Primitive Weapons

WEAPONS, PRIMITIVE. Among primitive peoples it is often impossible to say of any object whether it is a weapon of war or an implement of agriculture or the chase. Thus in Assam the knife or dao fells trees, kills animals, defends its owner against human aggression and takes heads for him. A bow and arrow, may be used for war or for hunting only. Instruments of war may be roughly classified as those of offence and defence.

Stones.

The earliest missiles which man or sub-man ever used were the untrimmed stick or stone, hand-thrown. (For Bow AND ARROW, BLOW-GUN, and the weapons of civilized peoples see separate articles). To give greater force and carrying-power to stones, devices such as the sling and the pellet-bow have been con structed. Of the slings used by far the most common is the cord sling, which is found sporadically throughout the world. It con sists of a wide, short strip of material, which forms a pouch for holding the stone, to the ends of which one or more strings are fastened for grasping in the hand. The pellet-bow, a more elab orate contrivance found in India, and Farther India, is a bow, fit ted with two strings ; fixed between these, about half-way down, is a small pouch for holding the stone or clay pellet.

Throwing-sticks and Clubs.

The stick thrown by hand has also become a specialized weapon. As an object for piercing it has developed into the dart, javelin, spear and arrow; as an object for stunning or crushing into the throwing-stick and throwing-club. As an implement of the chase the throwing-stick was used in an cient Egypt and is still found in Abyssinia, India and among the Hopi of North America ; as a weapon of war, however, the flat throwing-stick is practically confined to Australia, though two specimens have also been found in the island of Santo (New Hebrides, West Pacific). In Australia the fighting boomerang (q.v.) is rather long and narrow and curved within the plane of the flattened sides. It differs from the better known returning boom erang, which is of lighter build and curved out of the plane of the sides, which propeller-like twist gives it its returning powers. This latter is used exclusively for fowling or as a game. The Australian waddy, and the alas of Fiji are throwing-clubs; the former has typically a flat triangular head, the latter is short with a spherical head and a handle carved to make the grip more sure. Other clubs

are sometimes thrown without being specially designed for the purpose. The many-bladed throwing-knives of certain tribes in the Sudan, of those throughout the Congo basin and north to Lake Chad are metal derivatives of the African wooden throwing club.

Throwing-spears.—As to piercing missiles, such as darts, javelins and throwing spears, the variety is endless. The simplest are composed of a single piece of wood one end of which is pointed and often hardened in the fire. More usually there is a separate shaft and fore-shaft of which the latter is often heavily barbed by means of carving or the attachment of separate pieces of bone or wood. Heads of obsidian or other stone, bone and—especially in Africa—metal are often added. To give greater range to the throwing spear certain tribes use mechanical aids, of two main varieties, the spear-thrower and the beckett. The former, con structed of wood or bamboo, performs the function of an extra joint in the arm. The spear lies along the spear thrower, with its butt resting against a projecting peg, or, where the thrower is of bamboo, in the slight socket made by the septum of the node. This device is typical of Australia; it is also used in parts of New Guinea and in some of the islands of Micronesia, and was formerly used in Central and South America, whether in the chase or war is not clear. The Eskimo and tribes of the northwest coast of America also use it for discharging harpoons and fish-spears.

The beckett consists of a short length of cord with a knot at one end. It is wrapped once round the spear, the knot passing under the free end and being thereby kept in place. The free end of the cord is then wrapped round the index finger of the throwing hand. The resultant action when the spear is thrown is on the same principle as that of the sling, and the spear is given greater force in its flight than if thrown by hand, and is made to spin as it flies. For use in warfare the beckett appears to be restricted to Oceania, but as a toy it is found both in Australia and Europe. A similar contrivance was used by the soldiers of ancient Greece and Rome and also by some North African peoples who may well have borrowed it from them. It differs from the beckett in that the cord is attached to the spear and is not retained in the hand.