Korean bow and arrow

[Ray Hammond]

Gil, very neat bow and arrows.

I understand that the house I used to live in at Angeles City is underneath about 50 feet of lava and ash after the Mt Pinatubo eruption?

I really loved my time there- Flame trees, chicken lizards, rice bugs, lumpia, rice birds, water buffalo tongue, and some of the friendliest people on earth.

Baguio is still one of the fondest memories I have- Igorot warriors strolling through the markets with their knotted hair and little loin cloths- it snowed while we were there- Christmas time in the mid 60's..wayyy too long ago for you to remember!

I was too young to learn to spell much in Tagalog but I do remember " Magandang gabi po". I hope I didn't mutilate that too badly!

[Gil]

Mike, I tried to practice with a korean practice arrow and a borrowed horn thumbring with instructions from the owner but did not get to shoot their targets.When I tried it at home with the plastic thumbring i got with the bow,I missed my target and hit a concrete wall and ruined a perfectly good 1916.A korean practice arrow by the way is an arrow with a hole on the point onto which a paracord type string is tied and the other end tied to a 12 ft. or so pole. the arrow dangling about stomach level.An archer stands beside the pole and nocks,draws aim and releases the arrow which boomerangs slowly back to the archer and you probably can imagine the whooshing sound it makes.Even the chief of police of that town(Goesan) practices that way every morning at around 6:30 while us trainees jog and stretch and do a little mental training.The horn thumbring I tried was way more comfortable by the way than the commercially produced plastic or acrylic thumbring  so I will probably try to make on someday as i have a lot of buffalo horntips from a blacksmith friend of mine.

[1/2primitive]

I noticed that the arrow was made the way I was taught to make bamboo arrows, to scrape the skin off and entirly flaten the nodes. Just something Interesting.
      Sean

[Gil]

Ray,
Your Tagalog is perfect.Were you in the military while in the Philippines?You're right, its too long for me to remember bacause I wasnt even born yet at that time.LOL!I have always been a fan of your posts ,your bows and your hunts and its nice to know that you had a chance to live in my country at such a nicer time.I hope to be able to hunt with you someday .Did you get to hunt in Angeles?Subic bay still has the wildlife that the U.S. Bases inadvertently protected and I am trying to get a chance at hunting them.I have all the necessary equipment to bowhunt(Wapiti longbow,Beman mfx and woodsman bh)but no animal to hunt yet.Wish me luck.Thanks for the compliment by the way.

Gil

[Gil]

Sean,You are correct.scraped and flattened nodes,and almost perfectly round and straight.This arrow never ceases to amaze me.
Gil

[Ray Hammond]

Gil, my Dad was in the Air Force...we were stationed there with him..I was in middle years of schooling at that time.

I used to ride the Rabbit bus to Manila every 4 weeks to see my orthodontist...then went to the Swiss Inn, beside the harbor for lunch with some friends of my Dad.

They would pick me up at the doctor, take me to lunch, then put me up for the night before sending me back on the Rabbit the next day....I used to love riding the hydrofoil out to Corregidor..if I was especially nice the man would indulge me and take me as a treat.

When you get moved, let me know...we can find someplace for you to hunt for sure!

[Gil]

Ray, You've had quite an exciting and fun childhood, lots of memories and experiences.The Rabbit is still running up to now.I will surely let you know when the time to move comes,as I'm sure Ill enjoy the times I will surely be spending with you and other tradgangers.Hope to shoot arrows with you all in the future.Thanks.
Gil

[bluelake]

Gil,

The tethered arrow is called a jusal in Korean.  All Korean trad clubs have at least one.  Archers will use them for warmup and students will use them for practice for weeks or months before they shoot a "live" arrow.


T

[Gil]

Thomas,
 Thanks for clearing that out.
Gil

[DannyBows]

Hello Gil,
  I lived in your beautiful country for nine years. I went to college on my G.I. Bill at AUF in Angeles City, Pampanga. The last three years of my six in the Air Force I was on Okinawa. We travelled all over the region. I liked the Phil. best. I lived mostly in Angeles, but spent a few months in Cebu City, and a while in Subic.
   I miss the Islands and the wonderful people every day. I was into "Sabong", (cockfights) and miss my birds too. I was breeding, fighting and even selling birds at times. I had a couple guys from Manila always coming to buy birds. They fought the big venues like "Areneta" and the "Roligon". You know the superstitions around cockfighting. We turned around and went home more than once while on the way to the cockpit due to passing a funeral. Ha! When I first saw your picture I knew you were a "Kababayan" before I read the post. I have a daughter in Bamban. She's just finishing her first year of H.S. I hope to retire in the Phil. in five or six years. I only dread the lack of hunting there like we have here. I spent a day with, and had an interesting meal with the Negritos in the jungle near Crow Valley once on a treasure hunting expedition. They are such a warm, simple people. The eruption of MT. Pinatubo really disrupted their lives. If I had half their skill in the jungle I could harvest deer with a Buck Knife.
    Welcome to the site and hope to see your posts in the future. Feel free to email me directly anytime, and if when you make it to the U.S., depending where you end up, I will extend any help I am able to offer. I currently live on my sailboat here in New Jersey, but I am preparing her to sail south. I will probably end up somewhere in the Carolinas or northern Florida. I am itching to try my hand at some Hog hunting. I may make it out of here before winter, but this time next year at the latest. I plan to eventually sail back to the Phil., which is a long time dream.
   Mabuhay!!
   Dan


P.S.  Those Fruit Bats in the Rain Forest at Subic are an awesome sight! To the members: As Gil mentioned there is a fairly unexploited jungle on the old Subic Navy Base. There are thousands and thousands of "Huge" Fruit Bats that hang in the trees there. You can go there just before dark and watch them take off for their nightly feeding. They blot out the sky, and the screeching sounds from so many is intense. Just and incredible nature experience.

