The bola is a primitive hunting tool that was originally used by the Chinese, Eskimos and South American Indians. Bolas are a throwing device made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs or wings. They are most famously used by the South American cowboys, or gauchos. Gauchos used bolas to capture running cattle or game.

For detailed information about bolas from different cultures, please visit the flight-toys bola web page.

This bola is a very nice example of a real functional bola with twisted leather cords. Each of the balls has a stone or solid sand interior surrounded by a leather pouch. One of the balls is smaller than the other two balls, as expected. The leather is dry and stiff and is fine for display. There are leather softeners that can be used to soften the cords if you plan to throw this bola. This bola is quite old (pre-1950?). Cord length = 85 -> 97 cm ; Ball diameters = 4.6 -> 6.0 cm ; Weight = 712 gm