Bolas

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Bolas (from Spanish bola, "ball", also known as boleadoras) are a throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs. They are most famously used by the South American gauchos.

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Use

Gauchos use bolas to capture running cattle or game. Depending on the exact design, the thrower grasps the bolas either in one of the weights or in the nexus of the cords. He gives the balls momentum by swinging them and then releases the bolas. The weapon is usually used to entangle the animal's legs, but thrown with enough force have been known to break the bone.

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Design

There is no uniform design; most bolas have two or three balls, but there are versions of up to 8 balls. Some bolas have balls of equal weight, others vary the knot and cord. Gauchos use bolas made of braided leather cords with wooden balls or small leather sacks full of stones in the ends of the cords.

Bolas can be named depending on the amount of weights used:

Perdida (1 weight)
Avestrucera o ñanducera (2 weights)
Boleadora (3 weights)
Ka-Lum-Ik-Toun (Eskimo name for bolas with 4 or more weights)

Bolas of three weights are usually designed with two shorter cord with heavier weights, and one longer cord with a light weight. The heavier weights flying at the front parallel to each other, hit either side of the legs, and the lighter weight going around, wrapping up the legs.

Other unrelated versions include qilumitautit, the bolas of the Eskimos, made of sinew and bone weights and used to capture water birds.

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