South American Bola with Leather Covered Balls

Item AC8   

This Item was Sold on 17 April 2015 for $100


Similar artifacts for sale are often found on the South American Artifacts web page.

Historical Pricing information for this item and similar artifacts can be found at: Historical Artifact Prices.


This bola or boleadora is a wonderful example of a functional bola with dyed leather cords. Each of the balls has a stone or solid sand interior and the balls are surrounded by a leather pouch. The balls are ellipsoid, instead of round The leather used to hold the balls is in two pieces that are held together with triple stitching. This is the only bola I have seen with triple stitching. The leather is in very good condition with no cracks or splits. 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 filled with concrete.

Cord length = 110 -> 118 cm ; Ball diameters = 5.0 -> 6.4 cm ; Weight = 628 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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