Kalahari bow, quiver and staff.

potapych · 21st April 2007, 02:58 PM

Very nice. I have one of those also and experimented with it many years back, out of curiosity. At the time I didn't know what I had and thought it might have been a sort of token ensemble, such as used by the Mbuti Pygmies of the Congo's Ituri forest in mating rituals.

I shot it at a spot about 4 feet up on a substantial 6 foot tall wooden fence from a distance of about 20 feet. I did not want to stress the bow or string too much and therefore only pulled it perhaps 30%. The arrow hit near enough (wink) to my mark and stuck. When I went to retrieve it, the triangle portion of the tip was nearly totally embedded and this was not soft wood, the entire fence rocked as I worked to pull it loose. Even at 30% it would have absolutely skewered any soft-skinned animal shot at that range. I gained a lot of respect for it then and you are quite right to assume it's deadly serious stuff.

My arrows are wrapped similarly to yours and are not fletched either. As a matter of interest; I remember reading somewhere that the metal tips were originally procured by the tribesmen using the expedient of dismembering barbed-wire fence lines they encountered on the Kalahari plain; then untwisting, cutting, straightening and working the individual strands into points, using campfires and rocks.

katana · 21st April 2007, 03:35 PM

Hi Tim,
nice 'set' may not be all that old, as they can be readily bought over the net. It is unlikely there is poison on the 'stick'....more likely gum used to fix the sections of the arrow together. The most common poison used is that of a beetle larvae, info in the link below.
The arrows usually comprises of four parts. In former times the point was made of stone or bone, but since contact with iron-smelting Bantu-speaking farmers they have also used triangular iron points.

The point is fixed to a short reed collar which is, in turn, connected to the main shaft of the arrow by a small torpedo-shaped piece of wood or bone, the "link".
When the arrow strikes an animal, the impact causes the link to split the shaft so that longer portion falls away and the point is left embedded in the animal. If the point doesn't split from the shaft this could result in the animal dislodging the arrow when running through the bushes.

The arrows are carried in quivers that are normally made of the root of an acacia or quiver tree. When the root is heated, the bark expands, loosens itself from the pith of the root which is then removed from the bark. The sides of the quiver are covered in leather, which shrinks firmly around the quiver when it dries out. In the quiver, there will be a set of fire sticks standard kit for the bushmen.

http://www.museums.org.za/bio/insect...dae/arrows.htm

http://www.tsumkwe.com/curios.asp

Regards David

PS with the multiple postings, I thought you'd acquired enough bows to re-enact Agincourt

Tim Simmons · 21st April 2007, 06:09 PM

Thanks for the links Dave. I do not think I will put the black stuff to the test

. There are more "Bushman" than the "San" who may have used a different poison. These items have some age and a traditional life was lived by most groups untill the 1950s-60s. One of your links has made me think about this spear I have had kicking around. I did not know what to make of it. Perhaps it is the kill spear of the Bushman? It is of a Southern African form with some unusual aspects. The end is quite different from other South African spears. It seems never to have had any metal on the end either. Interesting?
I would reenact Crecy in the back garden but the neighbours might laugh at me

.

katana · 21st April 2007, 06:54 PM

Hi Tim,

your spear has a similar iron binding holding the spearhead to the shaft...as these I posted awhile back.....and I still haven't discovered the origin, although like you, I feel they are from the South.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2133

The club is very interesting, never seen one like it before

21st April 2007, 06:09 PM	#3
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,854	Thanks for the links Dave. I do not think I will put the black stuff to the test . There are more "Bushman" than the "San" who may have used a different poison. These items have some age and a traditional life was lived by most groups untill the 1950s-60s. One of your links has made me think about this spear I have had kicking around. I did not know what to make of it. Perhaps it is the kill spear of the Bushman? It is of a Southern African form with some unusual aspects. The end is quite different from other South African spears. It seems never to have had any metal on the end either. Interesting? I would reenact Crecy in the back garden but the neighbours might laugh at me . Attached Images

21st April 2007, 02:58 PM	#1
potapych Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Left Coast, USA Posts: 14	Very nice. I have one of those also and experimented with it many years back, out of curiosity. At the time I didn't know what I had and thought it might have been a sort of token ensemble, such as used by the Mbuti Pygmies of the Congo's Ituri forest in mating rituals. I shot it at a spot about 4 feet up on a substantial 6 foot tall wooden fence from a distance of about 20 feet. I did not want to stress the bow or string too much and therefore only pulled it perhaps 30%. The arrow hit near enough (wink) to my mark and stuck. When I went to retrieve it, the triangle portion of the tip was nearly totally embedded and this was not soft wood, the entire fence rocked as I worked to pull it loose. Even at 30% it would have absolutely skewered any soft-skinned animal shot at that range. I gained a lot of respect for it then and you are quite right to assume it's deadly serious stuff. My arrows are wrapped similarly to yours and are not fletched either. As a matter of interest; I remember reading somewhere that the metal tips were originally procured by the tribesmen using the expedient of dismembering barbed-wire fence lines they encountered on the Kalahari plain; then untwisting, cutting, straightening and working the individual strands into points, using campfires and rocks.

21st April 2007, 03:35 PM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Tim, nice 'set' may not be all that old, as they can be readily bought over the net. It is unlikely there is poison on the 'stick'....more likely gum used to fix the sections of the arrow together. The most common poison used is that of a beetle larvae, info in the link below. The arrows usually comprises of four parts. In former times the point was made of stone or bone, but since contact with iron-smelting Bantu-speaking farmers they have also used triangular iron points. The point is fixed to a short reed collar which is, in turn, connected to the main shaft of the arrow by a small torpedo-shaped piece of wood or bone, the "link". When the arrow strikes an animal, the impact causes the link to split the shaft so that longer portion falls away and the point is left embedded in the animal. If the point doesn't split from the shaft this could result in the animal dislodging the arrow when running through the bushes. The arrows are carried in quivers that are normally made of the root of an acacia or quiver tree. When the root is heated, the bark expands, loosens itself from the pith of the root which is then removed from the bark. The sides of the quiver are covered in leather, which shrinks firmly around the quiver when it dries out. In the quiver, there will be a set of fire sticks standard kit for the bushmen. http://www.museums.org.za/bio/insect...dae/arrows.htm http://www.tsumkwe.com/curios.asp Regards David PS with the multiple postings, I thought you'd acquired enough bows to re-enact Agincourt

21st April 2007, 06:54 PM	#4
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Tim, your spear has a similar iron binding holding the spearhead to the shaft...as these I posted awhile back.....and I still haven't discovered the origin, although like you, I feel they are from the South. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2133 The club is very interesting, never seen one like it before