Bolas

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The bola is a primitive hunting tool that was used by both the Eskimos and South American Indians. Bolas are still used today in South America. South America's Gauchos use bolas to capture running cattle or game. Depending on the exact design, the thrower grasps the bolas either in one of the weights or in the nexus of the cords. He gives the balls momentum by swinging them and then releases the bolas. The weapon is usually used to entangle the animal's legs, but thrown with enough force have been known to break the bone.

Bola's are a throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, It consisted of three weights made of stone, iron or other material. One of these units was lighter and the other two of a similar weight, but never of the same weight so that, when being thrown , they would separate.

These balls were covered with leather tied with twisted or plaited thongs of raw leather. The gaucho carried them tied to his waist or on the back or head of the soft leather pads under the saddle of his horse.

Bola perdida

The bola perdida is a single, large stone with a short rope tied to it. The bola perdida is used very much like a sling, except that the sling and sling missile do not separate upon launch. The bola perdida was used by the Tehuelches, the native tribes of Patagonia. It is likely that other ancient people used similar designs, but the simple nature of the weapons makes archeological evidence unlikely.

Some further Remarks on the Bola

Introduction

The Bola is a weapon that mostly consists of two or three weights connected by a cord and thrown by hand. Throughout many centuries the bola was very common especially in South America. But it is known in several forms as well by the Inuit, the Lapps and a couple of eastern Siberian people. The name „bola“ is derived from the Spanish word for bowl. The word „bola“ has been taken over by several other languages as a word for the weapon. At the end of 19 Century in the Spanish language the word bola was replaced by “boleadora”. Hence it is rather unlikely to find the weapon in recent Spanish texts by the key word “bola”. The following pages shall give a short glance at the history, manufacturing and use of the bola.

1. Spreading and Forms

The bola is a very old weapon that developed in several regions of the world obviously independently. Nevertheless it entered into the European horizon at first during the Spanish conquest of South America. Hence the South American bola is the most famous representative of this weapon. Therefore we will focus especially on it.

1.1 South America

1.1.1 Development and History

The first reports about the bola came down to us from the Spanish Conquistadors of South America, who met this weapon when used by Patagonian Indian tribes of the Charrua, Araucanos and Pampas. Fernández de Oviedo reported about „...a certain offensive weapon, that is used by the Indians of those regions and about which is much talking but that I never saw or heard of before...“. Diego Rodriguez de Valdéz y de la Vanda, the regent of the Rio de la Plata Region, wrote in a report to the Spanish king in 1599, that „... one can’t trust in these people, they fight with arrows and with stone bowls that are fixed at the ends of a cord, they hold the bowl in one hand and throw it with much skill, so that they can tangle a man or a horse on a distance of 100 steps, and in the air the bodies of birds like ducks and similar...“. Juan de Garay, known as the second founder of Buenos Aires experienced the effect of the bola for himself. Indians first attacked his horse with a bola and made it fall. He himself was killed by arrows which had been poisoned by curare before.

However, traces of the bola have been found on archaeological sites in the Pampa which date from times around 5000 years B.C.

Such bolas often consisted of two or three very hard polished stones of nearly spherical shape. The stones are seldom rough. The diameter of the bowls can come to 10 cm at bolas used for battle and big game. Each of the stones has separate cover of leather to which a cord is fixed. The cords are connected to each other by their second end.

The bola with two or three bowls is already the outcome of a development. First the Indians of the Pampa used just one polished stone with a rivulet around itself. In this rivulet a leathern cord or a staff was fixed, that was long enough to hit an animal or enemy on a distance without loosing the stone. In Ecuador stones have been found, which instead of a rivulet look like a big finger ring. The Spanish and the Creols named this weapon „Bola Perdida“ or „Arrojadiza“. This expression comes from a variant of this weapon at which the binding of the stone opens during the throw. The Indians discovered quickly, that this weapon is very suitable for catching an animal alive by wrapping in the legs, if both ends of the bola perdida carry a weight facilitating a rotation during flight. This discovery led likely to the development of the actual bola with two bowls. By the use of this weapon it was possible to catch animals alive by wrapping their legs together. The bola with two bowls has the disadvantage that if thrown by holding one of the bowls it does not turn around with much energy and does not hit with the desired accuracy. If it hits the target in way that the second bowl still has to turn a long way around the target until wrapping it in it might not wrap in the target effectively at all. The Indians solved this problem by fixing in the middle of the bola one end of a third cord with a small bowl on its other end that fitted smoothly to the hand. By this addition the not just got a handy bowl to hold and throw comfortably, but gained a better rotation of the bola during its flight and an additional cord to wrap in the target. The cow herds of the south American plains called Gauchos who descended from the Spanish and Indians called the bola with three bowls „las tres Marias“, what means “Three Maries”.

