These spears have a long history but were replaced for hunting by bows and arrows in modern times. Nowadays, their primary purpose is personal protection against predators when traveling on foot for longer distances. The author encountered a couple of…

Datoga people are spread over a wide area on the Masai steppe in Northern Tanzania. Their main stronghold is around Lake Eyasi. There, especially in the Yaeda Valley, they live close to the Hadzabe people. Masais pressed Datogas into less…

Hadzabe axes are part of the standard outfit of every Hadzabe man living in remote areas. This outfit consists of his bow, a bunch of arrows of various types, a firestick, his knife, and the axe. Additionally, he will carry…

Arrow poison based on Adenium sp. plant extracts was covered in a former article on this website. In the following, we will discuss the second type of poison the Hadzabe people make, which they call Shanjoko, a Strophanthus species. Additionally,…

Remotely living Hadzabe people use three types of arrow poison to bag big game animals. However, due to the shrinkage in the size of their areas, they currently produce only two kinds. I will describe these arrow poisons briefly to…

The Hadza people, who live in remote areas, produce iron arrowheads themselves. Contrary to what is often mentioned in the literature, they do not buy these iron arrowheads from the Datoga people. Both tribes used different production methods. Whereas the…

Arrow shafts are a piece of Hadza men’s identity. Remotely living Hadza men always carry their bows, arrows, and firesticks. Whenever they have leisure time, they attend to their arrows by building new ones, checking and correcting their straightness, or…

Hadzabe people use four basic arrowhead types, which are further divided into different styles. All of these types and styles serve specific hunting applications. 1st basic type of Hadzabe arrowheads: Wooden arrow tips These types of arrowheads are called hik’o…

Hadza bows are not only used for hunting but are also ubiquitous adornments for nearly all Hadza men. They even carry their bows, arrows, and firesticks around when they are not going to hunt. The bows are often short-lived and…

Giant Fennel (Ferula communis) is a common weed in Mediterranean countries and Central Asia. Except for one genetic variety in Sardina, all green parts of the plant are strongly haemotoxic and lead to the poisoning of livestock and humans. This…

Two types of carrying baskets were used during my stay with the Mentawai people at Buttui on Siberut Island. One, locally called Opa, was fully enclosed on the sides and had an open rattan bottom. The other type was entirely…

The cutting tools of Mentawai people living in the forests are adzes, axes, machetes, and one specialized knife. All these tools have a solid historical background and are still used today. During my stay with a Mentawai family in December…

Rattan leaf stalks have been, since immortal times, the tools with which Mentawai people have been grating coconuts. These long-lasting tools grate the coconuts into the required size of flakes. When worn out or broken, a new one will be…

The Mentawai people use poison on their arrows to hunt game. In previous articles on this website, we discussed the Mentawai people’s hunting methods. Then, we presented an actual hunt for Flying foxes. We then discussed the longbows used on…

Bows and arrows are the primary hunting weapons used by the Mentawai people. Their bows were already described here. This article will explain the different types of arrows used for these bows and give an insight into the quivers used….

Hunting bows are the primary hunting weapon for the Mentawai people and are very personal items for a hunter. They have excellent skills in using them and practice shooting from childhood onwards. During my stay with the Mentawais, I looked…

The manufacture of bow strings from plant materials is a skill that Bushmen have practiced for a relatively short period. Around 1900, they learned from neighboring Bantu-speaking tribes how to use Sansevieria fibers to create bow strings. Before this, they…

The topic of the composition of Khoi-san (Bushmen) arrows for hunting is vast and intricate. Numerous anthropological studies have documented the unique designs utilized by nearly every family group of Khoi-san in Southern Africa. These designs are often a result…

Generally speaking, the Khoi-san (‘Bushmen’) employ bows and poisoned arrows for “tracking and stalking” during hunting in Northern Namibia and North-Western Botswana. The various Khoi-san tribes utilize different materials and techniques for crafting these weapons. However, in this article, we…

Sansevieria and its leaves were a genus of flowering plants originating in Africa and southern Asia. This former genus has about 70 species with common English names such as mother-in-law’s tongue, bow string hemp, snake plant, and snake tongue. However,…

Knobkerries are straight, wooden clubs with a knob on one end. Together with assegais (throwing spears), they are the symbols of various African nations. These two weapons are part of the South African Coat of Arms, introduced in April 2000….

For wax extraction, the empty combs are first put in water, which is heated until the wax melts. The liquid is then poured through a piece of coarse cloth, and while still hot, this is twisted or squeezed until as…

Locally made-up smokers and overalls are used for inspection or harvesting the hives as improvised equipment. These have also become expensive and are often shared by a group of beekeepers. Improvised protective overalls A protective bee suit enables the beekeeper…

In recent years the shortage and expense of timber and corrugated iron sheet have encouraged people to use alternative materials for beehives. The range of substitutes includes old 200-liter fuel drums cut in half. Their ends removed, and their sides…

Kerries combine throwing sticks and wooden clubs as everyday tools for hunting, defense, and digging in Southern Africa. Australian aboriginals used a refined form of throwing sticks, flattened over its whole length and called ‘Kylie’ by them. Eventually, boomerangs evolved…

Common names Nkansu ngo (= claw of the leopard), Leopard claw grass, Nzefo za ngo, Kansingo (Kongo) Description A perennial grass with culms 30 – 150 cm high, growing from scaly rhizomes. Leaf blades are spear-shaped, 10 – 40 cm…

Synonym C. laurentii; Common names Nkau (Kongo), Rotin (Fr.), Rattan vine Description A slender to moderately robust rattan palm, climbing up to 20 m high and often forming dense clumps. The stems and leaves are armed with spines. Stems have…

Learning the craft of bamboo fish trap weaving The correct English wording for a ‘Lop’ in Thai would be ‘Horizontal cylinder trap with entry cone’. It is used to catch various freshwater fish and crustaceans, including small snakeheads, catfish, shrimp,…

Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.) and grass tree stalks are endemic to Australia. They are locally called ‘Black Boys’ due to their appearance after bushfires. They need a certain number of regular fires for their survival and are well protected against…

Many national parks, private game reserves, and game farms in Southern Africa are under heavy pressure from snares for poaching—not only rhino horn poaching but also indiscriminate poaching for meat. Internationally acting gangs from certain countries mainly organize rhino horn…