What’s it like to compete with something you’ve made yourself?

By Alex Tyler

Watching a repeat on television, you can often tell how much time has passed since the programme was made by looking at the technology used. Seeing the boxy cars of the sixties, the massive mobile phones of the eighties, and the clunky laptops of a decade or so ago reminds us of technological progress. Within field archery however, there are bowyers and archers who celebrate historical bow designs. The Primitive category is for bows which replicate ancient designs, and are made of entirely natural materials (though for safety reasons, modern glues and synthetic bowstrings are allowed).

THREE STYLES OF PRIMITIVE BOWS SUITABLE FOR NFAS CLASS

The history of archery goes back a long way, with the earliest known arrowheads found in South Africa and estimated to be 60 – 70,000 years old. The technology developed in a number of civilisations, used for warfare and hunting with equipment made from materials which could be obtained locally or through local trade.