Handcrafted Returning Boomerang – Painted by Murruppi (Daniel Murphy)
These handcrafted returning boomerangs are individually made and painted by Murruppi (Daniel Murphy), an Aboriginal artist from the lush rainforest regions of North Queensland. Daniel’s father is from the Ngadjonji people and his mother from the Djirrbal people—cultures that deeply inform his designs and craftsmanship.
Each boomerang is carefully shaped and hand-painted with traditional Aboriginal motifs by Daniel himself. We work directly with him to bring these unique pieces to you.
Due to high demand in-store, we are unable to list individual returning boomerangs online. Designs are selected at random. If you're looking for a specific animal or theme, feel free to email us with your request—we’ll do our best to accommodate, though we can’t guarantee availability.
Length: Tip to tip 45 cm. Guaranteed to return.
There are basically 3 types of boomerangs that are/were made and used by aboriginal people across Australia. These include hunting boomerangs, returning boomerangs and star shaped returning boomerangs. All tribes made and used the hunting boomerang, but, not all tribes made and used the typical returning boomerang or the star shaped hunting/returning boomerang.
Returning Boomerang
V shaped boomerang. This boomerang is designed to return to the thrower. Usually about 16 to 20 inches (35 to 45 centimeters) long. Sometimes they may be smaller or larger. The returning boomerang was not primarily designed for hunting as it is too light and wouldn't guarantee a kill. Rather, it was designed as a toy for young aboriginal boys. The toy would allow a youngster to practice throwing skills but still make it fun.
Sometimes this type of boomerang may have been used for hunting. When hunting ducks, for example, nets were set up at either ends of a creek or river. A boomerang was then thrown out over the ducks which gave them a scare so that they took off up the river and flew directly into the nets. From there they were collected. At other times during the hunting of birds the returning boomerang was thrown horizontally along the ground into a flock, and, as they took off the boomerang would follow them into the air. This may or may not kill the bird and a harder way to hunt.
