Aboriginal Australians & The Boomerang

A (very!) Brief History of the Aboriginal Australians

Aboriginal Australians are descendants of the first humans to reach Australia. As part of the wider Human global migration, over the course of 150,000 years, groups of humans made their way across the Middle East, Southern and South East Asia, before crossing into Australia approximately 50,000 years ago : 

The Aboriginal Australians spent most of the next 50,000 years in relative isolation, due to climatic and sea level changes cutting them off from South East Asia. 

Over this time, they developed rich and diverse societies based on a Clan structure, as well as larger Nation-states. 

Gradually, since ~4000 BCE, increasing contact was made with the regions north of Australia, with complex trading relationships allowing mutual cultural exchange between the Aboriginal Australians and the Indigenous peoples of South East Asia. 

The first contact with Europeans occurred in the early 17th Century with Dutch traders, but the major turning point for the Aboriginal Australians occurred in 1770 with the arrival of the British ship HMS Endeavour, led by James Cook, mapping the fertile east coast of Australia.  

In 1788, a much larger fleet of 11 ships, commanded by Governor Arthur Phillip, arrived at Port Jackson (modern-day Sydney), establishing the first permanent European settlement and British 'control' over Australia. 

The British developed the settlement as a 'Penal Colony', and over the next 80 years, roughly 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia. They provided the forced labour necessary to build roads, bridges, and early colonial infrastructure. As the colony grew, it transitioned from a penal colony into a more pastoral economy, primarily based on Wool production. 

The discovery of Gold in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851 triggered a massive influx of settlers looking to exploit this newfound wealth. 

The rapid expansion of colonisation had devastating consequences for the Aboriginal Australians. As settlers pushed inland for sheep and gold, Indigenous clans were systematically forced off their ancestral lands, resulting in a series of violent conflicts known as the Frontier Wars. Also, lacking immunity to European diseases, entire communities were decimated by introduced diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and measles, causing a catastrophic decline in the Indigenous population. 

Due to this, as with other Indigenous peoples around the World, the land held by the Aboriginal Australians shrank massively, as they were driven off fertile land and into the desert interior. 

The map below shows the land held by the Aboriginal People in 2024 : 

In recent times, there have been significant attempts by both governments and grassroots organisations to address and repair the historic and ongoing damage caused to Aboriginal Australians.

While deep-seated systemic inequalities remain, modern efforts focus on symbolic reconciliation, legal land rights, financial compensation, and structural political reform.

Aboriginal Australians and the Boomerang

While the boomerang is internationally recognised as a returning toy or sporting object, for Aboriginal Australians, it is a highly sophisticated, multi-purpose tool deeply rooted in daily survival, technology, and spirituality.

The vast majority of traditional boomerangs were non-returning; they were heavy, large, and designed to fly straight and fast over long distances. They were used primarily in hunting, where they were thrown horizontally to break the legs of kangaroos, emus, and wallabies, grounding the animal for hunters. They could also be used in inter-Clan conflict, in which they were capable of causing severe blunt-force injury from a distance.

The returning boomerang was a highly specialised tool used primarily for hunting waterfowl and smaller birds. Hunters would throw a returning boomerang high over a flock of ducks resting on a river or swamp. As the curved blade spun overhead, its shape and shadow mimicked a bird of prey, such as a hawk. Terrified by the 'hawk', the ducks would instantly dive low to the water to escape, straight into nets that hunters had strung across the river. If the throw missed, the boomerang returned to the hunter to be used again. 

Beyond its use as a weapon, the boomerang served as a 'multi-tool' for digging, cutting and fire-making. It also served cutural, religious and social purposes. 

The Boomerang : STEM

The boomerang is a complex feat of aerodynamic engineering; gaining lift from its structural shape, a twisting force due to unbalanced lift, and a gyroscopic effect caused by the spinning : 

STEM Task : 

• Build a four-bladed boomerang as instructed in the video above. 

• Test its flight ability, varying the force and the rotation applied to determine the optimum throwing style.

• Extension - Vary the blade length, angle of curve or blade number to create the 'best' returning boomerang.