African Bows

[Goose Gossett]

I'll add some commentary as time persists but I wanted to at least upload some pictures.  Quite interesting stories behind current bows in the southern part of Africa (S.A. Zimbabwe and Mozambique)

 
 
 
 
 

[tishtail]

Hi are you emailing from africa? nice looking weapons looks like they tiller short working limbs and have plenty cord around for limb repair.LjT

[fujimo]

it most certianally is: with the thatch roof 'Boma", kudu horns, marmite on the tables, "riempie" chairs, foilage, and what looks like a toyota landcruiser stationwagon in the background.

[psychmonky]

look at the heads on those arrows! EFOC has made another showing

[Goose Gossett]

So I spent the better part of the past 3 weeks tramping down some grass in Zimbabwe.  Specifically the Save (pronounced Saave) Concervancy in southeastern Zim.  We walked on average 15 miles a day after some fun exciting animals through some harsh terrain.  With the long walks I had an opportunity to ask a bunch about bows and their part in the current usage by folks in Africa.  Here's what I found...

Bows made by people in africa like the one pictured are made mainly from a tree or shrub called "donkey berry".  I don't have a clue why they call it that but so be it.  Many are made primitively with machetes or axes and are shorter than what we are used to.  Anything from 30"-50" is normal and meant to short draw around 20".  Average weight is around 30-40lbs with some being up to 50lbs but it's most likely because it is overdrawn by the "new" owner.  Many are whip tillered and braced by bending while wrapping the string around the tip.  The strings can be anything from leather to nylon rope.  Imperfections in the bow doesn't make much of a difference as it normally takes a beating in the bush.

What I found most unique was the arrows and how they use the bows.  Most if not all bows are found on poachers.  Walking through the bush we saw a few snares set out by local poachers who are involved in a black market meat trade (normally 1kg of meat sells for $1 US dollar: Average wage for a local around $3-$5 a day).  The bows and HEAVY arrows (I would guess they are around 2000 grains if not more) are used to dispatch any animal caught in a snare.  The arrows aren't normally spined right and are anywhere from 22-38".  The feathers are more decoration than function.  Any game scout or antipoaching scout that catches someone in the act of poaching confiscates their gear which normally consists of smooth wire and a bow/knife.  I'll add some more pictures of other bows that I was able to see.

[DGF]

Very cool gear!

[Osagetree]

Oh that has got to be so interesting. Thanks for sharing with us. send more pics soon!

[coaster500]

Great stuff Goose!!!

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Looks like you had an awesome trip and learned a plenty.