Indonesian spears and blowdarts

Ian · 15th December 2024, 02:19 PM

The tips are not likely to be curare (that's a South American poison and, AFAIK, does not exist in nature in the Philippines or other areas of SE Asia). I tried to look into what arrow poisons were used in the Philippines when I worked there in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There are natural poisons that have been used, but information about what was used is sparse. Getting botanical samples for some of the possible poisons proved very difficult and I eventually gave up. In addition to plant/tree poisons, snake venom was also used in the past.

If you suspect that the dart tips have been treated, please handle them very carefully and wear thick gloves.

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15th December 2024, 02:19 PM	#6
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,397	The tips are not likely to be curare (that's a South American poison and, AFAIK, does not exist in nature in the Philippines or other areas of SE Asia). I tried to look into what arrow poisons were used in the Philippines when I worked there in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There are natural poisons that have been used, but information about what was used is sparse. Getting botanical samples for some of the possible poisons proved very difficult and I eventually gave up. In addition to plant/tree poisons, snake venom was also used in the past. If you suspect that the dart tips have been treated, please handle them very carefully and wear thick gloves.