balata
n.
5Sp < Tupi or Galibi6
1 any of a genus (Manilkara, esp. M. bidentata) of tropical American trees of the sapodilla family with hard, heavy, dark-red wood used for flooring, furniture, etc.
2 the dried milky sap of these trees, a rubberlike gum used to make golf ball covers, conveyor belts, etc.

BALINTAWAK

A shortened skirt, the butterfly sleeves, the plaid textile, the low cut bodice,
came together in the 1930s in the costume called Balintawak. It was worn during picnics and
other jaunts into the countryside. Balintawak as "look" was deeply associated with Antipolo,
a favorite summer destination for Manila dwellers. This costume was to epitomize Filipina gaiety,
light-heartedness and her costuming sense of rural roots. Even when it was absorbed into the
domain of haute couture, the balintawak continued to signal song, dance, and festivity.

balisaur
long-tailed badger (and I thought it was going to be a disosaur!)

bannerstone: A stone presumed to be an Atlatl weight with a drilled centered hole or a
grove. The bannerstone could be a ceremonial object and reamins a problematical
artifact. Certain bannerstones are so large and elaborate that their design and size
totally precludes them from being used effectively as an atlatl weight and thus are
considered cerimonial objects.

I probably missed it from you other list, but, for the uninformed, will you tell us about the atlatl weight ?

An atlatl is a device for giving extra speed to a spear. A stick perhaps a foot and a half long
has a socket at distal end for butt of spear. It gives the effect of lengthening throwing arm.
I suspect that most spears were heavy enough that adding weight would be unnecessary.
But if spear shaft were not neavy, and point was not heavy, then addi;ng weight might
increase penetrating power. The pictures of the bannerstones did not look to me as though
they would be helpful. I think the alternate view that they were ceremonial is more likely,
though I can't imagine what role they would play in any ceremony. But so much work went
into shaping them, the creators felt they were important.

Oh, now I see.

And wouldn't the placement of the atlatl weight vary depending upon the relationship between the weight of the spearhead and the shaft? It would seem possible that were the shaft entirely too light and the spearhead unusually heavy, then perhaps an atlatl weight placed somewhat farther down the shaft might give the spear a better chance of going farther if some distance in the throw were necessary.

Just a thought.

As an old archy student I seem to remember the idea was that the atlatl weight slid along the shaft of the atlatl. This would have the effect of increasing the angular momentum as the spear was thrown. In case there's any confusion brewing here, the atlatl stayed with the thrower and did not follow the spear in its flight.

I've always thought of them as purely functional. Never used one myself, though.

Here is a stick figure picture of atlatl being used.
http://www.thunderbirdatlatl.com/articles/tour/tour3.html
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ohc/archaeol/p_indian/pictures/atlatl.shtml
Here is a very long but authoritative article about whole atlatl problem.
http://www.atlatl.net/article.asp?articleid=1

Hey, wwh. Something's wrong with that last article. Read this:

"In North America the atlatl can be traced back in the archeological
record some 8 to 10 thousand years, whereas the bow has been generally
accepted as being introduced only 1500 to 2000 years ago."

The article was written in 1997. Two thousand years before 1997 would be 1797.

Certainly the natives the English encountered here in Virginia at from 1607 on--just to mention our English colonization--had bows and arrows. Didn't they?

So the 2000 year fact in the article appears to be completely incorrect by at least two hundred years.

Dear WW: Your math is not your strongest suit. Try that subtraction again. You subtacted
two hundred, not two thousand. But I love you just the same. Bill

Try that subtraction again.

And were you subtracting forward or backward, and in cardinal or ordinal?

I was subtracting poorly, but tswum can't add.

Thanks, wwh!! Heavens, what a week for math!

Well I learned something from the posts. I had always thought the atlatl was a sturdy
rigid thing. I have an idea that it took a lot of "research and development" plus a lot of
practice to make it work well. Interesting also that it seems to have been limited to Americas.
I don't often get a chance to pretend my math is superior to anybody else's, so forgive my pouncing.

I'm glad you pounced, wwh. Musick advised me to be thick-skinned a while back, and I must admit swimming among crocodiles has become a pleasure.

Anyway, it gave me a good chuckle at myself and also a heads-up that I better think when subtracting.

I also enjoyed seeing the illustration of how the atlatl worked. It reminded me of the principle for how the catapult worked--and also made the bow seem more kindred to the catapult, too--you know, like a catapult coming from different directions, north and south, in the guise of the bow string. Probably only makes sense to me, but.

How do you pronounce "atlatl"?

seems to have been limited to Americas.

Nuh-uh.

http://www.worldatlatl.org/

It was found in areas flung as far as Australia, Mexico, the Arctic, and portions of Asia.