Sumpitan (1884.18.4) (original) (raw)

BorneoSumpitan from Borneo, Asia. Part of the Pitt Rivers Museum Founding Collection. Given to the Museum in 1884.

The sumpitan is a blowpipe from Borneo. It can be up to 2 metres in length. It is made from a single piece of hard wood that is bored into a tube using an iron rod. The inside wall of the borehole is smoothed by drawing rattan back and forth through the tube. Finally, the exterior is rubbed down and a metal spearhead is bound onto the end so that it can also be used as a spear. As is the case here, a small copper or iron strip is often lashed to the muzzle, which is curled into a foresight in order to aim better.

The sumpitan is used with lightweight poisoned darts to hunt birds and small game but have been known to have been used in combat. The darts can achieve a direct hit at around 20-25 metres and the darts allegedly leave the blowpipe at a speed of 180km (over 110 miles) an hour.