Blowpipes and quivers!

[Hombre]

From where do you think?
Not from South-America, I guess....
Any information at all about these items should be very much appreciated.

Best,
Stefan

[MitsuWa.]

I knew some one who had the same type of blowgun, which he picked up from somewhere in SE Asia.

[VANDOO]

THESE LOOK MORE LIKE THE BLOWPIPES FROM BORNEO THEY ARE CALLED SUMPTIN . THE USUAL BLOWPIPES FROM SOUTH AMERICA DON'T HAVE A SPEAR BLADE . THE CENTER QUIVER LOOKS LIKE BORNEO WITH THE PITH ENDS. THE LONGER ONE LOOKS MORE LIKE THE SHORT ARROWS USED IN ASIA WITH CROSSBOWS. THE OTHER QUIVER I CAN'T PLACE.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Hombre

From where do you think?
Not from South-America, I guess....
Any information at all about these items should be very much appreciated.

Best,
Stefan

Hello Stefan,

As Barry has noted, Borneo.
This is a very good thread on the Sumpitan;
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=Sumpitan

South American dart quivers resemble this type I own;
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ht=amazon+blow
The blow pipe that comes with it is just a little too large to photo.

Gavin

[Ian]

There is a Philippine version of a blowpipe that has a similar spear tip. It's known as a sumpit.

Ian

[stenoyab]

Heres a couple of blow pipes I have, one I believe is a 19th Cent. example, with the brass mouth piece and slightly more ornate blade. It has an old label on it that sadly I can no longer read.

The other I bought about 20 years ago from Borneo.

The brass mouth one is in a very nice dark red wood, nicely crafted. The more modern example is in a light wood thats been dyed black.

Notice the crude sight on the more modern example, merely a piece of wire bent.

I'm fairly certain my first is Dyak, the second I'd only class as being from the region.

Whats interesting is how they are made with a bend in the tube, only when held at one end does the bend become straight. Atleast on my examples.

I think my quiver is Dyak, but the top has been rebound with string, so not sure your example is ?

[Sajen]

Hello Hombre,

the one with notch and spear point look very Dayak also when the binding at the spearpoint look strange and not very Dayak to my eyes. The other one isn't Dayak one for sure. All threee qiuvers are as well not Dayak.

Here some more informations, the first thread show my Dayak sumpitan, note the binding. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=sumpitan

The other thread show mainly different quiver but also some very nice sumpitan. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=sumpitan

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Here is a quote from Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan.

Those people of Polaoan [Palawan] go naked as do the others: almost all of them cultivate their fields. They have blowpipes with thick wooden arrows more than one palmo long, with harpoon points, and others tipped with fishbones, and poisoned with an herb; while others are tipped with points of bamboo like harpoon and are poisoned. At the end of the arrow they attach a little piece of softwood, instead of feathers. At the end of their blowpipes they fasten a bit of iron like a spearhead; and when they have shot all their arrows they fight with that.
(Pigafetta’s Account 1521 Part 2, 1898, The Shaping of Philippine History Vol. 2 no. 17, October 1998).

The dual purpose, blow pipe-spear is also found, so I have been told by Filipinos, in northern Luzon among the Igorot groups.

Ian.