When hunting with a pack of dogs for deer, wild boars, or monkeys, three types of weapons can be used to finish off the cornered game. One is a bow and arrow, which, however, is not safe for dogs during the commotion that usually occurs. The other one is the machete (Lugguk), with which the hunter tries to sever the animal’s spine. Which also has its disadvantages. The safest and fastest method to kill the cornered game is the use of a spear as a lance. This method is the same worldwide, including among the Mentawai. Another application for a spear as a lance is killing animals caught in a trap.
Description of Mentawai spears
Generally, Mentawai people in the forests use three types of spearheads for hunting, called Tombak in Bahasa Indonesia. These spearheads differ from those they use in the sea to harpoon large fish or turtles, which are called Serampang.
The length of the spears depends on the height of the bearer. Most of these spears are around 2,5 meters long, but can reach up to 3 meters. Longer shafts are no longer convenient to handle and are prone to cracking under high forces and a long lever when fighting an agitated animal. As shaft material, Fishtail palm (Carotis sp.) wood or bamboo is used.
Three Mentawai spears were sold at a shop in Muara Siberut for hunting.
Types of spearheads
The three types of spearheads used on land are:
- Spear with a leaf-shaped head – Simuinek bakkat
- Spear with an extended leaf-shaped head – Bulug obbuk
- Spear with a barbed head – Patara
Uppermost spearhead in the picture: The first type of spearhead (Simuinek bakkat) is used for finishing off small game, including deer.
Spearhead in the middle of the picture: The second type (Bulug obbuk) is specifically used for wild boar, which are tough and large, and the blood vessels have to be opened for a fast finish.
Spearhead at the bottom of the picture: The third type (Patara) is meant to draw much blood from the game by enlarging the wound when the spear is retrieved. This will also help track the game on its blood trail.
Another type of spear has not yet been mentioned. In case a hunter only has a bow and arrow with him, plus his machete, and the need for a spear arises, he will cut a well-sized bamboo from the near vicinity. The spearhead will be the angled cut bamboo tip. Such an improvised bamboo spear is readily available in the forests, is sufficient for one-time use, and can be left behind at the place of use. This easy availability of improvised spears is also why metal-tipped spears now often serve only ceremonial purposes, rather than as fundamental hunting tools. It is no longer a universal tool for the Mentawai on Siberut Island.
When do the Mentawai use a spear?
On land, the spear was superseded as a primary hunting weapon by the combination of bow and arrows with a highly potent poison. The bow allows the hunter to project lethal force with a broad-headed arrow over a distance without the disadvantages of a cumbersome polearm in dense jungle.
In water, however, where poisons would be diluted and projectiles would lose energy, the spear (as a harpoon or trident) remains an indispensable tool for harvesting marine proteins.
Lessons learned about Mentawai spears:
- There are three different types of spearheads for use on land.
- The function of an improvised spear can be taken over by a bamboo pole with an angled cut on the hot end, which was prepared at the place of use.
- Spears, used as lances by the Mentawai people, mainly serve nowadays for ceremonial purposes.
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© Mr. Bitcar Delvinus Napitupulu provided all pictures in this article.
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