boleadora or boleadoras (until aims of Century XIX simply balls ) is a hand-thrown weapon created by indigenous of Patagonia and Pampas and soon adopted and modified by Gauchos
It consists of two or three balls, polished very hard stones in almost spherical form or very rarely made bristle. The diameter of each one of the balls usually is of about 10 cm in the boleadoras battle or of greater Caza . Such stones are united by touches or guascas, strips of Leather . The natives used like raw material for the touches the leather of Guanaco and the leather of cogote (neck) and the sinew of the leg of ñandú . Over the years and the introduction of Cattle ranch, the touches was replaced by reatas of three braided leather ends, of generally Bovine .
has been boleadoras in archaeological deposits of more than five thousand years before the present in Pampan Region. European noticed the existence of this weapon in the beginnings of Conquista, when they saw into the hands of Het, Charrúas and it Patagones in 1520 .
Initially the natives used a single polished stone and surrounded by a acanaladura thanks to which a single touch or quite long cord was tied to, with this they struck at a distance without losing the stone. This weapon worked of similar form to Yoyo and was called by the Spaniards and Creoles lost ball . The natives soon discovered that such lost ball was useful also to capture cheers the prey being surrounded them, this took to the preparation of the boleadoras themselves. When they lacked stones even improvised boleadoras with bodoques of terra-cotta or with bone, in the patagónica region the spherical knot was used that the fungus Llao llao causes in the branches of ñiré .
After the Spanish conquest the boleadora was adopted by Gauchos realized that them more elaboradamente: the stones were surrounded in crude leather bags retobos called, and often as much the balls as reatas Silver received adornments in the form of incrustations of or Bronze . Also the stones were replaced by massive spheres of Metal - by example of Plomo - covered of leather or, in some more luxurious, plated in silver or bronze.
The form of more common use is called " rebolearlas", and it consists of rotating quickly stones by means of the touches by on the head and throwing it with high accuracy to the target, or another human being or some animal. According to the way to throw it can or not be lethal. If it is thrown with the aim of capturing a prey, the boleadora is sent directed to the legs or legs, so that the touches are entangled around them; the then subject or animal is " boleado". In order to hunt " ostriches americanos" - it is to say frequents ñandúes- it is that the boleadoras to the neck of these birds are thrown. In hands-to-hand combat was frequent not to loosen the boleadora but to use one of stones as a Maza, mainly on the head of the opponent.
The small boleadora and of only two balls is called " ñanducera" or " avestrucera" and or was well-known with the name of chumé tálakgáp'n by Tehuelches . It is used for the hunting or it captures of small animal. On the other hand, the boleadora of three balls and majors dimensions, well-known like " potrera" and call yachiko by tehuelches, is used the combat or to capture great animal like horses or bulls.
Rare units of than four balls, arriving more to have some of eight exist, but they are little prácticos. Until the beginning of s XX he was frequent that the gauchos while they were in the field took one or two generally boleadoras (of the type " ñanducera") in the waist and another one (generally " potrera") in brigand.
Paralelamente, between Inuit was developed similar arms although less effective calls ka-lum-UK-toun or kilumitutit, similar is being Maorís bridle or poi . Are similar arms between the towns of Eastern Siberia .
The boleadoras have happened to be a choreographic element for gauchescos dances folkloric, especially for Malambo in Argentina . In such cases diverse figures are shaken with great skill, doing, around the bodies of the dancers and sometimes they are gotten to use like percussion instruments.