Greetings!

In order to share with you the meaning behind this magazine, I must tell you a little bit about myself and about my friends.

Before I was introduced to atlatls back in 1996, I was not the same person that I am today. Of course, we can all say that, but in me the difference was pronounced. I was not a people person. I preferred to stay by myself for long periods of time… reading, writing or out in the woods where I live in northeastern Pennsylvania.

I enjoyed anything outdoor-related and in the early 1990’s began studying various ancient living skills used by our ancestors to survive (and even thrive) throughout human history and pre-history. I learned the basics of human survival and how to craft rudimentary items from stone, clay, wood, leather, bone and other natural materials.

I studied these fields to feel that special connection to my distant past so that I could teach others that simplicity can be an anchor in a world gone mad with technology and fast paced chaos.

I never would have thought that I would be spreading my ideas by means of a website or that I would be connected to the worldwide web. This ultimate technological media has not always fascinated me. It is only recently that I have become a convert – and that was only because I was dragged kicking and clawing. If I didn’t dream of something bigger, I’d still be back out in the woods, basking in the peace that can only be gotten in the clutches of damp earth, old leaves and with the sound of trickling water in the background.

When I began throwing darts with an atlatl I was intrigued by the prominent role that it had played in human survival through the periods when great ice sheets and massive climatic disruptions raked the face of the globe. I can still envision a group of hunters facing down a hairy pachyderm with tusks capable of crushing a body with a single blow. I can even imagine icy shivers of fear clutching my spine at their trumpeted blast. Among the animals hunted were giant bison, caribou, mammoth and quite likely many of the larger mammals that disappeared into extinction after the glaciers receded. I see arctic hunters kneeling in their kayaks and hurling darts at seals and whales. I see Aztec warriors upon rooftops sending darts into the midst of the Spanish invaders – an occasional dart piercing the metal armor the Europeans wore.

I like the mystery of the past. I can fill in the blanks with imaginative stories, always conscious of the fact that much of it will remain theoretical. Most of it will never be told. The atlatl has many mysteries. Where did it originate? How long has it been used? Was it invented many times by many cultures or was there enough cultural transference to keep it alive for tens of thousands of years? Stone weights, banner stones, flexible shafts, hunting techniques… their origins are shrouded in the unknown. Given time, we can surely unravel the most likely theories.

I also love the path that the modern sport has taken and was keen to add my ideas to the adaptation of this ancient weapon. We are all pioneers on a journey to bring the atlatl and dart from the realm of the archaeological fields back into the practical, real world. Yes, I understand that there are people in some parts of the world who never completely relinquished this hunting and fishing device. But, like hundreds of thousands of others, I learned about the atlatl because of its modern resurgence as a sport.

However, it wasn’t the atlatl that changed me. The real credit for that lies with the people. I believe that most humans have an inherent need to belong to a group. We are social animals. The groups we create, whether large or small, rational or delusional, give us a security that cannot be gotten by remaining alone. I used to tell myself that I didn’t need a group because I was an observer. Of course, I had friends and wasn’t anti-social… but it wasn’t until I joined the atlatl community that I understood what it was really like to be human.

The atlatl community is comprised of people from all walks of life… the professional to the specifically skilled laborer – the socialites to the modern day gypsies. It stretches across lines of race, culture and religion.

Atlatl Digest and, indeed, this entire website was created for the sole purpose of saying ‘thank you’ to my creator for guiding me to this group of people, who – with few exceptions – I have developed strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

In these pages you will find facts, theories, opinions and even a little bit of humor.

Enjoy,
Dennis Lantz
Editor-in-Chief