The Jarawas - Archery in India

The Jarawas / Sentinelese people of India are highly protective of their culture and way of life, living as they have done so for approx. 10,000 years, their culture virtually unchanged during that time.

How do they manage to stay isolated and unchanged?

Lots of arrows and vigilance.

Intruders on their land are often met with a very large number of arrows. Those few who have encountered them peacefully have witnessed them bowfishing, some impressive feats of archery and some unusual methods of bowmaking and stringmaking. (The image below shows a man wetting his bowstring with saliva to make it tighter and more durable.)

The Jarawas are not the only people like this either. But they are one of the few who remain isolated and virtually untouched.

Visiting them as a tourist however is not recommended. They are just as likely to shoot you. A fellow archer however, coming in peace - they might get them curious however.

Above a Jarawas man shows off his ever-present bow and arrows. 

Note that they don't fletch their arrows, since fletching interferes with bowfishing accuracy.

Below a Jarawas man sharpens a metal arrowhead made from scavenged metal.

 Above, a group of Jarawas men and women are fishing with bows and nets.

Below, two Jarawas men show off their pre-draw archery form. Note the very wide open stance.

February 23rd - International Samurai Day

In a fitting tribute to February 23rd, International Samurai Day, aka "Day of the Samurai", we offer the following images of samurai archers.

In addition to swordsmanship and archery, samurai were also expected to master horsemanship and many other skills, and they were expected to honour the ways of Bushido, the samurai code of conduct.

While being a samurai was predominantly a male occupation, it was not unheard of for women to also become samurai, like the photograph below of a female samurai.

Equestrian Archery in Japan

Govaert Flinck's "A Young Archer"

Govaert Flinck

"A Young Archer"

Oil on oak panel
Netherlands (1639-1640)
Wallace Collection

Another way to enjoy archery as a tourist is to visit various art galleries abroad and look for art pieces containing samples of archery from specific time periods.

Sadly sometimes the artists don't know squat about archery and make mistakes, but othertimes they sometimes display an extreme attention to detail - giving up a sneak peak into archery's historical part.

Archery Banned in Saudi Arabia

I learned something bizarre today.

According to an immigrant from Saudi Arabia I spoke to today, archery is banned and illegal in Saudi Arabia. It is apparently illegal to practice recreational archery for fun, illegal to bowhunt and the only type of archery allowed is competitive Olympic-style archery. Every other form of archery is completely banned.

What is bizarre about this is that it actually contradicts Islam. As an Islamic country, Saudi Arabia should want to uphold the teachings of Muhammad. During his teachings Muhammad said that archery, horsemanship and swimming were recreational activities that all men should do. It should also be noted that swordsmanship was also considered to be important, although that was more for war and less for recreation.

So a note to the wise - don't plan any tourist trips to Saudi Arabia unless you plan on leaving your archery equipment behind. Also please be advised that the court system in Saudi Arabia is ridiculously corrupt and not friendly towards foreigners, so getting accused of any crime there will be super expensive and could take years to sort out. You could end up languishing in a prison there for years for even a minor crime.

The man I spoke to today said he wasn't even allowed to buy archery equipment, because the laws regarding only Olympic archers practicing archery means that common people aren't even allowed to purchase equipment. This becomes a Catch-22 in that would be Olympic archery athletes in the country often never even touch a bow before taking it up as Olympic athletes. They are basically complete beginners and know zero about the sport before taking it up as an "official athlete".

This level of ridiculousness has led to many Saudi Arabian Olympic hopefuls to be trained overseas in other countries because their own country is too restrictive for them to be able to practice,  get better at the sport, purchase equipment, or even find an archery coach. Archery coaches in Saudi Arabia are practically non existent.

Overall this level of restrictiveness means that Saudi Arabia has an extremely low number of practicing archers. Which explains why they have never won a major international contest. Not one.

If the country was actually serious about winning archery competitions then they should make archery completely legal, make the sport MANDATORY for everyone, and then everyone wouldbe doing it - and then their best of the best would end up representing their country in competitions. At present the current system is to put forth their "best of the few beginners who only vaguely know how to shoot". Which is just plain sad.

So shame on you Saudi Arabia. And shame on you for turning your back on the teachings of Muhammad. Any religious leader who encourages archery is okay in my book.

