India

In the region of India, the throwing woods are not very popular. They are used in two regions of the Near East till today (1949).

The North Indian throwing wood; the primitive throwing woods were only used for hunting and made of wood.
The South Indian throwing wood, which was used as a battle weapon before India became a British colony.

By now, the boomerang has lost its use as a weapon and has become a cult object. Parallel to the functional change the material was changed from wood to iron and ivory. The question as to whether the South Indian throwing woods were returners, i. e. boomerangs, is seen as controversial. More recent examinations deny it, although the returning throw is not unknown to the Indian mythology. Indras Thunderbolt, for example, returned into the hands of the god after he had thrown it.