The blowgun is the standard weapon for the Penan people of Sarawak, Malaysia’s largest state.  Many other cultures, especially in South East Asia and South America, used a version of this hunting weapon to kill squirrels, wild boar, deer and birds in the rainforest. Even today, the Penan roam the rainforest hunting with blowguns.

A blowgun (also called a blowpipe or blow tube) is a simple weapon with a small tube for firing darts. You put the darts into the hollow pipe and blow hard to make the dart fly. The pointed end of the dart is sharpened and dipped in poison to paralyse prey.

The hollow container above is made from a section of thick bamboo, with a carved wooden hook handle. The container is decorated with the design of a female figure with dramatically elongated ears. The darts are made from thin bamboo sticks (like kebab sticks) with one pointed end and a roughly carved lightweight stopper on the other end. The container can be hooked onto a belt.

Vets sometimes use a blowgun to fire tranquillizer darts in order to treat wild animals. You might have used a blowgun to play paintball.