Fona

What is

The sling: two cords with a bag (bossa or mà) in the middle to throw stones. Weapon of the Balearic foners of Antiquity; today a federated sport, the tir de fona.

How is

• Braided cords with a bow at one end (for the finger) and the bossa in the center.
• Traditional materials: vegetable fibers (jonc, palm) or wool (to verify ethnographic sources; the federation runs clothing workshops).
• Projectile: stone or, in competition, ball.

How is fa

• Hand braided; The federation organizes phone making workshops.

Com s'usa

• You turn over your head or to your side and release a cord at the right moment.
• Competition in rock and pilot modalities.

Vocabulary

• fona: honda.
• foner: slinger.
• tir de fona: sport.
• bossa: central bag.

History

• Since c. 1500 BC C.: finds from the Talayotic era (dissemination source).
• Antiquity: the Balearic foners, famous as mercenaries; They threw stones and metal projectiles.
• 2001: recovery of tradition in the Balearic Islands.
• 2025: BOIB publishes the board of the Balearic Federation of Tir de Fona (pres. Jaime Darder, 2024-2028).
• 2022: Palma cedes land to the federation.

On veure'n

• Sound recording championships; Museum of Mallorca (archaeological pieces to verify).

Why is it design

• Fiber weapon: maximum power with a pocket item.
• Identity: the foners are the oldest emblem of the Balearic Islands.

For the project

• Fones workshop with the federation; comparison of materials (jonc, palm, trowel).

Sources

• mallorcamagazin.com/nachrichten/lokales/2022/07/16/103917/eigenes-gelande-fur-ma
• ultimahora.es/deportes/otros-deportes/2023/03/04/1893045/tir-fona-tirada-illes-b
• intranet.caib.es/eboibfront/pdf/es/2025/8/1180564

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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