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Aconite Arrow Poison in the Old and New World

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Aconite Arrow Poison in the Old and New World 358 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 28, No.8 AUG. 15, 1938 H PENNSYLVANIA, Elk Lake, June 28, 1922, G. E. Young, Comm. L. O. roots for poisoning w Overholts (68555). TENNESSEE, Knoxville, May 27, 1934 (67781), and June 7, 1935 (70371) American elements­ P. R. Miller. bility of this interpre1 WEST VIRGINIA, Rainelle, Sept. 20, 1928, W. A. Archer (U. S. Dept. Asiatics north of KaT Agr. and West Va., Agr. Exp. Sta. Plant Disease Survey 3033, labelled Peninsula. Gloeosporium saccharinum E. & E.). WISCONSIN, Madison, Univ. Drive, June, 1894, labelled Gleosporium sac­ The following preSE charinum E .& E. distribution map. LITERATURE CITED 1. K odiak Island.-Sr 1. COLLI NS, J. F. Bur. Plant Ind. D is. Rptr. Supp!. 29: 422. 1923. the use of pounded aCQI 2. ELLIS, J. B. and B. M . EVERH ART . N ew Species of f ungi from vari ous localities . They fth e KoniagJ als( Jour. lVIyco!. 4: 52. 1888. drug adopted for this pi 3. J ACZE WSKI , A. Exoasci of Caucas us (Tra ns. from the Russion) . Bull. Ja rd. I mp. alone, these root" are dr Bot. St. Petersburg 1: 7-1 3. 1901. upon them, and they arE 4. JENKINS, A. E. Leafspot and blight caused by Taphrina spp. Bur. Plant Ind. state, the men anoint the Plant Dis. Rptr. Supp!. 37: 371-373. 1925. wound that may be infii( 5. E mendati ons to the descriptions of T aphrina lethifera and T . aceris on maple (Acer.). Jour. Wash. Acad. Sci. 28: 350-352. 1938. Sauer also states (p. 11 6. MA SS AL ON GO, C. N uova contribuzione alla M icologia V ernoese. Ma lpigia 8: . He remarks (p. 181) that 97-130. 1894. 7. RIDGWAY, R. Color standards and color nomenclature. 43 pp. Washington, D. C. '.V~al e s are in amazing 191 2. VIClllity of Kadiak' the r numbers with a p oi~on c d . ANTHROPOLOGY.-Aconite arrow poison m the Old and New 2. Aleutian I slands.-I World. 1 ROBERT F. HEIZER, University of California. (Com­ poison their weapon poin munica ted by HENRY B. COLLINS, JR.) fashion, with a detachabl, that her Aleut inform anl This short discussion is intended primarily to call attention to the former times a deadly pIa distribution of the use of various species of Aconitum plants for possibility is that aconite arrow poison, and to indicate the possible significance of these occur­ to Mr. H. B. Collins for rences. Aconitum is a genus of plants belonging to the Ranunculaceae, Petroff (1884, pp. 154- 1 the buttercup family, embracing about 60 species. Aconite contains Al euts : quantities of an alkaloid, pseudaconitine, a very deadly poison. The The pursuit of whales pha rmacology and toxicology of aconite a re not dealt with here. s~p c rstition s . The spear-I: Santesson (1936) and Lewin (1923) have much data on these. WIth human fat, or porti Ol from corpses found in bur H. B. Collins (1937, pp. 280, 345, 373-378) and F. de Laguna (1934, some poisoned roots or wei pp. 217-220) present evidence indicating an Asiatic-American cul­ proceeded to the shore wI; ture connection via the Aleutian islands, basing their conclusion on • 2 Asso. ciated, pariicular!" the distribution of such elements as the oval stone lamp, roof en­ pOls o n~d sla te lance head was i trance, labret, refuge island, notched and grooved stones, stone with reg a. rdll1 ~ whalers and whaling. o.~ .\v e might say, a ceremonia hole, hunter's l amp with ring, bone arrowhead with blade but no \\ h.llersj are said by some io bl duces to. render the fishing 'el barbs, etc. For the most part these elements seem to be explainable ~xtra.cted from them, in io whic as h a ving an American provenience, the Asiatic littoral being the ~t,dles the So. oner." Weyer (19: UVo.rma tion fro m Athabascan i recipient. The occurrence of the use of the extract of pounded aconite ", eyer believes this to be a fet fOw publishing a full account 0 I R eceived May 13, 1938. urther da ta on this aspeci. AUG. 15, 1938 HEIZER: ACONITE ARROW POISON 359 ~CES VOL. 28, No.8 oung, Comm. L. O. roots for poisoning weapon points may be another of these Asiatic­ American elements-the distribution map would indicate the tena­ June 7,1935 (70371) bility of this interpretation since the practice is unknown among the Asiatics north of Kamchatka and the Eskimo north of the Alaskan Archer (U. S. Dept. ,urycy 3033, labelled Peninsula. The following presentation is in the order of the numbers on the el\ ed Gleosporium sac­ di stribution map. 1. Kodiak I sland.