Punan Hunting
Blowpipes
The blowpipes came to the Punan from other tribes crossing from Indonesia. They are not the invention of the Punan and, in fact, nobody in Punan Busong knows how to make one.
The dart is composed of two parts. One is the long sharp stick which is usually 3 mm wide and 23 cms long. This is called the tageh and is taken from the Sago palm. The other part is the feather weight (lithe) which also comes from the Sago palm. It is formed to fit exactly into the bore of the blowgun. The lithe is fitted onto the tageh which has been formed to be blunt and acts as feathers.
The part which makes the blowgun such an effective weapon is the poison. The poison or tajum is taken from a tree about an hour walk from the village. When one reaches the tree, one can see the scars from previous extractions. Poison is collected by making six diagonal slits in one row down the tree trunk. They join together and one slit takes the poison to the gourd. (lakaroh)
The sap is taken back to the village where it is poured into green banana leaves and mixed with some old poison. The banana leaves are then placed near a fire to dry for several days. When the poison is needed for darts, the first step is to add some tobacco spittle to the dry tajum and mash them together in a tamit, a wooded object which looks like a wooden frying pan with two handles at opposite ends. The dried tajum is pounded and crushed into paste. The sharpened tips of the darts are rolled into the sticky tajum and placed near the fire to dry.
The blowpipe as weapon can accurately hit a small bird anywhere within 35 meters. The accuracy depends on how hard the hunter can blow. One must also have the accuracy to adjust for the drop. The weapon, being taller than a man, might be a little awkward carrying along the jungle path but this inconvenience makes up for it because of the silence. If a hunter misses on the first shot, he usually gets a good second shot because all the animal hears is the dart whizzing past.
When the Punan is out hunting with a blowpipe, he usually looks for small game about the size of a squirrel . When the animal is spotted, the hunter make no noise and slips the dart from the talop to the blowpipe. With his mouth blocking the bore, the takes a lungful of air and then removes his tongue from the bore causing an air explosion. The dart leaves the pipe with surprising speed and accuracy.
The Punan have several bird calls which can be used for blow pipe hunting. The calls are made by cupping the hands around the mouth in different positions and letting out a series of toots. A leaf placed between the hands makes a shrill tweet when blown.
Hunting in the jungle is quite difficult and requires special skill from the hunter. The hunter must have a strong breath and be able to hold the blowpipe with both hands near the mouth. The hunter must have also accumulated the ability to catch small movements in the bush with both eye ane=d ear. He must have learned to be patient. Next: Hunting alone and with dogs.
From: Punan Hunting Methods by Christopher Sloan in Sarawak Museum Journal December 1972.
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