Sumpit: The Blowpipe of Borneo’s Dayak Hunters
The sumpit blowpipe is a traditional weapon of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. A shooter fires a slender dart by blowing through a long tube, and the weapon was used for hunting in the forest and in fighting. In the past it was part of ngayau, the warfare between communities, which is covered in the ngayau history guide.
What a sumpit blowpipe is made from
The tube is made of bamboo or wood and measures roughly 1.2 to 1.8 metres in length. The bore runs through the centre with a diameter of about 2 to 3 centimetres. A metal spearhead is commonly fitted to the front of the tube, so the sumpit can also serve as a short spear in close fighting, in a way similar to a bayonet on a rifle.
Darts and poison
The dart is a thin, sharp shaft of bamboo. At its blunt end it carries a plug of soft cork or fibre that fills the bore, so the breath of the shooter pushes the dart out. The dart tips were coated with poison made from the latex of the Antiaris toxicaria tree, which was applied as a sticky coating.
For a related weapon, see the Dayak shield and the broader Kalimantan guide.