-Sauer (1802, p. 177) gives a very specific account of the use of pounded aconite roots for poison among the Koniag. He says: 1923. They [the Koniagj also use poison to their arrows, and the Aconite is the ~gi from various localities. drug adopted for this purpose. Selecting the roots of such plants as grow Bull. Jard. Imp. alone, these roots are dried and pounded, or grated; water is then poured If;sion). upon them, and they are kept in a warm place till fermented: when in this Bur. Plant Ind. state, the men anoint the points of their arrows, or lances, which makes the a spp. wound that may be inflicted mortal. lethifera and T. aceris on Sauer also states (p. 180) that sea lion are hunted with poisoned arrows. 1938. He remarks (p. 181) that: ~ Vernoese. Malpigia 8: Whales are in amazing numbers about the straits of the islands, and in the [3 pp. Washington, D. C. vicinity of Kadiak; the natives pursue them in their small boats, and kill numbers with a poisoned slate-pointed lance. 2 2. Aleutian I slands.-It is not known whether the Aleuts use d aconite to in the OLd and N ew poison their weapon points. They hunted whales, however, in the Kodiak )f California. (Com­ fashion, with a detachable slate lance head. Miss Margaret Lantis tells me that her Aleut informants from the island of Atka remembered that in o call attention to the former times a deadly plant poison was made from the juice of roots. The Aconitum plants for possibility is that aconite was used, yet we cannot be sure. I am indebted lficance of these occur­ to Mr. H. B. Collins for calling my attention to the following references. to the Ranunculaceae, Petroff (1884, pp. 154-155), translating from Veniaminof, says of the Aleuts: ~ cies. Aconite contains The pursuit of whales was encumbered with many observances and ~ ry deadly poison. The superstitions. The spear-heads used in hunting the whale were greased " not dealt with h ere. with human fat, or portions of human bodies were tied to them, obtained h data on these. from corpses found in burial caves, or portions of a widow's garments, or nd F. de Laguna (1934, some poisoned roots or weed .... Then, taking with him a companion, he proceeded to the shore where he presum.ed the whale had lodged, and if Asiatic-American cul­ ing their conclusion on 2 Associated, particularly on Kodiak, with actual whale hunting by means of a poisoned slate la nce head was a great complex of observances, ceremonials and taboos 11 stone lamp, roof en­ regarding whalers and whaling. Lisiansky (1814, p. 174) describes a magical substa nce, or we might say, a ceremonial poison. He states that: "These bodies [of deceased oved stones, stone with whalers] are said by some to be stolen, from t he idea that the possession of them con­ ead with blade but no duces to render the fi sbing season prosperous; and by others, that a juice or fa t is extracted from them, into which if an arrow be dipped, the whale, when wo unded by , seem to be explainable it, dies the sooner." Weyer (1932, p. 309) describes the same thing, using de Laguna's siatic littoral being the information fr om Atha bascan informants of Cook Inlet who knew of Koniag whaling. Weyer believes this to be a fetish substance and not an actual poison. Miss Lantis is tract of pounded aconite now publishing a full account of the whale cult in the northern hemisphere which has further data on this aspect . 360 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 28, No.8 AUG. 15, 1938 HE the animal was dead he commenced at once to cut out the place where the in the Kurile islands. T death-wound had been inflicted. Ainu. For hunting the sea-otter such poisoned spears were not used ... 6. Y ezo I sland.-ThrI Dall (1877, p. 75) gives an incomplete note which would lead one to be­ row poison among the A lieve that the Aleuts knew the use of poison: were collected in summel The later whale harpoons were always slate-tipped, the modern Aleuts ground fin e between twc ascribing some poisonous quality to that stone, which they assert will sometimes was mixed w invariably kill the whale in a few days, providing the slate-tip remains in the whereupon it assumed a wound, even if the dart has penetrated but slightly. was to take the pulveriz 3. Kamchatka.-The Kamchadal use a poison made from the expressed sicum in water and fox I roots of plants. Krasheninnikov (1764, pp. 92-93) says: always buried in the grOl and then the poison was The zgate [footnote reads: Anemonoides et ranunculus) must not be for about five months.
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