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Atlatl Competition
The Blackwater Draw Museum (just outside Portales, New Mexico) will be the site of an atlatl competition on April 28, 2001. The atlatl competition is co-sponsored by the ENMU Mu Alpha Nu Anthropology Club and the ENMU Department of Anthropology and Applied Archaeology, and will be held in conjunction with a "primitive" skills day. The skills demonstrated may include fire-building, flintworking, archery, cordage and spear throwing. The competition is designed to allow all skill levels to compete or just give it a try. The competition will consist of a target round and/or an accuracy round, as defined by the World Atlatl Association International Standard Accuracy Contest. See a summary of ISAC rules for more information.
What is an atlatl?
The atlatl has been part of the human tool kit for at least 20,000 years and was
likely brought to the Americas with the first humans around 14,000 years ago.
The atlatl and dart is a complex weapon system that gave humans a
distinct advantage over other predators by allowing us to kill from a
safe distance. This seemingly simple tool offers extraordinary mechanical
advantage for throwing large darts. The spear-thrower adds length and
another hinge to the thrower's arm, transferring greater speed to the
dart. The dart itself flexes and stores energy to be released at the
moment the dart leaves the thrower. Without this flexibility, the
angular velocity from the downward swing of the atlatl could cause a
stiff dart to tumble or hook. The darts are often fletched to increase
stability in flight. See Basic Atlatl Physics
for more information on how atlatls work.
Registration for the atlatl competition is free and opens at 9 AM on the day of the event. The WAA Target Round begins at 10:00 AM, with the Accuracy Round scheduled for 1:00 PM. The Mu Alpha Nu Anthropology Club will offer soft drinks (and T-shirts) for sale throughout the day. Lunch is available from restaurants in Portales, or bring your own and eat in the adjacent picnic grounds.
For those interested in spending another day in the area, we plan on offering a tour of the Blackwater Locality #1 Archaeological Site on Sunday, April 29. The site is located just a few miles from the museum. Motels are available in Clovis, and Oasis State Park is nearby for camping/RVs.
Click here for directions to the Blackwater Draw Museum.
Links to Related Information