The most common way to use the bola is called „rebolearlas“. That means rotating the bowls very fast over ones head by using the cords and then throwing precisely in the direction of the target. Depending on the kind of throw the hit might be lethal. If the bola is used for catching rather than killing an animal one has to aim to the legs of the game, so that the cords by the rotation of the bowls are wrapped around the legs. Then the animal is said to be „boleado“. For catching the Ñandu (South American kind of ostrich) the bola often is thrown around the neck of the bird. When falling down the Ñandu gets his legs tangled up in the cords. During hand-to-hand combat the Indians often used the bola not as a throwing weapon but beat with one of the bowls like with a mace or a flail as it is known from European middle ages. Normally they tried to hit the head of the enemy.

After the Spanish conquest and the implementation of pastoral agriculture by the colonial power the Gauchos adopted the bola and used it until the beginning of the 20th century for their work with the cattle. Until that time one often could meet Gauchos in the Pampa, who whore one or two bolas, one (normally a Ñanducera for the hunt for the Ñandu) in the belt and the other (normally a Potrera for big animals) round his shoulder. Nearly until recent times the bola was common in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the South of Brasilia and in the plains of the Andes.

In recent time the bola became a choreographic requisite of folkloristic dances of the Gauchos especially in Argentina. Here the Gaucho moves skilfully around his partner showing different sophisticated figures with his bola. For safety reasons these bolas are made with wooden bowls. Sometimes the bolas are used as percussion instruments as well.

1.1.2 Materials and Forms

For the leather cover („cascas“ or „guascas“ = Spanish shell) of the bowls and for the leather of the „collar“ („cogote“) the South American Indians preferred the leather of the Guanacos; for the cords the sinews from the legs of the Ñandu. In modern times the ostrich sinews were replaced by cords, which mostly were twisted from three leathern strings.

As in some regions there are no stones of necessary size and kind, bolas have been produced with so called „bodoques“ made from terracotta or bone. In the region of Patagonia people use the „Ñudo“ (knot) which is formed in the branches of trees by the fungus Llao Llao. This knot has a shape like the earth with slightly flattened „poles“.

After the Gauchos adopted the bola from the Indians, they employed often much skill for the making. The stones were put in pouches of rawhide called „retobos“. Bowls and strings often got appliqués from silver or bronze. Sometimes the stones were replaced by metal fillings for instance lead and covered with leather or – in a luxury variant – with inlays from silver or bronze.

The small bola with only two stones is called „ñanducera“ or „avestrucera“. The Patagonian Indians know it by the name „chumé“. It is used for the hunt for small game. The big size bola with three bowls is commonly called „potrera“ or „yachiko“. The Patagonians used them for fight or to catch horses or bulls. One of the three stones of the big bola uses to be a little bit smaller than the other bowls which are equal in size. This small bowl is kept in the hand during rotation phase. Therefore it’s called „manija“.

Among the South American bolas very few are known having more than four bowls or even eight bowls.

1.2 Northern America

1.2.1 Forms

The Indians of North America, especially the Inuit developed similar forms of the bola, the so called „ka-lum-uk-toun“, „Kipooyaq“or „kilumitutit“. The bolas of the Inuit had often more than three bowls and a small handle. Such bolas have been used primarily for the hunt mainly of migratory birds as there are ducks and goose. The effective range for hunt was up to 35 m.

Living in a region without appropriate stones the Inuit often used pieces of bone instead of bowls. The low density of this material obviously doesn’t spoil the suitability of the bolas for hunt on game birds. Some Inuit-bolas consists of three pieces of bone connected by a hemp cord. The over all length is sometimes no more than 22 cm. The cords are often connected in the centre forming a small loop that can be used as a handle. Other bolas consists of only two pieces of bone and they are much longer, e.g. about 86 cm. Bones are normally pierced at one end in order to fix the cord.

But Inuit-bolas are known with an even greater length of 1,75 m and a weight of 600 gr. The making of those big ones doesn’t seem to differ much from that of the South American bolas. It is reported that some Inuit-bolas have up to eight bowls what requires much skill at throwing.

1.2.2 Cultural Importance

Two kinds of games with bolas are known from the Inuit. One of them probably descends from the training for hunting. The players just throw their bolas aiming at a stick several meters away.

Another game is reported from the Holman-Islands in the West Arctic where it is called „Chuk Chuk“. One player holds the loop in the centre of the bola in one hand and the bones in the other hand. Then he releases one of the bones and starts to rotate it clockwise. Then he releases the second bone and starts the rotation of this bone in the other direction anti clockwise. Throughout the whole time the first bone is to rotate clockwise. If there is a third bone he releases this too and starts rotating it in way that the bones may not touch each other. Winner is the one who achieves this. A further sophistication is that the players have to show certain positions while rotating the bolas, for instance rotation above the head or the loop has to be kept with the tooth and the head has to be moved up and down. It may be possible that the above mentioned bola of a length of only 22 cm has been made just for these games.

