| Cacique Caribe | 07 Sep 2007 11:27 a.m. PST |
I am in the process of converting some Foundry Darkest Africa tribesmen (DA 57 – Stark Naked Spearmen) into early Australoids from the migration period before their arrival into Australia. When done, they are going to be part of a couple of scenarios with Sapiens-Floresiensis inter-action. I was thinking of fitting them with spears/javelins on their throwing arms, and boomerangs/throwing sticks on what would have been the shield arm of the Africans. However, it came to me that the use of throwing sticks and boomerangs in Europe, Africa and Australia may have developed and become prevalent only when they were hunting or fighting in wide open grasslands/deserts. Even after the arrival of the first Australians, it seems that Australia did not have the same vegetation as it does today. At least that is what I gathered after reading the BBC book "Monsters We Met", which was also made into a documentary program: link Flores and the nearby islands were heavily forested throughout, so I'm not even sure if I should make the weaponry similar to Australian aborigines, or if I should make it somehow like what natives use(d) in Papua New Guinea. Any suggestions? Thanks. CC
link
link |
| Garrison Miniatures | 07 Sep 2007 12:14 p.m. PST |
Without actually knowing about it, gut reaction is that Australia is a big continent and the centre must always have had limited rainfall. I would suggest that the North would have been similar to Papua etc, but once they got further South and inland they would have found large areas with similar conditions to today. |
| Cacique Caribe | 07 Sep 2007 12:53 p.m. PST |
Thanks!!! That was my gut feeling too. Basically that the boomeran was re-invented once they arrived to the Australian grasslands, but that they relied mostly on spear/javelins during the island migration period. I don't think the bow was yet invented 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, when they made the trek to Australia. CC |
| Mysterioso | 07 Sep 2007 1:23 p.m. PST |
Did the BBC's "Monsters We Met" ever run in the US? |
| Cacique Caribe | 07 Sep 2007 1:43 p.m. PST |
Yes it did. I watched it some time ago and purchased the book much later. I think that it aired as "Land of Lost Monsters": TMP link CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 07 Sep 2007 9:34 p.m. PST |
This clip is in Spanish, but I think it is from the "Monsters We Met" or the "Land of Lost Monsters" documentaries: link Small wooden shields might not be a bad idea either: picture Now, if I could only replicate the wavy hair, I'll be set: picture
picture CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 07 Sep 2007 11:27 p.m. PST |
I guess that, one of these years, these Eureka early Australians may become available. link
TMP link CC |
| bsrlee | 08 Sep 2007 1:58 a.m. PST |
Actually the center of Flores was & is open grassland, and the forest areas increased & decreased a lot depending on rainfall & volcanic activity. Flores, Bali & Java are interesting as they have large 'plains' areas, and in the case of Flores & Bali, native horse/cavalry traditions. |
 jimbomar  | 08 Sep 2007 3:53 a.m. PST |
CC If you want an idea about what the early Australians had in the way of weapons you can get an idea from the Tasmanian Aborigines: Tasmania was cut off from the the mainland about 11,000 years ago.The Tasmanians lacked a lot of the weapons the mainland tribes had. They had no spear throwers, returning boomerangs or ground stone axes.Their stone tools were more primitive. They had nothing like Papuan bows etc. They also couldn't make fire!They carried it with them from place to place or got it from neighbours or lightning strikes.Possibly they 'de-evolved' but I think it is assumed they were the earlier waves of immigrants pushed down to the south and then cut off. |
| Mysterioso | 08 Sep 2007 9:50 a.m. PST |
Sadly neither "Monsters We Met" nor "Land of Lost Monsters" appear to be on DVD and hence not available through Netflix. Thanks for the help. Just need to keep checking I guess. |
| Cacique Caribe | 08 Sep 2007 11:12 a.m. PST |
Jimbomar, That is exactly what I needed to hear. I assume then that the Tasmanian tribes arrived in Tasmania before their relatives in the Australian mainland had developed the boomerang and spear throwers. That is fantastic. Thanks. CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 09 Sep 2007 8:44 p.m. PST |
Geez, Look at this site! link CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 10 Sep 2007 9:28 a.m. PST |
Do you think that my Floresiensis will be impressed or amused with this 4-man team of converted Australoids? link CC PS. I still have to clean the figures (flash and mould lines), and add weapons and such, but I could not wait to share. |
| Robin Bobcat | 18 Sep 2007 10:04 p.m. PST |
Meh.. My thought on early austrailian weaponry: Probably very similar to what they use nowadays, mixed with african weapons. I mean, spears are pretty universal, as are specially-crafted throwing sticks. |
 ochoin  | 19 Sep 2007 5:08 a.m. PST |
British settlers describe the Tasmanians as carrying "waddies": a type of club.
Interestingly, they didn't eat fish so any weapons associated with fishing (e.G. fishspears or harpoons) are out.
There were perhaps only 4000 of them before disease, deculturalisation & some killing decimated them.
They didn't go entirely quietly & quite a few shepards etc (maybe 100+) were killed by them before they were driven off, rounded up & mostly deprted to the Bass Straight islands.
A sad story.Their present descendants are quite determined not to let people forget it.
donald |
| Cacique Caribe | 20 Sep 2007 1:18 a.m. PST |
"Waddies"? I'll have to look that up. Thanks! CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 20 Sep 2007 3:36 p.m. PST |
News!!! 4 more have been added (now there are 8 conversions). The new ones added are the ones without loincloths: link After cleaning up the metal and adding the weapons, I'll get them primed and painted. So, let me know soon if I should make any last minute changes. Thanks. CC |
| Cacique Caribe | 06 Feb 2010 12:58 a.m. PST |
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steps into the arena with two gladiators from 
