NOMADS OF THE LONG BOW — HOLMBERG 



15 



In cross section a bow is roughly oval in shape, 

 being about 2 inches in diameter in the middle and 

 gradually tapered to a cross section of about a 

 quarter of an inch at the horns. The inner side 

 of the hard layer of the tree forms the belly of the 

 bow, while the bark side forms its back. After a 

 bow has been worked to the desired shape, a small 

 amount of bark fiber from the ambaibo tree is 

 wrapped around each horn to keep the string from 

 slipping toward the limbs. The horns of the bow 

 are not notched to hold the string. 



The bowstring is twined by the women of am- 

 baibo bark fiber. It is applied as follows. A 

 permanent loop, which will just fit over one horn 

 of the bow, is tied in one end of the string. A half 

 hitch on the other end of the string is placed over 

 the opposite horn and the string is gradually 

 tightened by pulling on the hitch while bending 

 the bow. This is done by resting what will be 

 the top horn of the bow on the ground at an angle 

 and grasping the other horn in the right hand; 

 the left hand is thus left free to manipulate the 

 string which is to be tightened. The inside of the 

 left knee is then placed in the center of the belly 

 of the bow, the. foot resting on the back further 

 down. By exerting pressure between the right 

 arm, the knee, and the foot, the bow is bent to 

 the desired degree, and the string is pulled tight 

 by the left hand. To keep it tight a second half 

 hitch is thrown over the first, above the fiber 

 lashing on the horn. The remainder of the bow- 

 string is pulled up the bow to just below the center 

 and wound back around it and over the section 

 of the string which runs up the limb. The end of 

 the string is secured by placing it under a couple 

 of the turns and pulling it tight. The bow is then 

 ready for drawing. 



If a hunter is right-handed, as are most of the 

 Siriono, the bow is drawn in the following manner. 

 It is grasped in the middle with the left hand. 

 Because of its great length, the top horn is tilted 

 at an angle of about 30° to the right of perpendicu- 

 lar, so that the bottom horn does not rest on the 

 ground. The hunter spaces his feet from 2 to 3 

 feet apart, the left foot, of course, always being 

 placed forward. 



The secondary release is employed in drawing 

 the bow. The arrow is held between the thumb 

 and first finger of the right hand; the remaining 

 fingers assist in drawing the string. The left arm 

 is held rigid, and the arrow shaft slides between 



the thumb and first finger on the side of the bow 

 to the left of the belly. The bow is drawn to a 

 maximum distance allowed by the arms. As the 

 bowstring passes his head, the hunter sights along 

 the arrow to aim. He withdraws his head just 

 before releasing the arrow, and the string flies by 

 his face. He always wears a wrist guard of cotton 

 string to avoid damaging his skin. 



The stance indicated above is essentially the 

 same whether one is shooting in a tree, straight 

 ahead, or from a tree into water. If a hunter is 

 left-handed, the procedure of drawing the bow is 

 exactly the same, but reversed. 



A new bow is always drawn gradually at first 

 and is sometimes left for one night with the string 

 taut before it is used, so as to give the wood a 

 chance to expand gradually. A bow which is in 

 service, however, is always unstrung following 

 each day's hunt. 



After a new bow is made it needs little attention, 

 except for a change of string, until it breaks or has 

 lost its resiliency. The life of a sturdy bow may 

 be a year or more, depending upon how often it 

 is used. A hunter does not make spare bows. 

 Only when his bow breaks or when it has been 

 used so much that it has lost its life does he make 

 a new one. Occasionally, when a hunter notices 

 that his bow is drying out, he places it in water 

 for several nights until its proper resiliency is 

 restored. 



Bows vary in size, depending upon the hunter, 

 but all are long, perhaps the longest in the world. 

 On the average they range between 7 and 9 feet 

 in length, although I have seen one that measured 

 9 feet 7 inches. The Indians themselves have no 

 explanation of why they use such a long bow, other 

 than to say they were taught to do so by their 

 fathers. They assert, however, that a short bow is 

 no good. The explanation is probably to be 

 sought in the manner in which the Siriono use the 

 bow in shooting. It is bent to the maximum 

 distance allowed by the arms before the arrow is 

 released. If a short bow were used, it is likely 

 that the wood could not withstand the strain 

 of the pull or that the hunter would not have 

 sufficient strength to bend it to the desired degree. 



Although arrows, like bows, vary in size, only 

 two general types are made: one, called uba, with 

 a chonta head containing a lashed barb; the 

 other, called tdkwa, with a lanceolate bamboo head 

 but containing no barb. The former type is used 



