Item GH11

This Item was Sold for $275

Historical Pricing information for this item and similar artifacts can be found at: Historical Artifact Prices.

This item is a very nicely fluted Central Desert hunting boomerang (throwstick) made out of dark Mulga hardwood and covered with red ochre. This throwstick was probably made in the early 1900s.. The longitudinal grooves are interrupted at both ends and at two narrow bands that divide the throwstick into three sections. This is very unusual for a Central Desert throwstick. This type of art is usually found in northern South Australia. The underside is scraped smooth and has red ochre pigment. Length = 70 cm. Weight = 420 gm. This item is in excellent condition and without damage except for a couple of small natural wood defects and a ding at the tip of the throwing end as depicted at the top left of the enlarged view below. Good old throwsticks like this are becoming quite scarce as the primitive construction skills are forgotten by the remaining Aborigines. Collectors and museums buy them up as fast as they become available in auction houses around the world.