Apinaje bow and arrows

KuKulzA28 · 8th February 2013, 05:40 AM

I don't know if you guys are into archery or hunting, or into South American indigenous stuff... but for those who are or will be, here's something cool. Here's what I was told is an Apinaje tribe bow and arrows set collected in the 1950s. For a roughly 70 yr old set, it's been kept in decent condition. Normally on the Matis, Matses, and Yanomamö bow and arrow sets, the feathers have disintegrated.

The bow is a typical South American longbow, similar to the English kind, but made of what I think is probably black palmwood. The string is looped/tied on the narrow ends without string nocks carved in. It was not taut despite being strung, so I suspect either the wood shrunk, the string loosened, or it was purposely set on there loosely but firm enough to stay on for shipping purposes. Black Palm is excellent bow material, stiff and strong. The bow is this long to maximize the power... a bow this stiff needs to be long to avoid over-drawing, and allow for a long draw which would be impossible in a short self-bow of this material... in essence, unless you place the bow on your feet and make yourself an improvised human crossbow, you'll never reach the full potential of the bow.

The arrows are typical of the Amazon and Guianas. There's one with a wooden spike and another with a bamboo broadhead. They are set into an arrow reed/cane that is extremely light but straight and durable. Most use Gynerium sagittatum. Cotton fibers bind the ends where the heads and nocks are pushed into the pithy center. The glue (whichever kind they use) is gone or mostly. The fletching is very well done, the black feathers are probably curassow. Two feathers, like much of the fletching in the Americas (though 3 and spiral fletching was not unknown, just not preferred). YES, they are typically that long. While sizes varied between tribes and individuals, they tended to be 5-7 feet long. The long arrows fly steady, are less easily deflected by vegetation, and are harder to lose than conventional short arrows... the lightness of the arrow reed allows for this length - which would be too heavy with solid wood, rivercane, and most bamboos at 6' long. Trust me, I've tried those materials.

Here are pictures:

KuKulzA28 · 8th February 2013, 05:43 AM

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KuKulzA28 · 10th February 2013, 05:50 AM

About the length making the arrows less easily deflected by vegetation, I would like to make a correction... It's not quite as simple as that.

The longer arrows would have more mass on impact and out of the powerful longbows would penetrate very well... but on the other hand they will have more paradox as they bend and straighten out initially once leaving the bow... Meaning, they need a large clear area initially to not be deflected. Having said that, most of these bows are very narrow and stiff, so the amount of bend the arrow must make to get around the bow is probably not that much more than a conventional arrow.

I think a parallel can be drawn between Amazonian archery gear and papua New Guinean. PNG bows and arrows follow similar designs... however PNG arrows are typically heavy and lack fetching. I feel the advantages of long arrows combined with the need for forward weight due to the last of fetching has led to the development of what we recognize as PNG style arrows.

...just more thoughts

Iain · 10th February 2013, 09:46 AM

Thank you for posting this. Its always nice to see very unusual items on the forum and this certainly is not something seen everyday.

My knowledge of these is more or less limited to the photos I've seen in various National Geographic articles or in documentaries.

The pattern in the wood of the bow is very aesthetically pleasing and it certainly looks like it has an incredibly heavy draw as you note.

I've always found the very long arrows of these cultures interesting but had never really heard what the reason for the design was. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that as well.

Bows are something that seem to be rarely collected, yet were/are the some of the most common ethnographic weapons in use.

Again, thanks for sharing it here and congratulations on acquiring this piece!

KuKulzA28 · 10th February 2013, 03:41 PM

Thanks. I figured it'd only be fair to include an authentic and quality bow and arrows set on Ethno. Arms & Armor forum... after-all, it is ethnographic and is a weapon system that is still being used in some areas.

For some reason, it seems "antique weapon collectors" avidly collect swords, knives, and armor... but generally don't seem to be quite as into bows which seems to be generally the domain of "historical archery enthusiasts". But... most vintage and antique bows outside of some of the last remaining areas of widespread tribal life, tend to be in really bad shape and scarce. Very hard to get antique yumi, Manchurian bows, Indian bows, etc. even if they were in use recently enough that you'd still find antique examples.... English longbow? probably much harder to find an antique in near perfect condition.

These are hard to find, since it seems only the occasional traveler or missionary brings them back, and usually charge a LOT for them.

8th February 2013, 05:40 AM	#1
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Apinaje bow and arrows I don't know if you guys are into archery or hunting, or into South American indigenous stuff... but for those who are or will be, here's something cool. Here's what I was told is an Apinaje tribe bow and arrows set collected in the 1950s. For a roughly 70 yr old set, it's been kept in decent condition. Normally on the Matis, Matses, and Yanomamö bow and arrow sets, the feathers have disintegrated. The bow is a typical South American longbow, similar to the English kind, but made of what I think is probably black palmwood. The string is looped/tied on the narrow ends without string nocks carved in. It was not taut despite being strung, so I suspect either the wood shrunk, the string loosened, or it was purposely set on there loosely but firm enough to stay on for shipping purposes. Black Palm is excellent bow material, stiff and strong. The bow is this long to maximize the power... a bow this stiff needs to be long to avoid over-drawing, and allow for a long draw which would be impossible in a short self-bow of this material... in essence, unless you place the bow on your feet and make yourself an improvised human crossbow, you'll never reach the full potential of the bow. The arrows are typical of the Amazon and Guianas. There's one with a wooden spike and another with a bamboo broadhead. They are set into an arrow reed/cane that is extremely light but straight and durable. Most use Gynerium sagittatum. Cotton fibers bind the ends where the heads and nocks are pushed into the pithy center. The glue (whichever kind they use) is gone or mostly. The fletching is very well done, the black feathers are probably curassow. Two feathers, like much of the fletching in the Americas (though 3 and spiral fletching was not unknown, just not preferred). YES, they are typically that long. While sizes varied between tribes and individuals, they tended to be 5-7 feet long. The long arrows fly steady, are less easily deflected by vegetation, and are harder to lose than conventional short arrows... the lightness of the arrow reed allows for this length - which would be too heavy with solid wood, rivercane, and most bamboos at 6' long. Trust me, I've tried those materials. Here are pictures: Attached Images

8th February 2013, 05:43 AM	#2
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	More Attached Images

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10th February 2013, 05:50 AM	#3
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	About the length making the arrows less easily deflected by vegetation, I would like to make a correction... It's not quite as simple as that. The longer arrows would have more mass on impact and out of the powerful longbows would penetrate very well... but on the other hand they will have more paradox as they bend and straighten out initially once leaving the bow... Meaning, they need a large clear area initially to not be deflected. Having said that, most of these bows are very narrow and stiff, so the amount of bend the arrow must make to get around the bow is probably not that much more than a conventional arrow. I think a parallel can be drawn between Amazonian archery gear and papua New Guinean. PNG bows and arrows follow similar designs... however PNG arrows are typically heavy and lack fetching. I feel the advantages of long arrows combined with the need for forward weight due to the last of fetching has led to the development of what we recognize as PNG style arrows. ...just more thoughts

10th February 2013, 09:46 AM	#4
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,680	Thank you for posting this. Its always nice to see very unusual items on the forum and this certainly is not something seen everyday. My knowledge of these is more or less limited to the photos I've seen in various National Geographic articles or in documentaries. The pattern in the wood of the bow is very aesthetically pleasing and it certainly looks like it has an incredibly heavy draw as you note. I've always found the very long arrows of these cultures interesting but had never really heard what the reason for the design was. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that as well. Bows are something that seem to be rarely collected, yet were/are the some of the most common ethnographic weapons in use. Again, thanks for sharing it here and congratulations on acquiring this piece!

10th February 2013, 03:41 PM	#5
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Thanks. I figured it'd only be fair to include an authentic and quality bow and arrows set on Ethno. Arms & Armor forum... after-all, it is ethnographic and is a weapon system that is still being used in some areas. For some reason, it seems "antique weapon collectors" avidly collect swords, knives, and armor... but generally don't seem to be quite as into bows which seems to be generally the domain of "historical archery enthusiasts". But... most vintage and antique bows outside of some of the last remaining areas of widespread tribal life, tend to be in really bad shape and scarce. Very hard to get antique yumi, Manchurian bows, Indian bows, etc. even if they were in use recently enough that you'd still find antique examples.... English longbow? probably much harder to find an antique in near perfect condition. These are hard to find, since it seems only the occasional traveler or missionary brings them back, and usually charge a LOT for them.