Con-weapons and warfare (was: joining concultures)

Hawksinger wrote:
>snip, snip lots of interesting stuff about Boreanesia and early
>European contact.
>I have Spanish, Dutch, and French contact early on as well although
>Magellan missed Nowapan.  The Spanish were later intent on
>colonization but by then, the Nowans had gotten guns from the
>Japanese, and unlike the latter, they kept them.  The Spanish
>decided to trade goods instead of conquest.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Boreanesians were both merchants
and warlike. Extensive trade allowed Boreanesians to import ideas
for weapons that they used occasionally amongst themselves when
Boreanesia was a collection of several mini-states.

Boreanesian communities had small populations, low levels of
production, and unlimited access to natural resources like sea and
forest products. Their chief's ability to procure iron or
prestigious imports depended on control of manpower to exploit those
resources. Wars were therefore fought to control people, not
territory. They were waged by raids intended to sieze slaves, to
initiate or enforce alliances for trading networks, and to take
booty to cover costs in any case. They were fought, not by standing
armies or navies loyal to some superordinate political authority,
but by citizen warriors owing personal allegiance to leaders who
were physically present. Some Boreanesians were therefore willing to
swear allegiance to the Spaniards when it was to their advantage to
do so, and were not prepared to resist foreign occupation and
annexation of their territory. Obviously, this provoked neighboring
Boreanesian tribes who were unfortunate not to have a powerful trade
ally. Boreanesia's first Emperor is credited for attempting to rid
Boreanesia of such unfair advantages. By uniting Boreanesia as one
country, he hoped that such disputes would never occur again.

Just for fun, I'll list some traditional Boreanesian weapons below,
together with a bunch of other Boreanesian words dealing with
warfare:

KETA':  Single edged dagger.
KETIH:  The Boreanesian wavy kris sword; single edged like the
Japanese katana but wavy like the Malay kris. (appx. 60cm in length)
PEHLUH:  A blowgun usually fitted with a spearhead for use when all
ammunition had been spent.
PENAH:  Bow.
LETANGH:  Arquebus, musket, swivel gun, or cannon.
THEYUNG':  Ammunition. Eg., theyung'penah 'arrow', theyung'pehluh
'blowgun dart'.
THEYA'PEWANGH:  Literally 'body wall'. Body armor made of thick
braided bark cords woven tightly together. Best ones are woven so
tightly becoming water-proof.
[Note there are three words for 'wall' in Boreanesia; theya' refers
to a wall made of woven plant fiber, nhepulh refers to a palisade or
any other wall where tree trunks are arranged side by side, and
kenha' refers to an earthen or stone wall.]
TEKU'PEWANGH:  Literally 'body roof'. A round shield (roughly
50-60cm in diameter). It is made of wood strengthened and decorated
with metal strips and coated with a resinous pitch.
TENGULH:  To cut off a piece of the body, or to behead. Also means a
head, a hand, or a foot cut from the body.
NEKEYAH:  Battle victory.
TENGULHNEKEYAH:  Battle trophy.
KELAY':  Battle, fight.
PETAW':  A night attack on a sleeping target, or a hunt before dawn.
PETUH:  Raid. Usually refers to a raid done during the day, but can
also refer to a petaw'.
YEKAY': Ambush.
LESEY': Defence/defend.

Anybody else?

Regards,
-Kristian- 8-)