Bolas

For other uses, seeBolas (disambiguation).

Not to be confused withBolus.

Bolasorbolases(sg.:bola;fromSpanishandPortuguesebola,"ball", also known as aboleadoraorboleadeira) is a type of throwingweaponmade of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs. Bolas were most famously used by thegauchos,but have been found in excavations ofPre-Columbiansettlements, especially inPatagonia,where indigenous peoples (particularly theTehuelche) used them to catch 200-poundguanacosandrheas.TheMapucheand theInca armyused them in battle.Mapuche warriors used bolas in their confrontations with theChilean Armyduring theOccupation of Araucanía(1861–1883).

Bolas
A hunter using bolas while mounted on a horse.
Type	Throwing weapon
Place of origin	The Americas

Use

River PlateIndianswithBolas(Hendrick Ottsen, 1603)

Gauchosusedboleadorasto capture runningcattleor game. Depending on the exact design, the thrower grasps theboleadoraby one of the weights or by the nexus of the cords. The thrower gives the balls momentum by swinging them and then releases theboleadora.The weapon is usually used to entangle the animal's legs, but when thrown with enough force might even inflict damage (e.g. breaking a bone).

Traditionally,Inuithave used bolas to hunt birds, fouling the birds in air with the lines of the bola.People of a FeathershowedBelcher IslandInuit using bolas to hunteiderducks on the wing.

Design

Boleadoras

There is no uniform design; mostbolashave two or three balls, but there are versions of up to eight or nine. Somebolashave balls of equal weight; others vary the knot and cord.Gauchosusebolasmade ofbraidedleathercords withwoodenballs or small leather sacks full of stones at the ends of the cords.

Bolascan be named depending on the number of weights used:

• Perdida(one weight)
• Avestruceraorñanducera(two weights, for rheas)
• Somai(two weights)
• Achico(three weights)
• Boleadora(three weights)
• Kiipooyaq(Inuitname forbolaswith three or more weights)

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

A group of gauchos hunting rheas with bolas in La Pampa, Argentina, 1905.

Other unrelated versions includeqilumitautit,thebolasof theInuit,made ofsinewand bone weights and used to capture water birds.

Popular culture

• At the "Anthropology Days"associated with the1904 Summer Olympics,a "bolo throw" event was contested atFrancis Olympic Field,where the top 3 finishers were allTehuelcheand the winning distance was 209 feet (64 m).
• In the seriesZorro(1957),episode33 of season 1: "The Deadly Bolas", features this weapon.
• In the animeBelle and Sébastien,episode 40: "Chained Belle" (ボーレアドーラの khủng phố, Bōreadōra no kyōfu) shows an expert in the handling of bolas.
• The fictional comic book character "Batman", along with his allies known as the "Bat-Family", are often seen using bolas to capture criminals in "Gotham City".
• In the 1979 James Bond filmMoonraker,a bolas is featured as a weapon made by the Q Branch.
• In theHow To Train Your Dragonfilm franchise, bolas are semi-frequently used as a dragon hunting weapon, to bind the wings and prevent flight.

See also

• Bolas spiders,which swing a sticky web blob at the end of a web line to capture prey
• Bolo tie,a style of necktie resembling the bolas at the end of a string
• Eskimo yo-yo,a skill toy resembling fur-covered bolas or yo-yos
• Lassoor lariat, a looped rope used for similar purposes, especially in North America
• Meteor hammerandmeteor,a Chinese melee weapon and a Chinese skill toy, both consisting of two weights connected by a rope or chain
• Poi,a Māori skill toy consisting of a ball attached to a tasseled cord
• Astrorope, a prototype of Crew Self Rescue (CSR) device forextravehicular activity(EVA) in space flight – seeAstronaut propulsion unit