Note - For reference the Bible also says that men should know how to do archery and how to hunt with a bow and arrow. Failure to do so apparently implies that you are poor Christian. So shame on you, all you Christians who aren't practicing archery. What is wrong with you?!

Many other religions also endorse archery. In India archery is considered to be a holy activity, a gift from the gods, and practiced by many gods including Rama. In Buddhism archery is sometimes used in religious ceremonies to ward off evil. Some cultures believe that the twang of a bow string wards off demons. Basically regardless of what religion you are doing, you are encouraged to be doing archery.

And if you are not, what is wrong with you?!

Attention Archers of Niagara / Hamilton region of Ontario

Archery Niagara is looking for a few good archers - and it doesn't matter whether you are an old pro or a complete beginner. If you live in the Niagara region / Hamilton area and are into archery please join by visiting http://www.meetup.com/Archery-Niagara/

Hang out with your fellow archers, bowhunters, bowyers and toxophilites in the Niagara region of Ontario.

Archery in Dubai

You cannot talk about Archery in Dubai without talking about "Dubai Archers", an archery club based there composed of foreigners and locals alike. You can learn more by visiting dubaiarchers.com.

Archery in Islam

"The Prophet (peace be on him) once passed by a group of his Companions who were competing in archery. He encouraged them, saying, “Shoot, and I am with you.” "

"The Prophet Muhammad said: “Learn the shooting of arrows, and do not be averse to it, for the areas between the two targets holds a garden of the gardens of paradise.” "

"O Khalid, let me tell you what I heard the Messenger of Allah say. He said: “Allah admits three people into Paradise because of one arrow. The one who makes it, doing so with the intention of good, the one who shoots it and the one who hands it over to the archer. So go out and train in archery and in horseback riding. And I prefer you train in archery. Entertainment is appropriate in only three forms: Training your horse, spending time with your wife, and archery. And whoever learns archery and then abandons it has rejected a blessing from Allah” "

"The Prophet (peace be on him) said, “Practice archery; that is good for you.” "

"The Messenger of Allah passed next to boys playing a game of archery. He said: “Shoot children of Ismael, your father was a great archer. Shoot and I will join so and so” and he joined one of the teams. The Messenger of Allah then said: “Why did you stop?” They said: “How can we do so when you are with them?” He said: “Go ahead and shoot, I am with all of you!” "

"I saw Jabir bin Abdullah and Jabir bin Umair al Ansari target shooting while one of them got bored and sat down. The other told him: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Everything that is not remembrance of Allah is in vain except four things: Your walking between your targets, training your horse, playing with your wife, and swimming practice” "

"Amr bin Absah Radiya-allahu anhu said we were laying siege to al Taif and I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Whoever shoots an arrow in the sake of Allah will be rewarded like one who has freed a slave” Amr said I shot 16 arrows on that day."

"Utbah bin Abd al Sulami Radiya-allahu anhu narrated: The Messenger of Allah told his companions: “Stand up and fight!” So a man stood up and shot an arrow. The Messenger of Allah said: “This man is granted Paradise” "

"Faqeem al Lakhmi Radiya-allahu anhu told Uqbah bin Amer Radiya-allahu anhu: “You are running between these two targets and you are at this old age!” Uqbah(RA) said: “If it wasn’t for some words I heard from the Messenger of Allah I wouldn’t have gone through this” The narrator asked what those words were, he Radiya-allahu anhu said: “Whoever learns target shooting and then abandons it is not one of us – or he said, “has committed a sin” "

Archery Ranges and Clubs in Manitoba

So I found this company in Manitoba that sells Iroquois bows and now I am tempted to go visit Manitoba and archery ranges there.

The website I am talking about is Assiniboine Tipis, which sells 72" traditional flatbows in the following styles:
f
Lakota Style Flat Bow
Modoc Style Flat Bow
Sudbury Style Bow

+ arrows, quivers, ceremonial arrows, war/hunting arrows, flint arrowheads, antique arrowheads and more.

So where do you go to practice archery in Manitoba?

