"Atlatl"

Lunch was sandwiches. At the start of the line you picked up a plate and bread, went down the line and picked which meat you wanted: roast beef, ham,or corned beef. Then you picked from cheese, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, and condiments to top it all off. There was chips, potato salad, fruit salad, and "Tang" drink to round out the meal!

Paul taught a class after lunch on the Atlatl, an ancient throwing device. The Atlatl turns your wrist into a catapult. Grip the spear closer to the notch for short-range throws and farther out for long-range throws. It's actually called a "Dart" and not a "Spear". It's important that the tail end of the dart has flex to straighten the path as it flies. Momentum equals speed plus weight (or was that "times" weight?).

The Atlatl is the tool that you hold and use to throw the dart. The Atlatl doesn't have to be flexible. But an Atlatl that IS flexible has a "whip" effect. Add a stone weight a little past center toward the front (which stabilizes it) and you can get more throwing distance. A person who throws hard and fast doesn't need as much flex.

Here Paul holds up an Atlatl while talking to the class:

The Atlatl is an ancient weapon that was used mostly in North America, but was found in other parts of the world, such as parts of Europe. Below, a student looks over Paul's display of Atlatls and darts:

Paul had sticks for making the Atlatl, and bamboo for making the darts. Those who wanted to make one picked a stick, got out their knife, and got started:

This is me, working on my Atlatl on against a limb laying on the ground: