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Dha-zo: The Art of Making Bow and Arrow
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  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00002244
    Country Bhutan
    ICH Domain Traditional craft skills
    Address
    Shari village, Tsen-to gewog (block), Paro Dzongkhag (district)
    Year of Designation 1971
Description Archery is a game that people in Bhutan have been playing since time immemorial. It is played as a tournament, friendly game and recreationally. Archery has become so popular that it was declared the national game of Bhutan in 1971. With few exceptions, the materials used to make bows and arrows are common and standardized, and differ mainly because of their availability. Here in Paro, one of the western dzongkhags (districts), Mr. Rinchen Gyeltshen from the village of Shari in the Tsen-to Gewog (block) explains that archery was practiced in the days of his ancestors and that bow and arrow making never required formal, certified training or a course, but was learned naturally over time. More than 35 years ago, in the interest of the game itself, he began making bows and arrows. Even today, teenage boys can be seen enthusiastically playing archery in dry rice fields in the villages.
Social and cultural significance Besides the worldly part of entertainment, the bow and arrow are also an instrument for the deities. For the enlightened beings, these objects mean method and wisdom, while for the deities they are an armor and a tool to conquer the obstacles of the Buddhist teachings. For secular purpose, they are one of the oldest objects used primarily for hunting, as armor to kill our enemies, and later as a game for entertainment. Archery is associated with all five areas of intangible cultural heritage, as it consists of oral traditions, performing arts and games, rituals and festivals, knowledge practices and, of course, craftsmanship, as it involves knowledge for making.
Transmission method Bows and arrows are usually made from naturally grown bamboo and reeds. However, there is a particular type of bamboo that is used for making arrows. In Tsen-to, people go to the mountains to get a type of reed called Dhew. It is then dried for a month to preserve its strength, and then smoothed with the help of fire. A Dha-chag (arrowhead) made of hardened iron is attached to one end. These arrowheads are made by blacksmiths. At the other end, feathers from birds of all kinds are cut from the spine and attached to the arrow with native glue (la-chu), and five colored strings (pang) are wrapped around the tip to create a rainbow pattern just above the feather to decorate the arrow. The bow is also made from a special bamboo called Zhu-shing. It can be cut and dried in the sun for a long time or smoked over the stove to harden. There are generally two types of bows, namely tab-zhu (folded bow) and Chang-zhu or a straight cut bow. Tab-zhu or the folded bows are the most widely used today because of their strength. The raw bamboo is cut into two equal halves and dried. They are then tied together with a leather strap or metal cord in between. The bowstring, as Rinchen Gyelsthen said, is made from a cotton ball imported from Kalimpong in its heyday, as opposed to factory-made strings, which are used nowadays mainly for bows that are stronger and more durable. The Soray or quivers are sourced from neighboring districts such as Mongar in the east and Zhemgang in the south. The quivers are also made of bamboo and decorated with leather and reeds and painted with traditional designs. A pair of targets that are 1.5 meters 25 inches wide and at least two inches thick. These targets are placed at both ends of the archery range. The target is made of wooden boards covered with a white foil with a round target painted in the center surrounded by rainbow colored rings. Necessary requirements are: -Bow (Zhu), arrows (da), targets (Ba), quiver (Soray). -The ability to recognize the specific bamboo from which arrows and bows are made. -The ability to straighten the arrows after drying on the fire or naturally. -The delicate technique of gluing feathers to one end of an arrow and an arrowhead to the other end. -The art of stringing the bowstring on the ends of the bow and stringing two bows together in the middle. Archery is the most awarded sport played in all parts of the country. It is practiced by men of all ages with the greatest enthusiasm and solemnity, and even women take an active part in it, singing and dancing in their best clothes, while exotic foods and wines abound. There are many occasions when archery is played, and in various forms. Generally, in villages, on occasions such as festivals, an archery match is organized by villagers between teams from different villages, not only to win, but also to show power and skill to others. Sometimes the prize is a dinner or lunch for the losers. In earlier times, there were stories that an archery match was held to settle disputes, but this rarely happened. Archery is also played in tournaments (Cho-dha) between villages. But this practice of playing in teams in villages has been in sharp decline since the introduction of modern Western compound bows, which replaced the traditional bamboo bows and arrows. Archery has evolved since then.
Community Shari is one of the villages in the Tsen-to Gewog. The gewog itself is relatively the largest in area compared to the other gewogs in Paro district. Farmers use the wetland to grow rice and wheat, but apples are also among the main products they use to earn a living. There are high mountains in these areas, so yak breeding is an ancient practice, while cattle are bred in the lower regions, which have their share of livestock. In earlier times, bows and arrows made of bamboo contributed to the financial income, but this has drastically decreased due to the change in equipment from traditional to western composite bows. Data Collected by: Mr. Galey Wangchuk, NLAB
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Information source
National Library and Archives of Bhutan
https://www.library.gov.bt/archive/
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