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The bouffadou (boffidor in Occitan) is a traditional tool used to fan the flames. It's a blowpipe, a long wooden tube in which we blow and which permit to lead the air on a precise point at fireplace. It is possible to find different written forms bouffadou, buffadou, bufadou, depending on the regions.

Etymology
Bouffadou is the french term from the occitan bofador [bufa'δu] or bufador [byfa'δu], from the verb bofar or bufar which mean « to blow ». It is the general name too of bellows in Occitan.

Once, the citizens of Lozere called it « tool to re-light the fire without to burn the mustaches ».

This term may, in some areas, pleasantly designate « anus ».

Manufacture
In general, the bouffadou is manufactured with pin’s ridge or fir’s ridge (superior part of the trunk), from 27.56 inch to 40 inch in length, with get rid of branches, preserving though a branche’s part near the thicker extremitie, which will serve as handle. Then, we dig the wood all the way : this process is helped by the case that the marrow is softer and can be removed without efforts. It also possible to expose the piece of wood to the freeze before diging it, with a long stem of hot red iron – today this process is handle with an electric drill -. The bouffadou can be left rough, with a bark, or even debarked and polished.

The bouffadou was used in the Massif Central, the Alpes, in Languedoc, in the Jura ans to a lesser degree in the Pyrénées. In Gascogne, we used a hollow reeds stems names boheta [bu'hetɔ], in Limousin, an iron tube names canon [ka'nu]. The Bouffadou or subsitute was widespread use, before the emergence of the wood’s or leather’s bellow.

Today, the bouffadou is manufactured as a traditional hand craft item.