Blowgun, a weapon used by certain primitive tribes. It is essentially a straight tube, usually about eight feet (2.4 m) long, made from bamboo or hollowed-out wood, and fitted with a mouthpiece. Its missile is a dart, eight to ten inches (20 to 25 cm) long, with a tip coated with poison. The dart is blown out of the tube, but generally there is not enough force in the propulsion to kill without the poison. The weapon is used mainly for hunting, usually birds and monkeys; its use in war is infrequent. Blowguns are most commonly found among tribes in the jungles of Borneo, the Philippines, Malaysia, and South America.