Bong ethymology

Bong is a word that is believed to come from the Thai word "baung". It refers to a cylinder type tube that can be made from various materials and is used for smoking. A Thai baung was made of wood, pipe, or natural materials like bamboo stems. During the Vietnam war there were American military bases stationed in Thailand where the word was picked up by the troops and brought back to the United States. The Thai used their "baung's" to smoke cannabis like from a pipe. In the January 1971 issue of the Marijuana Review the word bong was used in an article that read, "Many thanks to Scott Bennett for the beautiful special bong he made for my pipe collection." This is the earliest recorded use of the word bong in the Untied States.

The Thai may have gotten the use of the word baung from the Africans. After all, Mary Leakey found her water pipe in modern day Kenya where a tribe was once called the Bong'om. This disappearing tribe's language was also referred to as Bong'om. On the other side of Africa there is a place in Liberia called Bong County named after Mount Bong. The question is did these Africans get the word from the Thai or did the Thai stoners name their baungs after the Africans?

Today most stoners all have mastered the use of a bong and have one or two of these devices in their collection of marijuana paraphernalia.

Continue reading here: Californian Skunk Marijuana Seeds

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