Stingrays Tail (Buntot Pagi)

stingrays tail - buntot pagi 1

Stingrays Tail (Buntot Pagi)

I got this Stingrays Tail (Buntot Pagi) the other day along with other items in my Junk Shop. It was about 49 inches long about 4 feet. I was the one who found it when I went to pick some old things somewhere near my area. I left it together with the other items that I picked and then one of my workers went there to get the items and bring it to my Junk Shop. I asked the owner of the house if how long it has been in his possession. He said that his father is the original owner and they owned it since the 60’s. So the age of the stingrays tail is about more or less 50 years old. When I found the stingrays tail it was hanging in the wall of the house near the stairs and I immediately remembered that we also have 2 of this. So I went back to our house and asked my Mom if she still has them. She said that the two that we had was hanging in a wall in the third floor of our house. So I went to look at it and it was still there but i was not able to take pictures of the two. Here in the Philippines stingrays tail or buntot pagi in Tagalog is deeply connected in our folklore and also in Filipino Martial Arts. You can see in the picture below a close up picture of the stingrays tail. As you can see the tail has hundreds of small bumps and it feels like a coarse sand paper. They  also said that even if it is dried the tail still releases neurotoxins but not that potent compared to when it is still fresh.

stingrays tail - buntot pagi close up

Stingrays Tail In Filipino Martial Art

In the Philippines and also around the world people has come to know the Filipino Martial Art called Arnis, Kalis, or Eskrima. This Filipino Martial Art is usually used with a weapon either 2 short wooden sticks called arnis or two blades called kris. It also has some hand to hand techniques but it focuses more on the weapons. Unknown to some because it is seldom seen in the practices it also uses a whip. The whip that is usually used is made from the stingrays tail. the tail is very pliable and flexible. It also has a memory like wire that comes back to its original form after you whip it. It can be whipped very hard but will not break easily. For Filipino Martial Art practitioners this stingrays tail is hard to come by because stingrays here in the Philippines are an endangered species. Unlike before when you can just buy them from a fisherman.

stingrays tail - buntot pagi 1

 Stingrays Tail In Philippine Folklore

Stingrays Tail is deeply rooted with Philippine Folklore because according to legends and superstitions it is used as an anting anting (charm) and a weapon to ward of aswangs and multos (evil spirits, ghosts, ghouls, and other supernatural spirits). It is especially effective in dealing with tik tik. It is a monster that makes a tik tik sound and has a long tongue and usually preys on pregnant women. People believe that when someone is pregnant and at night you hear a tik tik sound you should be careful and get ready because a tik tik monster is targeting the child of the pregnant woman. Old beliefs also tells us that the supernaturals hate this stungrays tail because when whipped and it touches them they burn. According to the old people who I have asked regarding on how to use it to combat the supernatural they say that to fight you just whip it at the aswang or multo. For preventive measure or for protection they said that you should whip the stingrays tail at your gate and at the your windows house in the afternoon and you should put it near the window or near a pregnant woman to  scare of the evil spirits.

Source

Lyrehcwrites

Kaligear

Kapitan Kokak

Philippine Travelers

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