Rattan

A deal probably 15 years ago that was brought to us from Joe Don and then the gentleman that actually started it was Dean Torbs.

But we buy Rattan and we build Rattan bows.

We put somewhere around 3,500 plus bows into kids' hands that are 12 and under.

And it's just, we know that that's our future is being able to pass that on to kids.

probably could have given away a thousand.

Wow.

Are those the Rattan ones, or were you giving away other ones

also?

Also, this rattan, it's ...

I'm gonna put a picture over here.

It's, uh, R-A-T-T-A-N.

Mm-hmm.

It's a naturally flexible, solid stemmed climbing palm.

Oh, no, not wood.

I think it's called reta- rattan.

Rattan.

Yeah, yeah.

Rattan.

And but that's been kind of clawed open and out.

And, and that image mainly sh- reads as, like, green.

Wicker comes from the root for willow, but it's come to mean anything like woven basket, like with plant or even synthetic cordage or flexible rods.

Rattan now is made of woven palm specifically.

So newsflash, we use plants for a lot of things.

You're not saying.

Now chapter 43, Baksum Boy, and we get the first really major battle, and Chunza is right in the middle of it.

In the novel, Koshinga gives Chunza 60 gunboats and around 4,000 men altogether, including the Iron Men and Rattan Shield Troops we discussed in the previous episode.

Pedal's force is much smaller.

The Dutch force is hundreds, and they're facing several thousand men.

The gaps fill, and the junk soldiers keep coming.

While the Dutch are concentrating on the enemy in front of them, Chen's other units are moving around the sides.

The Rattan shield men get close enough that the Dutch advantage in firearms starts to vanish.

And now it's men fighting almost at arm's length.