Unusual Hmong musket

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

Such guns sometimes appear in the chronicles of the Vietnamese police. They are confiscated from poachers in the northwest of the country. Hunting for rare species of animals is a painful topic for those places

Rare animals -- have you been to the famous Bo Tong Xeo Restaurant in Saigon? They are known for serving all kinds of wild game, deliciously prepared of course. The region reminds me of Louisiana and it's not just the climate -- folks will shoot and eat practically anything that walks, flies, or swims and when they're done cooking it, boy is it delicious!

[Ren Ren]

I love Vietnamese food but I have never been to this wonderful restaurant.

I think hunting for food is not the biggest part of the problem. Animals are killed for use in traditional medicine and magic (which are often the same thing). If I'm not mistaken, a piece of gibbon fur is suspended from Cerjak's Musket. Gibbons are sacrificed for hundreds of years when it is required to escape from adversity (for example, during a lunar and solar eclipse).

Another part of the problem is that people in the mountains have no other source of income. The government follows the path of prohibitions, but at the same time does not offer alternative ways for a dignified existence.

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

I love Vietnamese food but I have never been to this wonderful restaurant.

I think hunting for food is not the biggest part of the problem. Animals are killed for use in traditional medicine and magic (which are often the same thing). If I'm not mistaken, a piece of gibbon fur is suspended from Cerjak's Musket. Gibbons are sacrificed for hundreds of years when it is required to escape from adversity (for example, during a lunar and solar eclipse).

Another part of the problem is that people in the mountains have no other source of income. The government follows the path of prohibitions, but at the same time does not offer alternative ways for a dignified existence.

I agree with you entirely. I don't object to hunting for sport or to cull herds to keep the ecosystem in balance, but the problem in many places is that it's unregulated or poorly managed, sometimes as a part of overall corruption or for gross economic motives. Then it becomes a problem. Same applies to commercial fishing, the toll taken on the bluefin tuna population (just one example) to satisfy a cultural need and keep sushi bars in operation is unpardonable.

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

Gibbons are sacrificed for hundreds of years when it is required to escape from adversity (for example, during a lunar and solar eclipse).

Interesting point as regarding the talismanic or spiritual dimension to animals species. Gibbons are talented escape artists so a hunter uses a bit of gibbon fur so he might enjoy the same protection. This transcends cultures.

The ancient Romans, like many ancient Mediterranean cultures going back to the Old Testament and perhaps before, sacrificed many kinds of animals during religious rituals. The innards were considered spiritually potent because the anima (life-breath, or "soul") of all animals was said to reside in the gut. Not so different from the Chinese concept of the location of qi, or in modern language we talk about a person being "gutsy" or conversely, "having no guts". This influenced the nature of Roman cuisine; in addition to being a thrifty people with agricultural roots, the spiritual association of internal organs made them highly desirable on the consumer marketplace; butchers would often charge more for these than for the muscle meat which most "modern" urban people greatly prefer. We still see the old preferences still existing in Italian country cooking -- on my last trip to Rome I dined at a wonderful little locanta run by people from Puglia, where the specialty is meats roasted in a wood-fired oven. Their fegato con polmoni (pork liver wrapped in lungs) was out-of-this-world, coupled with a fava bean purée (another staple from ancient Rome) and the regional red wine.

[Cerjak]

an interesting link related to hmong Gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oUEWmhdO9I
see also" Un village Hmong vert du Haut Laos - Milieu technique et organisation sociale
Jacques Lemoine fig 8 p 72,p74

[Philip]

Nice to have the native terminology for all the components. Interesting that the artist did not show the flint that ought to be in the hammer for a spark to strike off the frizzen. I have often wondered how a flint could be secured since there is no screw-tightened jaws so hold one, as is the case for just about every other flintlock made and used worldwide.

[Cerjak]

A rifle presented to President Lynndon Johnson -Flintlock rifle, courtesy Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, Texas

[Cerjak]

Originally Posted by Philip

Nice to have the native terminology for all the components. Interesting that the artist did not show the flint that ought to be in the hammer for a spark to strike off the frizzen. I have often wondered how a flint could be secured since there is no screw-tightened jaws so hold one, as is the case for just about every other flintlock made and used worldwide.

The flint is probably sealed using a vegetable resin. No one screw is used for the manufacture of this lock and this last can be easily dismounted from the weapon without tools certainly to facilitate the crimping of the flint.

[Cerjak]

lock detail