Prowess with ancient weapon earns recognition for anthropology students 

October 16, 2008

RINDGE, NH - The art of throwing with the atlatl - an ancient spear-tossing tool that preceded the bow and arrow - is being preserved and promoted by a group of students at Franklin Pierce University. The University is home to one of the few college atlatl teams in the nation, and students who can wield the weapon and describe its history are increasingly sought for demonstrations.

Atlatl Team members, who represent the University's Anthropology Club, recently showcased their marksmanship and explained the instrument's important place in early human survival at the American Institute of Archaeology's Boston Archaeology Fair at the Museum of Science. This was the second year that the club was invited to the event.

Students created an atlatl (pronounced at-LATT-el) exhibit and demonstrated atlatl throwing in the museum's theater, with spear points replaced with rubber stoppers for safety. Their audience included archaeologists, groups of school children and the general public.

"It was an amazing opportunity to educate people about an ancient weapon that virtually every society used on every continent," said Celine Rainville, a senior anthropology major from Highgate, Vermont. "People had never even seen the word ‘atlatl' and were not familiar with the instrument. As anthropologists and archaeologists, it's our job to get people interested in ancient cultures, so this was a great chance to spread the word."

The Franklin Pierce Anthropology Club has also appeared by special invitation at the American Institute of Archaeology fair in Chicago, and was recently invited to appear at the next AIA Fair in Philadelphia in January.

Celine attended the Chicago event in 2008 with the club. She said the conference confirmed that her academic major had relevance. "We were among a very small number of undergraduates at an event that attracted professionals, Ph.D.s and graduate students from across North America," she said.

The University's atlatl team also competes - and has earned awards and medals - in regional competitions in the Northeast, said Dr. Robert Goody, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Franklin Pierce. "I am not aware of any other nearby colleges or universities that have an organized atlatl team," said Goodby. He added that classroom teaching and field work have been enhanced by his students' interest in the 25,000-year-old hunting tool, which throws a 6-foot-long dart up to 100 yards.

Read more about the Anthropology Major at Franklin Pierce University.