Well there is the Archers and Bowhunters Association of Manitoba (ABAM) which lists competitions and local archery clubs, including the following clubs:

17 Wing Archery Club

c/o Ron Cooney

Winnipeg, MB

204-489-7466

rjcooney54@gmail.com

Artemis Pole Archery Club

c/o Sean Abraham

Richer, MB

204-422-9547

sean.abraham75@gmail.com

Asessippi Archery Club

c/o Tim Yaremchuk

Rossburn, MB

204-859-3280

rmnpdl@gmail.com

Bosshill Creek Wildlife Archery Club

c/o Boyd Canart

Elkhorn, MB

204-851-0358

bcanart@hotmail.com

 

Bows, Broads & Bullseyes

c/o Wendy Roberts

Winnipeg, MB

info@BowsBroadsBullseyesArchery.ca

Brandon Wildlife Archery Association
c/o Barry Fowlie
Brandon, MB
204-727-6218

barryfowlie@icloud.com

Carberry Archers

c/o Aaron Bull

Carberry, MB

204-761-3735

abull@mts.net 

CFB Shilo Archery Club

c/o Clayton Fleet

Shilo, MB

204-720-8905

shiloarcheryclub@hotmail.com

 

Flat Creek Archers

c/o Tim Gomph

Oak Lake, MB

204-855-2812

tgompf@inetlinkwireless.ca 

Gillam Archery Club

c/o Mark MacDearmid

Gillam, MB

204-652-5107

204-652-2626

macdears@gillamnet.ca

Interlake Archers
c/o Ed Wilson
Winnipeg, MB
204-831-5575
edwil1440@hotmail.com

 

Manitoba Bowhunting Records Club
c/o Gerry Couturier
Isle De Chenes, MB
204-257-8020

mbrcwpg@yahoo.ca

Minnedosa Archery Club
c/o Wayne Baker
Strathclair, MB
204-365-7007
waykat@mts.net

North Star Archers

c/o Lucille Iles

The Pas, MB

204-623-2260

not4metono@hotmail.com

Northern Lights Archery Club
c/o Cindy Neniska
Winnipeg, MB

204-642-1435

adreana@mts.net

Pembina Archers Association

c/o Bob Hunt

Manitou, MB

204-242-2285

hunt1687@gmail.com

Plainsman Archery Club

c/o Kel Neufeld

Winkler, MB

204-331-4405

KNEUFELD@MPI.MB.CA

Prairie Bowhunters Archery Club
c/o Chad Smith
Portage La Prairie, MB
204-267-2811

csmith@enssbros.com

Reston Archery Club

Reston, MB

Robin Hood Pole Archery Club
c/o Chad Swayze
Winnipeg, MB
204-299-5285
cswayze@shaw.ca

Selkirk Archers & Bowhunters

c/o Roger Garrod

Selkirk, MB

204-444-3677

SAB@highspeedcrow.ca

Snake Creek Wildlife Archery Club

c/o Alan Wilson

Birtle, MB

204-842-3966

wilsonas@mts.net

South Mountain Archery Shooter & Hunter
c/o Chad Sulik
Erickson, MB
204-848-0358
madchaddad@live.ca

St. Laurent Archers & Bowhunters

c/o Jane Chartrand

St. Laurent, MB

204-278-3601

stlreccom@mymts.net 

St. Sebastian Pole Archery Club

c/o Don Bouvier

Winnipeg, MB

204-224-5021

bouvier.donald@gmail.com

St. Sebastianette Pole Archery Club
c/o Eleanor Young
Winnipeg, MB

204-256-5872

info@stsebastianettearcheryclub.ca

Team Heartland
c/o Allan Gunter
Winnipeg MB
204-793-3655
info@heartlandarchery.ca

Thompson Archers & Bowhunters Association

c/o Telena Neufeld

Thompson, MB

204-677-8528

thompsonarchers@gmail.com

Traditional Bowhunters
c/o Dave Bryce
Winnipeg, MB
204-889-5413

dave_bryce@hotmail.com

Vermillion Archers
c/o Tarry Wareham
Dauphin, MB

204-629-2206

terry.wareh@gmail.com

Bowhunting is very popular in Manitoba too and the province has a wide range of hunting for both big and small game.

This list was updated in February 2016.

The Brazil Indigenous Games

If you are traveling to Brazil one of the things you will want to check out is the Brazil Indigenous Games - which archery is one of the "main events" in the many sporting events at the Games.

