58 BULLETIN 137, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The blowgun has enjoyed a wide distribution in the past, though 

 it survives chiefly in Borneo, Malay Peninsula, and in northern 

 South America. The principles involved in its construction and 

 operation seem to imply that it is a weapon of quite ancient lineage 

 and represents a wide range of diffusion. Although primarily a 

 forest weapon of Malaysia and tropical America, it formerly ap- 

 peared on both the east coasts of Asia including Japan, and in east- 

 ern North America as far north as the area occupied by the Iroquois. 

 The American form consists essentially of two grooved halves fitted 

 together with nicety and wrapped with spiral lashings of flexile 

 basketry material, then coated Avith wax on the outside. The more 

 common form of blowgun occurring in Malaysia consists of two 

 tubes, one inside the other. The inner tube is formed from an un- 

 jointed reed placed within an outer palm or bamboo tube and 

 joined with wax. A basketry wrapping cover and the American 

 type of grooved tube are not unknown. 



Use of the hloiogun hy the Negrito. — As employed by the Negri- 

 tos, such as the Batak of Palawan, the blowgun is subsidiary to the 

 bow. When hunting for fresh meat, Negritos will send a pack of 

 dogs skirmishing into the forest until a deer is startled from cover. 

 As it dashes wildly by, the little forest pj^gmies shoot at it with 

 missiles from their bows or blowguns. The deer continues running 

 pursued by dogs until it falls. Before consuming the meat, however, 

 the priest '' babalian " or headman offers the entrails to the spirits 

 that have rewarded their efforts. 



The blowgun is an effective weapon in the hands of the Negrito in 

 obtaining such game as birds and monkeys. Like the primitive 

 users of the blowgun in South America and Malaysia, the Batak 

 relies on stealth and the effect of his poisoned darts to temporarily 

 paralyze the game that he has silently approached. The poisoned 

 darts are alkaloid and the poison is supposed not to contaminate the 

 flesh of the animal shot. A pygmy Batak will aim his blowgun at 

 a monkey in a tall tree, and with a sudden puff of air from his 

 lips send the dart on its way. The monkey may seemingly remain 

 uninjured until the poison takes effect when it drops to the ground. 

 Larger game with thicker skins must be killed with an arrow which 

 can penetrate more deeply. The nomad Negrito possesses bovv^s of 

 excellent workmanship, which together with his quiver of arrows 

 and his other weapons consisting of blowgun and darts, a knife, and 

 a bolo or tAvo, constitute his most valuable and practically his only 

 possessions. 



Parts to he considered; methods of mcmufacture. — The various 

 parts of the blowgun to be considered in this review of its varieties 

 employed in the Philippines are sights, whether one or two; spear 



