The mystery of poisoned arrows made from tree resin of the Thai people in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn)- The Thai people in Nghe An still pass on the method of making extremely poisonous arrows for hunting and protecting the village. Even if nThe man who was poisoned by the arrow died after vomiting a few times.

Plants with highly poisonous latex

The tree, whose Thai name is “co noong”, is on a mountain in Vi village, Bac Son commune. It is believed that the sap secreted from its bark can be used to make poison for arrows. Photo: Huu Vi

On the mountain in Vi village, Bac Son commune (Quy Hop - Nghe An) there is a large tree. Local people estimate its circumference to be about 140 cm. This woody plant is quite rare and easily overlooked among countless other forest trees, if one does not know its special effects. Its white resin is an indispensable ingredient for poisoning arrows used in hunting.

The Thai people in Nghe An call this tree “co noong”. The economic value of this tree, which can reach up to 200cm in circumference, is nothing special, but the latex in its bark can be deadly. According to people who used to hunt with bows and crossbows, this latex, which looks quite similar to rubber tree latex, is the main ingredient in making poisonous arrows.

Mr. Vi Van Sinh, Nguoc village, Bac Son commune (Quy Hop) said that poisonous arrows used to be a nightmare for people with bad habits. Folk tales about painful and strange deaths caused by poisonous arrows are still passed down to this day. There was a cunning thief who specialized in killing cows from the villagers. When he saw a human shadow, he fled into the forest. The hunting group ambushed him many times but only saw a shadow of an indigo shirt running up the mountain. One of the hunters mistakenly pulled out a poisonous arrow and shot after him. That same morning, the forest ranger found the thief's corpse under a tree next to a stream.

Nowadays, although no longer poisoned, crossbow arrows still have to follow quite elaborate manufacturing principles. Photo: Ho Phuong

Stories like this are told in many Thai regions.

Mr. Sinh said: Even in feudal times and when weapons were not strictly controlled by the government, the possession of hunting guns by highland men was quite common. Highland hunters organized into hunting groups as a traditional habit of the highland people. But obtaining hunting guns, usually military guns, was not easy. At this time, trees with poisoned arrows were the easiest choice.

Mystery of the Poison Arrow

Crossbows are an indispensable item for Thai men. Many crossbows are kept for decades. Photo: Huu Vi

The hunter's quiver is divided into two parts. One compartment holds regular arrows, used for hunting wild chickens and small animals. Around the quiver are tied small bamboo tubes containing poisonous arrows. When needed, the hunter divides the compartments like this to avoid drawing the wrong arrow.

The mistaken drawing of poisoned arrows and accidents caused by this weapon were also a haunting fear for hunters in the past. Ong Luong Van Vinh, a crossbow expert in Bac Son commune (Quy Hop), shared: “My father sometimes used poisoned arrows when hunting. But in his entire life of hunting for decades, he only fired about a dozen shots. Because it is very dangerous for people and only used it as a last resort, as people still prefer to use hunting guns to shoot large animals.”

There are also many folk tales about the dangers of poisoned arrows. It is said that people who are hit by an arrow often die very painfully. At first, they have excruciating stomach pain. Then comes vomiting. With mildly poisonous arrows, the victim will die after 7 vomitings. With highly poisonous arrows, death will come after 3 vomitings. Therefore, after learning how to make poisoned arrows, hunters must also learn how to detoxify them. "The important thing is to protect yourself," said Mr. Vinh. A slight scratch caused by a poisoned arrow can also endanger human life. However, according to folk experience, meat from animals hit by poisoned arrows is not dangerous when eaten. "Poison only kills animals, not the person who eats the animal meat," said Mr. Sinh.

Nowadays, in mountainous areas, crossbows only appear in competitions as a reminder of traditional origins, and women can also participate. However, not many people know that there have been terrible anecdotes about poisoned arrows in hunting in history. Photo: Ho Phuong

Interviews with experienced hunters in the highlands of Nghe An show that almost everyone knows about this poison. However, the method of preparing this poison has almost been lost. The oldest people only remember that the ingredients of the poison include “co noong” tree resin, soot, opium and some other poisons.

A folk legend also tells that: In the past, hunters in the highlands had a very horrifying way of testing the toxicity of poisonous arrows. They went to the fields to catch a frog, and then pressed the tip of the poisonous arrow against the animal without having to scratch its skin. If the frog rolled over dead with its legs stretched out, the arrow was “standard”.

The use of poisonous anesthetics to hunt animals is a distant past in the memory of highland people.

Nowadays, some streams and villages in the highlands are named after the plants used to make unique arrows. Khe Nong village in Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong) is an example. This Dan Lai village is located at the end of Khe Nong stream (called Huoi Noong in Thai) flowing from the Vietnam-Laos border into Chau Khe commune./.

Huu Vi - Ho Phuong