Bhutan bow - details
Bhutan bow construction looks very simply but I have a question. The belly of bow is the outside part of bamboo?
I'm looking for some photos close-up of bhutan bows, details of grip arms ends etc.
Andrzej
I'm looking for some photos close-up of bhutan bows, details of grip arms ends etc.
Andrzej
The outside of the bamboo is on the inside (belly) of the bow. This is the opposite of the way that bamboo is usually used in bows, I was told that the firehardening of the bamboo changed its properties. I picked up one of these Bhutanese bows at IHAF a couple of years ago. It is very smooth.
There is a full article about these bows in an old issue of Primitive Archer.
Yesterday evening there was again a film about archery in the French-German TV-channel ARTE.Archery becomes more and more interested for the TV.Two weeks ago the same channel posts a short film on kyudo,yesterday there was an 50 minute report on Tshering Chhoden,the famous bhutanese archer(esse) to be seen.It was well done,cause it makes clear the actual problems of Bhutan on the base of archery.You got an insight in Chhodens career as a compound-archer using hightech equipment and modern training,but anyway using the old prayers for success.And you could see one of these men-only-competitions between 2 villages with their traditonal bamboo bows,shamanic practices,prayers,singing for succes........very impressive.The target is 145m away,the drawweight of all these bamboo-bows is about 70lbs.
The bows are made of bamboo-boards with the outside as the belly of the bow.The grip was formed by binding a piece of wood at the center of the bow.Nothing was told about the arrows and the string but it seems to be traditional made.Chhoden seems to have not at all any connections to the traditional archery,cause she believes that the hits on the 145m-range with old equipment were only done by accident.I really would like to see her target-shooting the 145m-range with modern equipment .The film will be repeated today at 14h55m and September the 17th at 11h25m again on ARTE:
So go out,just now,contact your TV-channel,they want us!
The bows are made of bamboo-boards with the outside as the belly of the bow.The grip was formed by binding a piece of wood at the center of the bow.Nothing was told about the arrows and the string but it seems to be traditional made.Chhoden seems to have not at all any connections to the traditional archery,cause she believes that the hits on the 145m-range with old equipment were only done by accident.I really would like to see her target-shooting the 145m-range with modern equipment .The film will be repeated today at 14h55m and September the 17th at 11h25m again on ARTE:
So go out,just now,contact your TV-channel,they want us!
I have seen Tsewang Nidup shoot and I do not believe there was any "chance" involved in his hitting of the target.
He made his bows from two pieces of Bamboo overlapped at the handle. It made them easier to take on planes,
His arrows were made from bamboo with four quarter inch high (6 mm) feathers about five inches long. The bamboo was not hardened and the nock was cut directly into the shaft. The points were conical pieces of iron.
The targets were very small and looked like upside down cricket bats (for those who know what they are). I had trouble seeing them at the distance he was shooting.
Traditional Bhutaness archers are very effective from my limited experience ( and very friendly too).
He made his bows from two pieces of Bamboo overlapped at the handle. It made them easier to take on planes,
His arrows were made from bamboo with four quarter inch high (6 mm) feathers about five inches long. The bamboo was not hardened and the nock was cut directly into the shaft. The points were conical pieces of iron.
The targets were very small and looked like upside down cricket bats (for those who know what they are). I had trouble seeing them at the distance he was shooting.
Traditional Bhutaness archers are very effective from my limited experience ( and very friendly too).
hi Bede,I?m also very impressed by the bhutan archers.Unbelievable the distance and how close the audience stands beside the archers,they trust in their archers.
Bede,do you mean that these bows were made of 2 pieces of bamboo overlapping in the handle along the length of the bow?How is the hardening done?With an open flame and how long?
Bede,do you mean that these bows were made of 2 pieces of bamboo overlapping in the handle along the length of the bow?How is the hardening done?With an open flame and how long?
The bows were overlapped at the handle only and were bound, not glued, together so that they could be taken apart for shipping.
I am not sure how the bamboo was treated. Mountatin-grown bamboo was supposed to be tougher than the plants from the lowlands. However, I suspect they were heat treated.
I do know that the low fletching on the arrows was shaped with a piece of hot metal (I suppose like a soldering iron).
I wish I could ask Tsewang, but I have never had any success e-mailing him. He was very helpful explaining all the details of Bhutanese archery.
I am not sure how the bamboo was treated. Mountatin-grown bamboo was supposed to be tougher than the plants from the lowlands. However, I suspect they were heat treated.
I do know that the low fletching on the arrows was shaped with a piece of hot metal (I suppose like a soldering iron).
I wish I could ask Tsewang, but I have never had any success e-mailing him. He was very helpful explaining all the details of Bhutanese archery.