[42WLA]

I'll chime in. I was stationed at Clark AB back in the 80's. My wife is from San Jose City in Nueva Ecija. We've been married almost 20 years. I am also interested building a little home in the RP for when I retire. It is good to know there are at least some archery enthusiasts there.

As far as hunting goes... There are always trips to New Zealand.

[Van/TX]

Gil, great thread. I really enjoyed it.  Looking forward to more            ...Van

[DannyBows]

Hello Dave,
   My brood stock came from a farm in Nueva Ecija. I was in the Phil. in and around Balibago, from 83 until 89, then 93 to 95. I used to play a lot of pool; leagues, tournaments, and money games. Managed the "Treasure Island" (also "Crow's Nest" at one time) for awhile and sold life ins. to the guys besides college. Best years of my life to date. I knew a good pool player named Dave, didn't know his last name though. I shot a great one-on-one match with him once, came out one game better that time. Intense games, lot of people watching. Did you shoot pool there?
 
   Thought about a trip to Australia once in awhile for hunting, but New Zealand would be great also, maybe better.

   Gil, didn't intend to hijack your tread, but as you know many Americans love your country and the people. Our shared history goes back almost a hundred years. Guess we can't help it when the subject of your country comes up.

[Gil]

Danny & Dave, My country is a very nice place for retirees, your dollar will go a long long way.A dollar can buy you a meal with coke in most places.There are many archers here but very few involved in trad.It might be interesting for  you to note that the managing director of the Subic bay yacht Club is a traditional archer.You can Email me for his contact number if you need it Danny.The bats in Subic bay went someplace a little more quiet I think.They turned the nesting tree of the bats in to a tourist area and most everybody know that wildlife populations and tourists usually dont mix.There is a place in Subic for retirees but I am not sure where exactly.Fishing is good in some areas but its done in small outrigger boats,imagine trolling and fighting 100 pound fish in a boat narrower that your armspan.Bass fishing is also good in Pantabangan dam in Nueva Ecija.But bowhunting is a big frustration.Cockfighting is still big here.They even have regular TV shows now.Its nice to know you people who have been hare and married to Pinays.Its been a pleasure knowing you.
Van,
Glad you enjoyed.I have more pictures to come of the ither bows I have come across in my lifelong interest in archery, and knives too.

Thanks,
Gil

[DannyBows]

Gil,
   Sorry to hear about the Bats, they were quite a sight. I owned a 36' Banca in Subic for a short time. They went for "Bunjing", the big Tuna. My crew were Visayan. I went along for a five day trip once. That was an experience I'll never forget and would do again anytime. We caught three in three hours when a school came thru. We tied off those buoys the Taiwan boats place in very-very deep water. It took an hour to pull in these tuna, and I mean PULL in. The captain pulled it in by HAND using large diameter mono which is wrapped around a large wooden spool. The mate would keep the line untangled when the fish would make runs. He did not use gloves. My hands were aching just watching. We picked-up a hold full of fist-sized smooth rocks from a shore area near the head of the bay on the way out to use as weights to get the squid bait down to depth. They were tied on in such a way that when at depth the line could be jerked, releasing the rock to fall to the bottom and keep the bait free running. It was a very simple and effective system. I was impressed with the whole operation. These tuna were 4-5 feet long. We took them to the fish market in Cavite, as they had the best prices then.

  It will be a few years until I can return, but I'll keep it in mind that the Yacht Club Director is a Trad Guy. I expect I'll be killing lots of targets in between trips south to Australia or New Zealand. That will give me a good excuse to sail down there for maybe half the year. That could be my "Typhoon Evacuation Plan". Think this will work on the wife?  "Sorry honey, typhoon season coming, time to sail to Australia for five months or so".  I suspect I may have to sweeten that with a promise of some serious shopping. LOL.

   I'll be looking for pictures of those bows.
     Dan

[Gil]

Dan,
Youve had quite an interesting stay here.Hope the plan with the wife pushes thru.Gooday!
Gil

[Gil]

I have added a pic of the bow unbraced in the first post.Thanks.

Gil

[Jhoneil1]

Very nice! I was born in the Phil but haven't returned since I left more than 25 years ago. This almost make me want to go back    Thanks - great pics.

[Gil]

Jhoneil,
You might want to go here on your next vacation.Your dollar will go a long way.Gooday.

Gil

[dan ferguson]

I two spent two years in the PI, My bow and arrows were left there with my friends in nueva viscia, Northern Luzon, I got to hunt pigs with these people, they were great people unless they didn,t like you, then they could turn into your worst nightmare, they were a headhunting nation the Ilongots, I,m sure that has all changed, this was there in 1973,1974. We had a great time with these people.