Below are photos from the Brazil Indigenous Games.

Happy Traveling!

Gungsulwon Archery Tours in South Korea

KOREA GUNGSULWON ARCHERY TOURS

Contact Information

H. J. Lee / Manager of overseas business
2Fl., 122-32, Junggok 2-dong, Gwangjin-gu,
Seoul, 143-890, South Korea
Cell. 8210-7273-1731
Fax. 822-456-2013
To bank account : 203-00736-434-01 (Beneficiary : Hyun Jun Lee),
e-mail : luke1731@hanmail.net

* Payment is by PayPal or WESTERN UNION or bank detail : CITI BANK (SWIFT : CITIKRSX)
 (Shipping cost is additional)

Gungsulwon Archery Tours has 4 types of tours you can choose from, and you can combine them as well. Use the contact details above to make arrangements.

- Minimum number of tourists per tour is 2 people.
- Children is 30% discount (up to middle school student)
- When you combine each type of tour for several days, tour charge and course would be adjusted accordingly.

=========================

Fees

- 2 people : USD350.00/person per a day (On 2 people, child DC is not available)

- 3 people : USD300.00/person per a day

- 4 people : USD270.00/person per a day

- Over 5 people : Negotiation

1. Type 1 (In Type 1, it takes additional fee for horse riding, USD30.00/people)

- Pick up 9:00AM in front of your Hotel
- Horseback riding (1 hour and 20 minutes away from Seoul area, Ground archery is available)
(Instruction for beginner or Free riding for experiences people with archery and taking pictures)
- Lunch (In-door or Out-door, depends on the situation)
- GUNGSULWON visiting (Tea & Rest / Picture with traditional dress / Shooting practice)
(For souvenir or equipment, pre-order is required)
- HWANGHAKJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (Picture taking, Shooting is not available)
- SEOKHOJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (145m target shooting, shooting is available)
- Sightseeing in Seoul (Taking pictures)
- GWANGJANG food market (Market food & Korean alcoholic beverage)
- Hotel arriving

2. Type 2

- Pick up 9:00AM in front of your Hotel
- Field archery (30 minutes away from Seoul)
- Lunch (In-door or Out-door, depends on the situation)
- GUNGSULWON visiting (Tea & Rest / Picture with traditional dress / Shooting practice)
(For souvenir or equipment, pre-order is required)
- HWANGHAKJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (Picture taking, Shooting is not available)
- SEOKHOJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (145m target shooting, shooting is available)
- Sightseeing in Seoul (Taking pictures)
- GWANGJANG food market (Market food & Korean alcoholic beverage)
- Hotel arriving

3. Type 3

- Pick up 9:00AM in front of your Hotel
- Horn Bow Manufacturer Visiting (Talking with the craftsman and taking picture)
(Around 1hour away from Seoul, Shooting is available)
- Archery Museum sightseeing(Different place with type 4)
- Lunch (In-door or Out-door, depends on the situation)
- GUNGSULWON visiting (Tea & Rest / Picture with traditional dress / Shooting practice)
(For souvenir or equipment, pre-order is required)
- HWANGHAKJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (Picture taking, Shooting is not available)
- SEOKHOJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (145m target shooting, shooting is available)
- Sightseeing in Seoul (Taking pictures)
- GWANGJANG food market (Market food & Korean alcoholic beverage)
- Hotel arriving

4. Type 4

- Pick up 9:00AM in front of your Hotel
- Bamboo arrow manufacturer visiting (Talking with the craftsman and taking picture)
(Around 1hour away from Seoul, Shooting is available)
- Archery Museum sightseeing(different place with type 3)
- Lunch (In-door or Out-door, depends on the situation)
- GUNGSULWON visiting (Tea & Rest / Picture with traditional dress / Shooting practice)
(For souvenir or equipment, pre-order is required)
- HWANGHAKJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (Picture taking, Shooting is not available)
- SEOKHOJUNG archery club in Seoul visiting (145m target shooting, shooting is available)
- Sightseeing in Seoul (Taking pictures)
- GWANGJANG food market (Market food & Korean alcoholic beverage)
- Hotel arriving

Visiting Toronto this Winter? Go see "The Heart of Robin Hood" at the Royal Alexandra Theatre

Are you visiting Toronto this Winter?

