Members of the World Atlatl Association traveled Saturday to Graham Cave State Park for the first of their two 2019 competitions.
An atlatl is an ancient weapon predating bows and arrows, and is one of humankind's first mechanical inventions. It is a short smooth stick, sometimes balanced with an attached piece of pipestone, with a hook or socket on the back that is inserted into the base of a long, thin spear.
The user flips the atlatl with a wrist motion to propel the spear faster and farther than it could be thrown by hand, and thus adding a more successful hunting method to survival methods. The earliest atlatl found are from the Magdalenian period, about 15,000 B.C.
Lisa England and other members gave newbies short lessons in the use of atlatls. The state park furnished homemade chili and blueberry cobbler, and park naturalist Lori Volenberg had a table with various animal pelts and relics for educational purposed. There also will be a similar event this fall.