By Jasmine Putney
With pumpkins, ancient hunting tools, and a life-size poster of a Wizard of Oz flying monkey, some survival skills of the past become entertaining in the present (not necessarily involving flying monkeys).
At 1 p.m. Saturday, the Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Area, 10,260 Morris Hills Road (north of Cedar Rapids, between the Cedar River and Toddville), will host the fifth-annual Great Pumpkin Atlatl Hunt. An atlatl is a stick with a hook at the end. An arrow or spear fits inside the hook and is propelled by the atlatl. Gail Barels, conservation education specialist for the learning area, said though the tool may initially seem foreign, adults and children become adept at handling it.
“I think people find it as a challenge,” she said. “It’s an ancient skill that they realize isn’t as hard as it looks. Once they get going on it, they really enjoy doing it.”
Barels is always impressed with the curiosity the atlatls spark in people each year, she said.
“A lot of times, there will be families who just walk by who are just on a hike, and they see the program going on, and we invite them to come over and try it. And then they’ll spend hours learning how to throw and how to hit the targets,” she said. “I really enjoy seeing people say ‘Oh, there’s no way I could do that,’ and then they turn around and get involved and enjoy what they’re doing.”
Too often people think of archaeology as simply a study of buried items, said Mark Anderson, event organizer. Anderson spent 30 years as a professional archaeologist re-creating and experimenting with ancient hunting tools.
“Archaeologists use material culture, but what we really want to learn about is the people who left those artifacts behind,” he said. “Before 2,000 years ago, this is how people hunted game animals for food, so it’s a really crucial tool. What it does is it allows you to take a projectile and throw it faster and farther than you could by hand, but it also greatly increases the impact force.”
When the open throwing session ends, there will be a sanctioned atlatl competition to follow. In the International Standard Accuracy Contest, participants will have 10 opportunities to hit the 6-inch bullseye from 15 meters away, then 20 meters. These competitions have occurred across the country since the late-1960s, and no one has ever achieved a 100-point perfect score.
The contest shows life of the past is not as simple as people think, said UI Anthropology Club President Kaitlin Schlotfelt, who will participate this year.
“As much as I love the actual artifacts, people are not always as thrilled,” she said. “But when you bring it alive, they can understand and enjoy it. It’s a way to make archaeology, especially experimental archaeology, more accessible to people.”
HALLOWEEN
What: Great Pumpkin Atlatl Hunt
When: 1-4p.m. Saturday
Where: Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Area, 10,260 Morris Hills Road, Toddville, Iowa 52341
Admission: Free