If so, I recommend you go see "The Heart of Robin Hood" at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

HOW MUCH - Ticket prices are between $45 and $105.

WHERE - The Royal Alexandra Theatre is at 260 King Street West.

WHEN - December 23, 2014 - March 1, 2015.

Click here to buy tickets for The Heart of Robin Hood.

While in Toronto you can also take your bow to the Toronto Archery Range for some target practice. Even though it is winter, the archery range is still open. Read the Guide to Winter Archery in Toronto for tips on how to stay warm while doing archery outside in the cold.

Winter Archery in Canada

So you want to practice outdoors during the Winter eh? (Or in an Arctic or Sub-Arctic region?)

Well it is Canada, and it is freaking cold outside.

Thankfully there are some tips to practicing outdoors in the Winter. Read The Guide to Winter Archery in Toronto to learn more about the best techniques for practicing in the snow.

Also check out the Inuit bow below. Inuit bows are a type of composite bow made from antler, sinew and often use cable backing to make the bow even stronger than a normal composite bow. They end up being extremely powerful bows capable of taking down polar bears.

The Inuit are famed with their amazing aim too. Give them a bow, a rifle or even a rock and they can usually hit whatever you ask them to. Amazingly good shots.

Saugeen Shafts Archery Range in Peterborough

Looking for an archery range in Peterborough Ontario?

Check out Saugeen Shafts (saugeenshafts.com) which operates an indoor archery range where you can rent a lane and shoot to your hearts content.

They also operate a Summer Camp for youngsters, Archery Lessons for Adults and Children, a "$6 Ladies Night" for women only and group archery events.

Plus you get to visit beautiful Peterborough. What is not to like?

How Tourism Benefits an Individual's Intelligence and Mental Well Being

My girlfriend and I have different ideas about what makes for a good vacation / tourist holiday.

My interests are that of visiting museums, water falls, hiking trails, gorges, historical forts, archaeological sites, and so forth.

Take for example my recent trip to Crawford Lake Conservation Area and Hilton Falls - both near Milton Ontario.

The Crawford Lake Conservation Area included an Iroquois village / archaeological site which we visited. The site was certainly educational - and I purchased 20 flint arrowheads at the gift shop. (The girl at the desk looked at me funny when I bought so many, but whatever.)

This brings me to my first point:

#1. Many tourist attractions are also educational.

#2. Many tourist attractions require a degree of exercise.

And exercise is good for you, not just physically, but it also boosts mental well-being.

#3. Many tourist attractions also sell things - which fuels our interests in history, education, and in my case: archery.

Like the arrowheads I purchased.

Or like these arrowheads I photographed at the small museum at Crawford Lake.

#4. Beautiful scenery makes for great experiences and photography.

And also amazing videos. Like the following videos I made of Hilton Falls.





Which was all very much fun to do.

When my girlfriend and I first met her idea of a vacation was relaxing at home - basically doing relatively nothing and just relaxing. Since then however I have taken her to the beach many times, waterfalls, gorges, hiking trails, bicycling, museums, art galleries, archaeological dig sites, and numerous other places.

And during that time she has realized, yes, it is more expensive to travel and explore and try new things - but it is also way more enjoyable.

If you've ever met someone who doesn't like to travel you probably know that people like that are actually quite boring. eg. Years ago I worked in an office and the guy next to me never traveled. He only stayed at home and watched Japanese anime - and nothing else. He had never even seen a single episodes of The Simpsons. His entire life revolved around staying at home and watching Japanese anime. That was it. Pretty boring.

Now you might think "Hey, doesn't your entire life revolve around archery?"

No. Not really. My entire life has many things it revolves around. Archery is just one of many interests. I also enjoy writing, painting, poetry, sculpture, photography, making/editing videos, woodworking, bicycles, and many other activities.

Someday I would even like to go back to university, write a dissertation and get my Masters degree. I am confident enough in my writing abilities that I can do it too.

As opposed to the people who haven't really blossomed in their lives because they sit at home, do nothing and haven't really explored the world or expanded their understanding of it.

And have fun while doing it.