ZCZC
BFF-53
TAIWAN-CULTURE-ABORIGINAL-ARCHERY
Taiwan aboriginal craftsman revives ancient archery bow
WULAI, Taiwan, June 27, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – When aboriginal tribesman Yuming
A-von got his first taste of Taiwan’s ancient archery tradition he was
dismayed to see indigenous people using bows and arrows from other cultures.
His own Atayal tribe used homemade wooden bows for hunting for centuries,
but the craft has fallen out of fashion.
The Atayal are one of 16 aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, which together make
up about two percent of the population. Hunting is a way of life for many,
although rifles have taken over from bows in recent decades.
A-von noticed 10 years ago that tribespeople at local archery competitions
were now using what he describes as “Han” bows, referring to ethnic Chinese
settlers.
“It wasn’t right to me,” A-von, 42, told AFP.
“All the different types of bows are an evolution of each different
culture.”
Bow shapes and methods differ based on their original purposes, he added,
saying Han bows were widely used for battle while Taiwan’s indigenous groups
predominantly hunted with them.
He began to research and experiment to recreate the long-forgotten craft of
bowmaking by the Atayal.
Few people still owned traditional bows but he eventually located an uncle
who had one hidden away.
“He showed me how to make it, but now he says the ones I make go beyond
what he thought was possible,” A-von told AFP.
Today, A-von’s small workshop in the mountainous region of Wulai — an
hour’s drive from Taipei — attracts international buyers, including from
Canada, France, and Japan.
A-von makes his arrows out of bamboo, which are put through a hot flame to
make them pliable before they are straightened.
The bows themselves can take three months to finish, including the time it
takes to gather the wood they are crafted from.
He refused to disclose the kind of tree or plant used, saying his uncle
warned him to keep it a secret.
“It can be found in all of Taiwan’s mountains,” he hinted.
“It’s a very inconspicuous kind of wood, but few know what it is used for.”
Some aboriginal tribes fear the tradition of hunting itself is dying out as
current laws restrict it and young people living away from their indigenous
villages are less willing to learn.
A-von said his interest in archery was strengthened because it was a more
primitive way of hunting, which gave a “greater feeling of accomplishment”.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1505 hrs