00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page i poison arrows THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page iii poison arrows North American Indian Hunting and Warfare By David E. Jones university of texas press austin 00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page iv Copyright © 2007 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2007 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sentto: Permissions University of Texas Press P.O. Box 7819 Austin, TX 78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html (cid:2)(cid:3) The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jones, David E. Poison arrows : North American Indian hunting and warfare / by David E. Jones — 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-292-71428-1 (cl. : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-292-71428-9 1. Indian weapons—North America. 2. Indians of North America—Ethnobotany. 3. Indians of North America—Hunting. 4. Arrow poisons— North America. 5. Poisonous plants—North America. 6. Poisonous animals—North America. 7. Neurotoxic agents—North America. i. Title. e98.a65j65 2006 355.8(cid:2)2—dc22 2006024691 00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page v Contents Disclaimer vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi 1. On Plant Poisons 1 2. Nonmilitary Poisons 6 3. World Survey of Arrow Poisoning 20 4. Arrow Poisons of the North American Indians 32 5. Other Uses of Poisons in Warfare 49 6. Paleo-Indian Poison Use 53 Conclusion 62 Appendix: Tribes and Poisons Used 69 Notes 75 Bibliography 93 Index 103 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page vii Disclaimer this is a work of ethnography and ethnobotany, not of toxicology. The material presented is based on oral reports of North American Indians concerning their knowledge and uses of poisons, particularly those with military applications. With but a few exceptions, this infor- mation has not been tested under laboratory conditions. It is rightly considered poison lore, an aspect of hunting, warfare, and martial cul- tural knowledge transmitted through generations by Native Americans. THE PLANTS DISCUSSED IN THIS BOOK SHOULD NOT BE HANDLED OR INGESTED EXCEPT UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF EXPERTS! THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 00-T3893-FM 12/12/06 3:35 PM Page ix Acknowledgments i would like to thank my wife Jane for her support and skillful edit- ing during the writing of this work. I could not have done it without her. Likewise, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ida Cook, Wayne Van Horne, and David Butler for comments on the evolving draft, and to Theresa May, editor-in-chief at the University of Texas Press, for her faith in this project.