Tuesday, July 16, 2013

A Snapshot of the History of Archery: The American Civil War to The Hunger Games


Robin Hood, Brave, Avengers, The Hunger Games, and Confederate Civil War veterans all have one thing in common...

Archery.

I enjoyed reading about how bows and arrows have been used from the beginning of time, all across the globe, for hunting and military maneuvers. Hunters and warriors from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and into the Middle Ages relied heavily on the sport of archery for survival. One interesting tidbit according to one article was that historically bows were used as weapons on all continents except Australia. I haven’t been able to confirm that notation from other sources though. But it is still interesting, and begs the question of why.

The advent of firearms changed history. Regardless of the fact that early firearms were undependable, and susceptible to wet weather, firearms became the first choice for survival. Despite the drawbacks (pardon the pun) early firearms were more accurate, could penetrate armor more effectively, and were superior for shooting at a target from concealment, so the preference was understandable.

Some far flung regions still use bows and arrows for hunting and defense. A remote group in Brazil, recently photographed from the air, aimed bows at the airplane as it flew overhead. Bows and arrows saw considerable use in the 2007-2008 Kenyan crisis. But generally, archery is a sport these days and not a matter of survival.

With archery harking back to the beginning of time, I won't attempt to give a blow by blow description of its uses in every century, so today’s post will offer an interesting snapshot of archery today as well as an interesting incident that happened after the American Civil War.

In some cases, Ex-Confederate soldiers were not allowed to own guns after the war, so naturally the men turned to other modes of survival such as trapping, fishing, and archery to provide food for their families.

Two Confederate veterans, brothers Maurice and Will Thompson, honed their skills as archers in the wilds of the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Thomas Williams, a former slave who lived near the Thompsons, had knowledge of English-style archery (the longbow) and helped the brothers become proficient with the weapon.

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood

Later, Maurice Thompson wrote a book, The Witchery of Archery, and people once again became enthused with the sport of archery. In 1879 the National Archery Association was formed, and Maurice Thompson became its first president.

Public interest in archery soon subsided, until 1911 when Ishi, the last of the Yahi Indian tribe came out of hiding in California. Ishi died in 1916, but not before he willingly passed on many aspects of his culture, including how to hunt using a bow and arrow, to Dr. Saxton Pope of the University of California at Berkely Anthropology Museum.

Soon, Dr. Pope was joined by archery-enthusiast Arthur Young and the two men hunted in Alaska and Africa and took several large game animals. In the 1920s, engineers (as opposed to craft experts) took an interest in archery and this led to new and improved bows such as the recurve and compound bows that dominate modern Western archery today.

Katniss, The Hunger Games
It’s interesting to note that the prowess of Katniss in the Hunger Games, and box-office hits such as Brave, Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe (to name one of many Robin Hood adventures), and Avengers has resulted in a resurgence of interest in traditional and modern archery.

In an article dated August 2, 2012, the Miami Herald states, “USA Archery said membership is up 20 percent from last year, and the organization sent a letter to The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, thanking her for making archery cool with the younger generation.” Miami Herald, Archery Gaining Popularity, August 02, 2012.

When I was a kid, we made our own bows and arrows out of whatever came to hand (yes, I was a tomboy). I honestly can’t remember if I hit anything with the ones I made, but I do remember stringing bows and sharpening sticks, and practicing my skills for many, many hours. And I’ve shot my sons’ compound bows. At least the ones they had when they were first learning archery. I’m not strong enough for the big guys! It’s a good feeling to hit the target, and makes me want to try harder next time.

So, what’s your experience with archery? Have you ever shot a bow? Do you have family members who enjoy the sport? If not, surely you watched Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner, or more recently, one of the movies mentioned above?

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Pam's second novel, Claiming Mariah is currently available in digital format even though it includes not ONE bow and arrow. Rats! www.pamhillman.com

17 comments:

  1. VERY interesting article, Pam!! Especially the remote Brazil group shooting at the airplane, LOL!!

    I actually took archery in gym class in high school, and I have to say I LOVED it! Something exhilarating about hitting that target with a bow and arrow. And it always reminds me of David and Jonathon from the Bible, one of my favorite stories. :)

    Hugs,
    Julie

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    1. Julie, too fun! Remind me not to cross-bow you! :)

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  2. Love this post, Pam!! I did not know that about ex-Confederate soldiers. How interesting.

