Mongolian Bow and Arrow

What humans need most is food, which is one of the primary factors for human survival. In primitive society, agriculture did not appear, and humans had no ability to tame animals to become livestock or serve themselves, so they could only obtain food directly from nature. The source of human food and clothing is hunting and gathering. But gathering is highly seasonal, so hunting has become a fixed source of food for humans. The natural environment formed by the ancestors of the Mongolian people and the northern nomadic peoples determined their initial mode of production---hunting. As early as the early Paleolithic period, the ancestors of the northern grasslands had lived a primitive life supplemented by hunting.

In the 13th century, Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian Plateau, and various sectors of Mongolian society developed rapidly. With the militarization of Mongolian society and the ordering of the hunting system in social life, the role of bows and arrows in Mongolia has become increasingly strong. The Italian John Planno Carpini, in his travel notes "Mission to Mongolia", recorded: "Each warrior must carry the following weapons: two to three bows, at least one of which is a good bow, and three large quivers filled with arrows----".

1. Archery training:
1. Dynamic (mounted archery) training method:
The folk games of the Mongolian people are not only an ancient traditional cultural phenomenon but also a cultural phenomenon related to production, life and military. Although there are no formal written records of archery skills or methods in history books, some traces of Mongolian archery culture can be seen from the existing cultural phenomena. Sarengerile said, "The folk games of the Mongolian people were compiled by the ancient Mongolians for the needs of hunting and fighting, or as a kind of preparatory training for hunting and fighting." From this we can know that the production and development of bows and arrows are based on the survival of the Mongolian people, not pure games.

From the content of Mongolian folk games, a dynamic training method was adopted when training archery at first, so as to more absolutely determine the accuracy and high hit rate of archery. There are many Mongolian folk games that belong to the dynamic training method of archery games. There is such a record in the "Golden History": Genghis Khan sent someone to order his brother Habtu Hasar to "pluck the feathers of black goose". When the man was delivering his message to Khasar, a swan flew over his head. Khasar asked him "Where to shoot?" He said "Shoot between yellow and black." Before he finished speaking, Khasar had already shot the corner of the swan's mouth.

The accuracy of archery is also related to production labor and the military at that time: in pastoral areas, herders always prepare a labor tool, that is, "Dubuzhi", which is called "Pai Ershi" in Chinese. It is something that shepherds (regardless of gender, age or young) carry with them among nomadic peoples. In pastoral areas, everyone can use it, and most people can hit livestock or things hundreds of meters away. This game, which is closely related to life and production, can train archery masters like Habtu Khasar. The rider's intention is to train the rider to release the arrow without holding the reins. "This superb technique is the result of continuous application, repeated exercise and training in practice. Mastering this technique is a basic training that Mongolian boys should have from an early age. Children aged seven or eight should not only master the bow and arrow technique but also use the bow and arrow skillfully.

Today's archers do not ride horses on the wide grassland to shoot prey like archers in the past, but shoot at specified targets in fixed occasions. In the archery competition of the Nadam Festival of the Mongolian people in Qinghai, horseback archery is more popular among herders. In history, Shajina Bater and Baohai Bater of Zongjia were not only famous generals but also horseback archers who won prizes repeatedly at the Nadam Festival. The long-distance race also belongs to the horseback archery competition, and the range is generally more than 100 meters. For example, in history, after the Mongolian "sea sacrifice ceremony was completed, there were activities such as horse racing, target shooting, singing and dancing.

The most exciting part is horse racing target shooting. The archer gallops on his horse and shoots the target with a musket from the horseback. An excellent archer can shoot up to seven times within a distance of about 150 meters, and most of the arrows hit the target. The rules of the competition are 3 arrows per round, and the number of arrows hit is counted according to the number of hits. Both individuals and teams can participate in the archery competition. The results are calculated by individual scores and the total scores of mixed teams of men and women. The results of women and children are calculated differently according to their gender and age. There are special management personnel for statistics, drumming, registration, etc. The target is a "felt target" painted in five different colors, and the center of the target is painted red as a sun.

2. Static (static shooting) training method:
During archery training, targets are set at a certain distance for practice. This commonly used method is called static shooting training. Targets are in the form of grass targets, leather ring targets, etc., and can be used for squatting, standing, and lying shooting. When standing, the contestant stands in a fixed coil. During the period of aiming and shooting, he cannot step on the sideline, otherwise it is a violation. There are folk records of the Mongolian people in Qinghai that every time the herdsmen finished offering sacrifices to the Aobao, there was a small archery competition - the men quickly ran from the Aobao to rush to shoot the target fixed opposite the Aobao.

The selection of excellent archers is also very strict. Archers must pass the following three levels. First, The first level is to shoot at a wooden stake 100 meters away; the second level is to shoot at a whip target 50 meters away; the third level is to shoot at a piece of Achnatherum splendens 20 meters away. Archers who pass the above three levels can participate in the Nadam Festival held by the 29th Banner of the Qinghai Mongolian Nationality. The static archery competition in the Qinghai Mongolian area is divided into three types: standing shooting, lying shooting and squatting shooting. There is no difference in the distance and number of arrows shot. The range of walking shooting is generally 20, 50 and 100 meters. The rules of the competition are 3 rounds of 9 arrows, that is, each person is only allowed to shoot three arrows per round, and the winner is determined by the number of targets hit. For horseback archery, contestants bring their own horses and bows and arrows, and the winner is still determined by 3 rounds of 9 arrows.