It's the man and not the tool!

[observe]

A stone age spear [ancient stone spear head] fasten with skin [leather] in a museum in south-africa
the spear head is original stone age.

This spear was made by a later day [+_1950s] elephant/ivory poacher!
[he was apparently caught at the carcass by the police and this spear then confiscated as evidence]


Though I can not for a moment condone his act of poaching,
I must admire his hunting skills and bravery. [or is it stupidity...?? ]

Just imagine--stalking alone in the African bush AND killing an elephant with only a stone bladed spear!

Wow!

Shows you that with the right attitude and determination, any ordinary 'tool' can become a very dangerous and serious object.

It makes me look with different eyes at my hunting knife when i go hunting! [LOL]

 

[spike.t]

it would be interesting to know how he used the spear to kill the elephant. brings a new meaning to the fusion of ancient and modern.......

 

[James.Grage]

Old world meet new world and it works.

What was the size of the spear head?

It looks like the spear shaft was cut off.

Great raw leather work...

 

[Bobpuckett]

Wow! the old saying sticks and stones can break my bone, they left out the part about hunting elephant.

 

[observe]

It was taken from a poacher and is now in the museum. The shaft was cut off to fit in the display. The spear head is ancient and about 6 inches

 

[Shootist43]

I may be wrong, but isn't this how "pigmies" hunted elephant? I seem to remember reading that as a kid.

 

[BenKK]

Nice! I love finding broken old stone spear heads. It’s awesome to wonder at the stories. Not in the same league as elephants, but I’ve met several old men who killed buffalo with shovel-nosed spears made out of bashed star pickets - and borndok (spear thrower).

 

[observe]

stone age spear heads

 

[observe]

Shootist43, Maybe a Pigmy?
Elephant has been hunted [poached] by spear in the past....

 

[Shootist43]

Just did a Google search. Yes the pigmies hunted elephant with spears.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Just did a Google search. Yes the pigmies hunted elephant with spears.

Some were better than others...............

 

[elephantmaster29]

Agreed with @observe, can't imagine stalking an elephant with a spear. It does seem like it would be either skillful or wreckless. Nonetheless interesting

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

It all about placement..................

 

[Nyati]

Placement and poison.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

it would be interesting to know how he used the spear to kill the elephant. brings a new meaning to the fusion of ancient and modern.......

I agree with you Mike.

 

[CAustin]

It all about placement..................

View attachment 288770

Always has been!

 

[mark-hunter]

One of the traditional methods brought to east Africa, (probably) by Arabic tribes, was hunting the elephant by swords.
Getting to close distance, jumping out from the bush, and cutting the tendons on the hind legs. Then when ele was down with severed tendons, Finnish him off, by swords or possibly the spear. It takes guts and skill as well.

East African tribes, like wakamba, and possibly some others, have hunted ele by poisoned arrows. Later, poisoned arrow hunting (poaching) was fueled by east African ivory trade. This was well into XX century.
the poison was made of various local roots, boiled for few days, until it became dense mass, dark, sticky, like gelatin or thar - then - it would be applied on arrow tip.

For poison efficiency check, they would made a cut on their own hand by sharp knife, let the blood flow down the hand and applying a touch of poison from the tip of arrow, to the blood flow on the skin, low under the cut. They would estimate efficiency of poison, by speed of reaction in fast changing of blood color, upwards towards the cut on skin. Then it would be wiped away by rag, before reaching the skin cut.
Poison would be prepared few days in advance before poaching tribal group would go off, for a hunt. Poison in time would loose effectiveness, so they needed to check ones in a while when in the field.
This is from hte book: "Black Poachers, White Hunters: A Social History of Hunting in Colonial Kenya (E. Steinhart)"' if I remember correctly, after reading.

the screen shot is from the prologue of that book.

Having said that, it is not impossible that the stone age spear from above post was not poisoned. To hunt ele like that, it still takes guts, and balls, with considerable tracking skills.

There were other methods of hunting, which Karamojo Bell described in his works, by trapping the elephant, with falling logs and attached metal spear, or spike to it, probably with high percentage of wounding.

 

[elephantmaster29]

One of the traditional methods brought to east Africa, (probably) by Arabic tribes, was hunting the elephant by swords.
Getting to close distance, jumping out from the bush, and cutting the tendons on the hind legs. Then when ele was down with severed tendons, Finnish him off, by swords or possibly the spear. It takes guts and skill as well.

East African tribes, like wakamba, and possibly some others, have hunted ele by poisoned arrows. Later, poisoned arrow hunting (poaching) was fueled by east African ivory trade. This was well into XX century.
the poison was made of various local roots, boiled for few days, until it became dense mass, dark, sticky, like gelatin or thar - then - it would be applied on arrow tip.

For poison efficiency check, they would made a cut on their own hand by sharp knife, let the blood flow down the hand and applying a touch of poison from the tip of arrow, to the blood flow on the skin, low under the cut. They would estimate efficiency of poison, by speed of reaction in fast changing of blood color, upwards towards the cut on skin. Then it would be wiped away by rag, before reaching the skin cut.
Poison would be prepared few days in advance before poaching tribal group would go off, for a hunt. Poison in time would loose effectiveness, so they needed to check ones in a while when in the field.
This is from hte book: "Black Poachers, White Hunters: A Social History of Hunting in Colonial Kenya (E. Steinhart)"' if I remember correctly, after reading.


View attachment 288872

the screen shot is from the prologue of that book.

Having said that, it is not impossible that the stone age spear from above post was not poisoned. To hunt ele like that, it still takes guts, and balls, with considerable tracking skills.

There were other methods of hunting, which Karamojo Bell described in his works, by trapping the elephant, with falling logs and attached metal spear, or spike to it, probably with high percentage of wounding.

That's interesting. Thanks for sharing. Would love to learn more about these early hunting methods. Honestly it's crazy to think that's how they hunted back in the day. That's insane. Any book recommendations

 

[Newboomer]

Makes one wonder about the Neanderthals and other stone age hunters. Sticks and stones and after mammoths yet.

 

[mark-hunter]

Makes one wonder about the Neanderthals and other stone age hunters. Sticks and stones and after mammoths yet.

There are two movies I can recommend on stone age hunters:
- "10.000 BC", opening scenes with mammoth hunting, with spears etc.
- recently released movie "Alpha", the story of how human king tamed the wolves, (future hunting dogs) and started hunting with them. Opening scenes are chasing game in herd over the cliff...

Not sure if these methods are based on real historical evidence, but I enjoyed both movies.