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 that are attached to the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs. They are most famously used by the South American 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 braided leather cords. Each of the balls has a solid sand matrix interior that is 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. One of the braided cords at the junction is frayed, so if you plan to throw this set, you should reinforce it by sewing reinforcement into the braid to hold the junction together. Also, there are leather softeners that can be used to make the cords more flexible for throwing. This is not an antique, but it is one of the nicer bolas that you will find for sale and it is very functional. Cord length = 72 -> 75 cm ; Ball diameters = 5.0 -> 6.5 cm ; Weight = 770 gm