Duncan MacLennan / Sydney Boomerang School
Item AG38
This Item was Sold on 20 March
2013 for $98
Similar artifacts for sale are often found on the Aboriginal
Boomerangs web page.
Historical Pricing information for this item and similar artifacts can be found at: Historical Artifact Prices.
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This returning style Australian Aboriginal boomerang was made in 1984 out of a Mulga natural elbow with the grain running along the curvature of the boomerang and a beautiful fiddleback pattern along the entire bend of the elbow. Duncan MacLennan had Aborigines from the La Perouse district of Sydney make boomerangs for his Sydney Boomerang School shop. Many of these Aborigines were members of the famous Timbery family. The craftsman of this particular boomerang is not known, but Duncan had it made by his best craftsman especially for Al Gerhards in 1984. The underside of this boomerang has " Al Gerhards 1984 Duncan MacLennan " burned into the lower surface. Both surfaces are sanded smooth. This boomerang is part of Al Gerhards' personal collection. It is in excellent condition. I did not test throw this boomerang because I am left handed and this is a heavy right handed boomerang. It does have proper airfoiling for a return flight, no warpage, and it is probably strong enough to throw. However, this is a fine collectible so you should take good care of it and hang it on the wall.
Australian Aborigines are well known for making boomerangs. The majority of the Aborigines had the technology to make throwsticks, or non-returning boomerangs. Only a small percentage of the tribal groups knew how to make true returners and most of these came from the eastern coastal regions of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. During the past century, the majority of the Aborigines came out of the bush and were somewhat assimilated into the European man's culture. Many Aborigines began making returning style boomerangs to sell to tourists. The earliest ones were well made out of natural timber and with the grain following the curvature of the boomerang. Today, most hardwood boomerang are cut out of a large board and the grain is usually straight and running parallel to a line spanning the tips of the blades. Boomerangs that are made with the grain following the contour of the blades are much stronger and more valuable. In addition, some boomerangs have good airfoiling. The majority do not. Most "tourist boomerangs" have painted upper surfaces that display Australian animals and decorative lines and/or geometric patterns. Most pre-contact returners have no artwork or the artwork is simple and scratched into the surface. It is easy to tell the tourist boomerang from the valuable ethnographic artifact. However, tourist boomerangs that are made properly with the grain running along the contour and with good airfoiling and art work do have good collectable value, especially if they are made by a famous Aboriginal artists like Bill Onus or Joe Timbery. |
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