

Atlatls were "invented" in multiple places at multiple times. In all cases uncovered so far, they were a stunning success. They've been credited with the extermination of the hairy mammoth. A hand thrown spear tested against carcasses of elephants won't normally penetrate far enough to deliver a fatal injury. Darts cast from atlatls regularly do.

The counterbalance stones were made to serve two purposes. A round stone tied to the mid-section of an atlatl could be tuned to add even more stored energy that was released during the cast to even further speed up a dart. Separately, flat stones were cut like a butterfly with wings spread, and small holes drilled into the wings. This somehow acted to silence the cast and not alert the animal that a dart was on its way. Our primitive ancestors were every bit as intelligent as we are today. Probably just as stupid on occasion too.

They're not a toy; they are a lethal weapon. That's what I had to teach Kokapelli in southern Arizona when I taught him to use his atlatl.