''Luthang'' ( ), is a
Filipino traditional
toy gun made from a hollow cylindrical piece of bamboo and a piston. A seed or a wet piece of paper (the "bullet") is inserted in one end of the cylinder and the piston is pushed in rapidly at the other end. This results in the air compressing inside before it pushes the "bullet" out with a pop. The toy is popular among children in rural areas of the Philippines.
The name ''luthang'' is originally
Cebuano, meaning a small naval
cannon
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during ...
(''
lantaka
The ''Lantaka'' (Baybayin: pre virama: ''ᜎᜆᜃ'': post virama: ''ᜎᜈ᜔ᜆᜃ'') also known as ''rentaka'' (In Malay) was a type of bronze portable cannon or swivel gun, sometimes mounted on merchant vessels and warships in Maritime So ...
''). The word has been recorded in Spanish dictionaries of Visayan languages since at least 1711, where its meaning evolved to include
muskets,
arquebus
An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.
Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbu ...
es and
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
s. The word is still used as a verb meaning "to gun down" in Cebuano languages; and in
Hiligaynon as an archaic synonym of ''pistola'' (gun or pistol).
See also
*
Sumpit
Sumpit or sumpitan are general terms for blowguns, usually tipped with iron spearheads, used for hunting and warfare in the islands of the Philippines, Borneo, and Sulawesi. They were also known as zarbatana by the Spanish ( Old Spanish variant ...
*
Lantaka
The ''Lantaka'' (Baybayin: pre virama: ''ᜎᜆᜃ'': post virama: ''ᜎᜈ᜔ᜆᜃ'') also known as ''rentaka'' (In Malay) was a type of bronze portable cannon or swivel gun, sometimes mounted on merchant vessels and warships in Maritime So ...
*
Fire piston
A fire piston, sometimes called a fire syringe or a slam rod fire starter, is a device of ancient Southeast Asian origin which is used to kindle fire. It uses the principle of the heating of a gas (in this case air) by rapid and adiabatic compress ...
*
Sipa
Sipa (literally, "kick") is the Philippines' traditional native sport which predates the Spanish rule. The game is related to Sepak Takraw. Similar games include Footbag net, Footvolley, Bossaball and Jianzi.
The game is both played by tw ...
*
Pop gun
References
{{Reflist, 45em
Naval artillery
Philippine games
Traditional games
Children's games
Toy weapons