Bola

Bola (Spanish, “ball”), weapon used for hunting by native South American tribes. It consists of round leather-covered stone or iron weights connected by cords or leather thongs up to 8 ft (2.4 m) long. There may be 2 or 3 such covered balls, each with its own cord connected to a common center. The bolas are whirled overhead to gain momentum and then hurled at quarry. On contact the balls wind around the animal's legs and prevent it from fleeing. Argentinean gauchos still use bolas for catching cattle, and Eskimos in the Arctic hunt with a similar weapon.