Poison Arrows: North American Indian Hunting and Warfare

by David E. Jones

Biological warfare is a menacing twenty-first-century issue, but its origins extend to antiquity. While the recorded use of toxins in warfare in some ancient populations is rarely disputed (the use of arsenical smoke in China, which dates to at least 1000 BC, for example) the use of "poison arrows" and other deadly substances by Native American groups has been fraught with contradiction. At last revealing clear documentation to support these theories, anthropologist David Jones transforms the realm of ethnobotany in Poison Arrows. Examining evidence within the few extant descriptive accounts of Native American warfare, along with grooved arrowheads and clues from botanical knowledge, Jones builds a solid case to indicate widespread and very effective use of many types of toxins. He argues that various groups applied them to not only warfare but also to hunting, and even as an early form of insect extermination. Culling extensive ethnological, historical, and archaeological data, Jones provides a thoroughly comprehensive survey of the use of ethnobotanical and entomological compounds applied in wide-ranging ways, including homicide and suicide. Although many narratives from the contact period in North America deny such uses, Jones now offers conclusive documentation to prove otherwise. A groundbreaking study of a subject that has been long overlooked, Poison Arrows imparts an extraordinary new perspective to the history of warfare, weaponry, and deadly human ingenuity.

Genres: History

136 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Carol Potenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly lists of poisons

A number of chapters detailed lists of plants used by specific First American cultures, so I skimmed. I did enjoy the excerpts culled from historical texts, though. I was most interested in the Paleolithic chapter in which there was excellent speculation and conjecture that poisons were probably used for megafauna. No proof yet that Clovis or Folsom used poisons except circumstantial, but the argument that mammoths could be brought down with a few points was challenged to good affect. I would recommend to someone interested in the topic only.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone doing research on the history of chemical and biological warfare will admire this comprehensive coverage of North America. Extensive notes, bibliography, index, and a listing of all known tribes and their poisons, are also extremely helpful in understanding mankind's arms race and role of poison in hunting--perhaps even contributing to the rapid extinction of mammoths.