Tools Mani use

For the males of Mani they all have their very own personal hunting tool.

1.      Borlao - the Blowpipe

                                                                           i.      The blowpipe of the Mani has a mouthpiece made of wood and a "barrel" made of ong, thin stalks of a special bamboo

                                                                         ii.      The borlao consists of an inner and an outer parts.

1.      Outer Parts

a.       is a long, hollow bamboo cylinder with an interior diameter of about 2.5 cm (1 in.). It is made of 2 to 3 connecting parts (depending on the length of the bamboo stalks available) with a total length of about 2.5 m (a little more than 8 ft.). The junction between each section of bamboo is fastened and sealed by the sap of the ton sai tree or ton haan tree.

2.      Inner Part

a.       "barrel" proper, is made from the same kind of bamboo, with the same length as the outer part but with a smaller diameter. The inner part is inserted into the outer part. A piece of polished bamboo or wood is fastened to the lower end of the bamboo "barrel" to protect the mouth of the user and to funnel the burst of air blown into the "barrel" to propel the dart (bila).

2.      Bila - The Poison Dart of the Blowpipe

                                                                           i.      Bila is the ammunition of the blowpipe &endash; an arrow-like dart

                                                                         ii.      It is made from a kind of palm wood which the Thai villagers call mai tao (Tao wood).

                                                                       iii.      To make a bila, a piece of mai tao wood of 30 cm (12 in.) length and a diameter of around 2.0 mm (1/16th in.) is cut and sharpened at one end. Counting from the sharp end 3 cm (1/8th in.) inwards, a cut is made so that when the dart is blown and impacts on an animal, it the end will break off and remain inside the animal. After making the cut, the dart is treated with fire to harden it. The other end of the bila is also sharpened and fitted with a conically shaped piece of Zalacca wood that fits precisely into the borlao barrel.

                                                                       iv.      Before the dart is used, its tip is covered with a poison that will kill the animal.

1.      The poison, known to the Mani as ipoh, is derived from the saps of two kinds of nong trees (of the Moraceae family), and the bark of ton chon chaang (Chon Chaan tree, of the Strychnaceae family)

3.      Manneu - the Quiver for Keeping Darts

                                                                           i.      The dangerous poison darts need to be stored and this is done in a cylinder with ca. 12 cm (4-1/2 in.) diameter and a length of ca. 35 cm (13-1/2 in.)

                                                                         ii.      The cylinder is called manneu. Inside it are several holders, called holly, for encasing the darts, one holder for each dart.

                                                                       iii.      The holly are arranged along the inner wall of the manneu, leaving the middle portion for putting pui tao raang, a fluff affixed to the dart in the blowpipe to help it go further

4.      Mai lua - the Digging Stick

                                                                           i.      Mani women use digging sticks called mai lua.

                                                                         ii.      The gathering of fruit and vegetables does not often require the use of a tool beyond the gatherers' own hands, but digging up yams does.

                                                                       iii.      These wooden sticks are usually around 3-5 cm (1-1/8 - 2 in) thick and 50-60 cm (19-1/2 - 23-1/2 in) long.Primarily for hunting, it is rarely used in warfare.