South American Bola with Rhea Skin Covered Balls

Item TB294  
The price of this item will be reduced each week until it is sold. The current price is listed on the South American Artifacts link. Instructions for ordering can be found on the How to Order web page.

This bola or boleadora is a wonderful example of a functional bola with braided leather cords. Each of the balls has a stone or solid sand interior that is surrounded by a leather pouch. The leather used to hold the balls is the breast skin from the large South American flightless bird called the Rhea. There are small natural dark areas on the surface of the Rhea skin as expected in older bolas, but no cracks or impact damage.. This bola is possibly strong enough to throw, but it would be better to just hang it on the wall for display and make your own bola out of nylon cords and tennis balls. Cord length = 80 -> 86 cm ; Ball diameters = 5.0 -> 6.4 cm ; Weight = 676 gm

The bola or boleadoras is a primitive hunting tool that was originally used by the Chinese, Eskimos and South American Indians. Bolas are a throwing device made out of weights that are attached to the ends of interconnected cords. Bolas are designed to capture animals by entangling their legs. They are most famously used by the South American gauchos to capture running cattle or game.

For detailed information about bolas from different cultures, please visit the flight-toys bola web page.
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