THE NORTH
BORNEO HERALD AND THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE
EDUCATIONAL
SERIES BY BORNEO HISTORY
No. 1 -
VOL.XXI. SANDAKAN, SATURDAY, 3RD JANUARY 1903.
The North
Borneo Herald.
SATURDAY, 3RD JANUARY 1903.
THE BLOWPIPE IN BORNEO
Few instruments of
destruction known to uncivilized men are more deadly than the blowpipe and
poisoned darts, with the use of which many of the native races of Borneo are
familiar. The range and accuracy of aim of which this weapon is capable enables
the native to inflict injuries on animals and men who have no power to
retaliate, as they have little hope of discovering in the jungle the
whereabouts of their opponent. The virulence of the poison makes many of the
wounds fatal in a short time. Thus the blowpipe furnishes a means of attack at
once safe and effective. The blowpipe is known to the Punan by the expressive
name “keleput,” the dart being called “lagan.” The “keleput” is a tube some
seven feet long, with a bore of about one-third of an inch. The external
diameter gradually diminishes from about one inch at the mouth end to
three-quarters at the other.
The material of which
the tube is made is a light and right yellow wood, which is found commonly
throughout the whole country, both in high and low ground. A piece of this
selected as free
from knots as possible, and is roughly-shaped. The
hole is bored with an iron rod eight feet long and necessarily slender, with a
cutting edge at one end. This might be called a chisel, although its
proportions are so widely different from the carpenter’s chisel, and it is
gripped by two pieces of wood lashed on to the metal. Both the pole and this
boring tool are place upright, the pole being fixed in a natural vice of
branches of trees, the rod passing through guides high above the ground, and
just over the pole. For the work two men are required.
One brings the long
chisel down repeatedly on to the center of the pole turning it slightly each
time. The other moistens the wood with water from a bark-bucket, which he ladles
into the hole with a leaf cup. It takes eight to ten hours to bore through the
pole in this manner, and although the chisel does beautifully regular work, the
Punans farther polish the inside with a small rattan which is passed rapidly
backwards and forwards, sometimes using a ribbed leaf to finish the operation.
Satisfied with this, they whittle away the outside to the required size
and smoothness. When the Punan uses blowpipe he lashes a short spear, to the
end, bayonet-fashion, so that he may have a weapon to ward off the attack of
infuriated victims. The weight of this spear would seriously distort the long
slender tube and make it difficult to take true aim. The Punan accordingly
proceeds to curve the end of the blowpipe a certain amount, which the spear and
lashings exactly compensate, so that when these are fixed on, they bend the
tube straight. The curvature is produced by warping. The mouth end of the pole
is fixed firmly in some part of the dwelling, and the center is supported by a
loop hanging from above, while weights are attached to the other end. The
curvature is judged sufficient when, on looking through the tube, only a
certain fraction (above two-thirds) of the area of the bore can be seen
through. The blowpipe is then warmed to take a “set”. When this has been done a
little round piece of wood is lashed on to what will be the upper side of the
narrow end, to act as a sight, the spear is lashed underneath, and the blowpipe
is ready.
The dart is made from
the stem of the “Nibong” palm, a piece of which is cut down to a length of
seven or eight inches, and the thickness of a fine straw. The shaft is made
perfectly straight and uniform, and this is done entirely by eye. The tool used
is a knife with a long handle, which passes across the chest and is held under
the arm, so that the pressure of the elbow keeps it steady while both hands are
free, one to draw the of wood backwards and forwards, the other to keep
the edge of the blade at a suitable angle. One end of the shaft is sharpened to
a point, to be smeared with poison, while the other is fitted with a conical
piece of the pith of the wild which exactly corresponds with the blow of the
blowpipe. The method by which the Punan fits this cone to the bore is at once
easy and accurate. Out of a piece of wood a gauge is made roughly resembling a
dissecting needle in shape, the thicker portion exactly fitting into the
blowpipe, the pin having the thickness of the shaft of the dart. A piece of the
pith of the wild sago tree is fixed on the pin and cut so as to be even with
the base of the holder. This is then whittled down to the diameter of the
holder at one end and the pin at the other, so that when taken off the gauge it
will exactly fit on to the shaft of the dart, and at the same time will act as
an air-tight piston-head in the tube of the blowpipe. A short distance from the
point of the dart the natives cut two or three rings almost through to the center
of the shaft, which is in this way rendered so brittle that if any one tries to
pull it out of a wound the tip snaps off and remains buried in the flesh,
unless the dart is drawn perfectly straight outwards.
To test the accuracy of
this work the Punan puts the dart into the blowpipe and sees whether it moves
too easily or not. He once more adjusts the pith cone by turning it between his
finger and thumb. When everything is to his liking he draws the dart up flush
with his lips. It is then blown with a quick puff, apparently requiring little
exertion, but evidently with some knack. The dart will carry fully 100 yards,
and the native is very skillful, usually choosing some bony part of the body to
aim at, so that the shaft may break, and very seldom missing his mark.
