Bolas

The sources do not record a mythological or supernatural origin for bolas; instead archaeological and historical records place bolas as a material hunting technology attested in Pre‑Columbian settlements in Patagonia and in the historic practices of indigenous peoples such as the Tehuelche. Ethnohistoric accounts and later usage among gauchos show a continuous practical tradition of construction and use, while separate development among Inuit groups produced sinew-and-bone variants (qilumitautit) for water‑bird capture.

Bolas are made of two or more weights (balls, wooden spheres, or small leather sacks filled with stones) attached to braided cords or leather thongs; designs vary by region. Typical three-weight constructions have two shorter cords with heavier weights and one longer cord with a lighter weight to facilitate wrapping, and some regional forms feature up to eight or nine weights. Inuit qilumitautit are documented as constructed of sinew with bone weights.

As a hand-thrown tool, bolas entangle the legs of running animals by tangling cords around their limbs; when thrown with sufficient force they can also injure or break bones. Historically they were used to capture guanacos and rheas in Patagonia, to round up or immobilize cattle and game by gauchos, in some Mapuche and Inca military contexts, and by Inuit hunters to catch water birds (e.g., eider ducks) on the wing. The term 'bolas' is also applied analogically in zoology to certain spiders whose hunting method resembles the device.