This hunting boomerang, or throwstick, was made out of a dense desert hardwood called Mulga. It was probably made in the 1940s. Aborigines sold artifacts to missions and used the money to purchase food goods. The Yalata Mission in South Australia was the source for most of the Aboriginal decorated boomerangs and the mission staff required them to add art to the surface so that the pieces could be easily resold to the tourist industry. Most of the decorated mission boomerangs had nature scenes with Emus and Kangaroos, but this boomerang is decorated with deeply incised Aboriginal art. It is one of the best pieces I have seen and it is in excellent condition with no damage or warpage. The lower surface has a smooth surface. A very nice example of a hunting boomerang from this region and period.