The History of Archery

by Pam Hillman

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?

In anticipation of the release of

The Crossing at Cypress Creek, book #3

in my Natchez Trace Novel series, the first two ebooks are on sale during the month of April!

Click here to get The Promise of Breeze Hill!

Click here to get The Road to Magnolia Glen!

Read an excerpt from The Crossing at Cypress Creek

~ Coming June 3, 2019!

The Native American Bow and Arrows

Recently, I discovered an article on the process of making the bows and arrows the Native American cultures used for both hunting and war back in the day. I found the process interesting, and I hope you might also.

An Apache with bow and arrows

The Bow

The making of an archer’s bow was a time-consuming process. The men didn’t just walk into the woods, pick a thick stick, and shave/whittle it down to the right shape. No, there was more to it than that. First, they had to know how the bow would be used—while on foot or on horseback. This would determine the type of materials used. A bow used on foot would typically be made of a single piece of wood about five feet long. A bow used while mounted was often made of composite materials—wood, horn, antler, and/or sinew. For our purposes, we’ll focus on the wooden bows.

A bow-maker would seek a flexible piece of hardwood, usually about as thick as a sturdy walking stick. The best woods were ash, willow juniper, cedar, walnut, hickory, oak, or birch. The warrior would strip the bark and whittle and sand it—thicker in the center, thinner on either end. He would then “stretch” the wood, or use heat/steam to bend the wood into a rough bow shape. Stretching the wood could take upward of a week, depending on the amount of shaping needed. It must be done slowly so not to crack the wood. The bowstring notches would then be cut into each end, and the wood was coated in animal fat to protect and season the wood. The properly-shaped, bent wood piece would be left to dry slowly over a fire for a good length of time to finish the seasoning process. The final step before stringing the bow was to wrap the handle with leather to form a good, comfortable grip.

The bowstring could be made from plant fibers, rawhide, or sinew. Sinew was the most readily available, taken from the back or leg tendons of large animals—often buffalo. Rawhide was the next most available. Plant fibers, most often made from nettles, milkweed, or the inner bark of certain types of trees, was the highest quality of the three choices since it wouldn’t stretch out over time. However, the plant fibers took the most work to attain. No matter the material, the fibers would be twisted into a sturdy string and looped around the bow’s ends. 

Sioux warrior Kicking Bear teaches his son to use a bow and arrows

Making a quality bow could take several weeks. In cultures where life depended on the ability to hunt for food or fight in battle, a bow was a highly prized and carefully crafted item.

The Arrows

If you thought the bow-making process took time, you’ll be surprised at the truth about making arrows.

The first step in the process was to find a number of fairly straight sticks—either branches from a tree or woody reeds. If branches were used, they would start with a branch about as thick as the human thumb. The arrow-maker would rub animal fat over the batch to slow the drying process, then bundle the sticks together. And then…he would place them in a dark place for three to eight months to dry properly.

With the drying process done, the arrow-maker would then straighten the wood. If the sticks were bundled properly, they wouldn’t need much straightening. The arrow shaft would be run through a low flame to heat the wood, then manipulated by hand to straighten any bent places. With the significant bends straightened out, the arrow-maker would sight down the shaft and straighten the less obvious imperfections. As the wood cooled, the bark was removed and the shafts sanded until smooth. A nock would be cut into one end where the bowstring would fit.

Seneca woman Pretty Flower holding a bow and several arrows
circa 1908

On the shaft’s other end, the arrowhead would be attached. Depending on the Native American tribe, materials available, and what point in history you were talking about, arrowheads might be made of bone, stone, glass or metal. Most commonly, they were made of stone—often flint—which had to be carefully chipped and shaped into a razor-sharp projectile point. This process is known as “flintknapping.” The arrowhead was attached, usually by tying it in place with sinew.

The final piece of the process was to fletch the arrow—or attach the feathers. The feathers would give the arrow its spin, which would make it fly straight, and would also counterbalance the weight of the arrowhead so it wouldn’t tumble end over end. Turkey feathers were most commonly used, although crow, eagle, and other large bird feathers were suitable alternatives. The three feathers would be glued in place with animal hide glue, then carefully tied down with a delicate piece of sinew.

Quality arrows could take anywhere from six months to a year to make, and as I’m sure you can imagine, these arrows would easily be lost, damaged, or stolen in the heat of a hunt or battle. A large part of a Native American’s time was spent on making the arrows he would need to keep his family fed or protected.

It’s your turn: Have you ever given thought to the time-consuming processes it took to make the everyday tools of life in times gone by? If so, what process most impressed or amazed you and why?

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won and finaled in numerous writing competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. She currently writes historical novellas of the American West for Barbour Publishing and works as a Content Editor for Firefly Southern Fiction. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.

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