Blowpipe
Blowpipe is a weapon for the natives of Sarawak. It is used as an aid to track through the rain forest, and as a hunting tool for live food such as squirrels, wild boar and birds.
An experienced hunter can accuracy hit its target at marvellous speed with a single blow at one end of the blowpipe.
This weapon is perforated by means of a long metal rod with a chisel shaped bit. The rod is moved on its own axis, back and forth, with the bit slowly drilling into the wood. The weapon itself is made of a long rod with a metal spear tied with rattan at one end.The blow dart is inserted at the other end using the spear to point to the hunting target.
A blowpipe is made by a piece of strait-grained wood, roughly shaped to about 2 meters and a diameter of 15 cm. From time to time, water is poured into the hole to float out wood chips. The pipe was trimmed and whittled to a diameter of about 5 cm when the drilling has been completed.Then the finished weapon is polished with a tough- grained, slightly waxy leaf. The bore of the blowpipe is very slightly curved to compensate for the weight of the weapon in use as it is horizontally held. The bore is polished by means of pulling lengths of rattan through it