When the Punan goes
hunting his carries a bamboo quiver on the left-hand side of his waist cloth,
hang by a wooden book attached to the lower part of the box. This contains a
queer assortment of implements and treasures. Fastened to the hook by
bark-strings are usually a few charms, often clotted with dry blood, as the
native smears them in the gore of the victims of the blowpipe. Inside the
quiver there is generally to be found a purse of the skin of a squirrel or some
other small mammal, about six inches long, filled with poisoned darts. The rest
of the box contains darts ready to be poisoned, the gauge, and a small knife,
whose handle is made, as a rule, of the radius gibbon (Hylobates Muelleri).
Besides these there are a few small bamboos, some split, some pierced, used to
mimic the cries of animals. The Punan calls his quiver “telolangan”.
Provided with this and
his blowpipe the hunter creeps noiselessly along in the jungle. As soon as he
has found his prey he crouches behind covert, puts a dart in the blowpipe, and
waits for the animal to expose itself. When the moment for which he is watching
arrives, he shoots into the unsuspecting bird or monkey, and then keeps very
still. If other animals are within reach he shoots as many as possible before
the effects of the poison in the first gives warning to the others and causes a
stampede. A monkey will play with the arrow and probably break it off. The
Punan takes little notice often not even watching, for he knows that it is only
a matter of time before a heavy thud announces that the poison has played its
part. When the animal is dead the native cuts out the wounded part, cooks, and
eats the whole of the reminder without-ill effects. In pig-hunting and where
the game is large the shaft of the dart is split and a sharp, triangular tin
arrow head, well besmeared with poison, is inserted, secured by a fine wooden
peg.
If a Punan is killed by
an enemy the relatives endeavor to find out the offender, and await the
opportunity to retaliate. Such is the thickness of the jungle that it is
impossible for people travelling to see others hidden behind the tree and
foliage, and the Punan, when he has found his enemy, watches him unseen for
perhaps a day or two, until he gets a chance to send a poisoned dart home. He
then makes off quickly, almost sure that his murdered kinsman has been avenged.
The wound man, if he is wise, at once cuts out the dart, and stabs the wound to
make it bleed profusely. Many natives use a preparation of salt fish, called
“blachan’” as an antidote.
The poison is the dried juice
of the tree knows to the Punan by the name “tajam” and to the Malay as “Ipoh”
(upas). It is obtained by making incisions in the bark and collecting the emulsive pink sap in the tough
leaves of the “silat” palm. This is taken to the dwelling and dried slowly over
a fire until almost black and of the consistency of sealing-wax. When wanted
for use it softened in warm water and kneaded on a wooden disc. The darts are
smeared with the poison while it is still moist, and are then put point
foremost to the fire to dry. The little pith-cone is fixed on the dart
afterwards.
The poison will usually
retain its power for about two months from the time it is taken from the tree,
but it is said to lose its efficiency if brought into contact with salt and
various other substances. Consequently the man who has a stock of poison is
careful not to allow into his room such things as are likely to render his
darts harmless.
At least two kinds of
poison are obtained from the “tajam” trees, one of which contains strychnine.
Some natives consider it advisable to mix the two kinds, but as a rule they are
used separately. Animals, when shot with poisoned darts, go into convulsions
and frequently vomit. If they vomit death is certain, a fact which according to
the natives, holds equally good of man. Where the patient has survived two
hours all danger is considered over and he will recover.
The Punan also uses the
poison as a medicine. It is considered an antidote to snake-bite, and although
it acts through the blood, it is believed to the harmless in this application.
It is also taken internally when suffering from fever and the people state that
if produces goods results.
One remarkable effect of
the poison remains to be noticed. Concretions obtained from the gall of monkeys
are commonly found in some of the Borneo species. There are known as Batu
“Bungat” or bezoar stones, and are bought by the Chinese at about 20 dollars
(£2) per ounce weight. In other parts of the body there is often found a
substance of similar appearance in which broken arrowheads are encased, and
whose presence is ascribed to some peculiar property of the “tajam” poison.
The blowpipe is all
important to the life of the Punan, both to procure flesh and for defense against
enemies, and it is of almost equal consequence to some of the other tribes. But
its disadvantages are serious. The fact that a man is not killed at once but
can go on fighting for a short time is a great drawback, and time taken to
reload prevents it from being really serviceable in hand-to-hand fighting.
Consequently it has been discarded by many tribes in favor of swords and
spears. It only excels other weapons in the stealthier forms of hunting and it
is of little service in the open, so that although undoubtedly useful, it is
hardly to become very popular. And for this there is every reason to be
grateful. ----Charles Hoso in the Asian
-/ss
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