1.3 Asia and Europe

Weapons comparable to the bola are reported from villages in East Siberia and Lapland.

2. Making of a Bola

The making of a bola is in principle not difficult as the example of the Inuit-bolas shows. But the technically rather demanding South American bolas require many operations and experience in working with the materials. For this reason the “classical” South American method is described hereafter.

For the making of a bola it is necessary to find three suited spherical stones: two bigger ones of the same weight and a smaller one called „manija“. First the bowls have to be covered with a piece of leather called „casco“, (helmet, shell). In this cover a hole has to be made which later shall take hold of the cord. Such hole is called „ojo“ (eye). The cascos are fixed on the bowls by sewing. The covered bowls are covered a second time by leather. This time the leathern cover forms a hem through which a string is lead in order to form a so called „jareta“, (a hem that can be tightened with the string). The bowl is placed into the leather and pulls the string around the eye tight. This has to be done avoiding folds. Needless to say that, the leather has to be soaked in water in order to soften it. This allows giving it an optimal shape. Rather seldom is a basketlike cover of woven thin flat leather strings. The bowls remind a little bit of a Mediterranean demijohn with its typical straw cover.

The cords have to be soaked as well for giving them stiffness necessary to keep them in shape. The cords are often twisted like a rope from three, sometimes raw, strings of leather. But one can find braided cords as well. For the braiding the most common way is a platting of four strings as shown according to no. 2999 in Ashley’s „Book of Knots“. The end of the cord is passed through the eye and fixed by braiding the strings into the cord. The advantage of braided cords is that they do not wind themselves up as much as the twisted ones which always „keep in mind” their twist. Twisting cords can turn the use of the bola into a rather cumbersome struggle with the cords.

The peasants in the area of Aires make their bolas using „cascarrias“, (Shells) of sheep, because there are no suited stones available. Another way is the use of the skulls of Caracu-cattle. The skulls are cut in the middle in order to get a nearly perfect half sphere. Together with another half sphere it is possible to form a well shaped sphere of the right size. Through each of the half spheres a hole is passed and through the holes a thick wire. At one end of that wire an eye is formed, the other one is beaten flat. Then the space within the sphere is filled with molten lead. Instead of skulls sometimes ivory is used. Children make their bolas from corn cobs for hunting chicken or to use them as a toy.

3. Use of a Bola

The South-American peasants practise with the bola in the following way: they take it by the little bowl („manija“) and start to rotate the others around above the head. When the bola has taken optimal speed they release the manija in the moment the bola in optimal position. The target, e.g. an animal will be toppled by tangling the legs. An enemy will be hampered, injured or killed. At the hunt for ostrich the thrower aims to hit the throat of the bird. Going down by the weight of the bowls it tangles its legs in the long cords and falls.

The weight of the even little manija causes a rotation of the bola throughout its flight like a helicopter. The momentum of the rotation continues at the impact as an impulse that powerful rotates around the points of resistance. This causes a fast and violent wrapping. The spectator gets the impression that this impulse isn’t less violent than the impact itself.

As we did already see the Inuit used bolas with a little handle at the centre of the cords. When using this handle there is no weight in the centre of the starting rotation what causes a different ballistic behaviour of the bola. Instead rotating the bowls tend to spread away from each other as far as the cords allow them. After an optimal start the bola moves towards the target like a net. When the cords hit a bird they stop the flight of the bowls which change their direction and wrap around the point of resistance, i.e. the bird. The tangled bird can’t use its wings anymore and falls down.

4. Warning

However, who wants to practise with the bola has to be conscient about the fact that a bola is a weapon and no harmless toy. For this reason it shall not be made available to children. The user of a bola should always practise in a sufficient distance from human beings, animals or any objects of value and in a place where he can always overlook people coming into the range of the bola. The hunting of animals with the bola might be prohibited by law. Before starting it one should find out wether hunting with bolas is permitted by the relevant law.

5. Sources

Ashley, Clifford W., The Ashley Book of Knots (1944), German edition, Hamburg 1982

F. H. Eger, Eskimo Inuit Games, Vancouver: X-Press, page 108.

http://www.flight-toys.com/bolas.htm of July 31, 2005

http://gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/vexhibit/inuit/german/dbola.html of July 31, 2005

http://tq.educ.ar/grp001/boleadoras.htm of March 13, 2006

http://www.es.wikipedia.org/wiki/boleadoras of March 13, 2006

http://www.gruposolargentino.com/boleadora.htm of April 19, 2006

http://perso.wanadoo.es/hondero/bb-boleadora.htm of April 19, 2006

http://www.fuerzasamardasecuador.org/englich/histoira/reinoquitoarmas.htm of April 19, 2006

--217.226.138.220 16:41, 11 December 2006 (EST)