    Also I love archery. I've been doing it off and on since I was a kid and in 4-H. And I absolutely love all things Robin Hood. :) Recently I went to England and visited Sherwood Forest and Nottingham. That was magical.

    Hope you are doing well! Thanks again for the great and informative post!

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    1. Morgan, you got to go to Sherwood Forest??? Oh my!! My younger son has tons of Robin Hood movies, some of the really old ones. He used to be bad about leaving the CDs in the player and they played over and over and over. The soundtrack of one was stuck in my head for months.

      AND..regarding the ex-Confederate soldiers: It has come to my attention that the statement that "Ex-Confederate soldiers were not allowed to own guns after the war" was not universally true. I'm searching for the exact circumstances regarding Reconstruction, Oaths to the Union, and specific states to clarify this and will add an addendum to the post as soon as I have the correct facts.

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  3. This was a fun article! About three weeks ago I went to a birthday party at an archery range. We had a private instructor and it was AMAZING. So fun. The owner said he's seen a boom in people of all ages interested in archery in the past two years and credits the movie. They had to buy a bigger location and now are doing something unheard of in the archery industry--surviving (more like thriving) on lessons and instruction alone rather than equipment sales. I'm going back for sure. There was something about the whole experience that activated every primal instinct to connect to centuries of "my people" when I would release the string and hear that satisfying pop. Where the arrow went, well, let's just say I'll need more lessons and practice. =)

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    1. Nancy, thank you for sharing that. I am SO there with you on the range. Sounds like so much fun, having an instructor and someone who knows that everything is in proper working order. Did you use a compound bow?

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  4. Pam, I made an A in archery in college. Yes, I took it because of Robin Hood but it was great to discover I was good at it.

    Peace, Julie

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    1. I wonder if there's an archery class anywhere around here? But, I could probably get my husband's cousin to help. David is an expert woodsman...

      Well, except for the time he and ds1 got lost in the swamp behind my mother's after dark. No cell coverage there, so they finally called 911. My husband went over there, and shot up in the air every five minutes or so until they were able to follow the sounds out of the swamp. I would NOT want to be in that swamp at any time, least of all after dark. Shudder!

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  5. This is fascinating. My nephew and brother in law are archers. In fact my brother in law is an archery coach. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMVsgZgnp6k

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    1. Thank you for sharing that video. Would love to go to one of those workshops. But I imagine I'd be pretty sore for a while. :)

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  6. I've enjoyed archery for many years. When I went to camp in the 1950's, archery was one of the skills we learned. I also took it in college in the 1970's as a part of the PE program. I've never actually hunted with a bow, but my husband went bow-hunting many times through the years.

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    1. Wow, lots more women have taken archery than I thought. I bet you're pretty good at it, Kay! :)

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  7. My husband makes his own longbows, he was so excited to move to KS because of the abundance of Osage Orange. (Though not the fact that there are no trout streams) My girl at 3 could tell you the proper way to shoot a bow. :) He's moved to a compound bow for hunting though since you need SKILLZ to get enough deer during season with a long bow to make it worthwhile, and while he does it somewhat for sport, we want the meat! And he doesn't have enough time to practice enough with his million other hobbies.

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    1. Oh, and I shoot too. Nowhere near as good a shot as with a firearm, but I can definitely hit a target, not well enough to feel comfortable hunting deer unless I upgraded to a compound as well.

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    2. Melissa, I love your life! :) And, you're right about hunting with a bow. Bow hunters need to be good enough to make a clean shot so that they don't have to track a deer for miles or into the night.

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  8. I know a young woman who, although paralyzed from the chest down, hunts deer with a compound bow! It's very cool that she is still able to do this since becoming paralyzed. That bow gives her some freedom, and a link to her life before her accident.

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    1. Wonderful that she can enjoy the sport. I have a friend with cerebral palsy and he's an avid sportsman. And there's a group around here that takes the youngster's with disabilities hunting. One of my buddies, Austin, loves hunting. The joy on his face when he's at the deer camp is contagious. :)

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