The bow & arrow has been around for a few thousand years, maybe 10,000 years, 20,000 years or 64,000 years – with argument as the first projectile weapon of man. The sling or atlatl probably come first. I imagine the argument hinges on the evidence of arrowhead, darthead, spearhead or rock?… By comparison, the club and spear where great for close range and good for warding off predators while gathering, but not very effective for instant or long range kills – enter the bow and arrow.
Archery is pictured in our stars and ancient caves. Archery’s craft, sport and form has been rediscovered and handed down again and again – and right here, right now. Archery has played many roles in our deep history and natural lives – taking prominence in our survival, romance, martial arts, nobility, Olympics and recreation. Archery’s profound popularity today is represented in our favorite television shows and several recent major motion pictures.
Archery is in our spirit and printed in our DNA. My 80 billion strands of DNA are the same as yours – with trillions of interactive instructions, all built in and all self-duplicating. That is our intuitive being. We use it everyday to do most of the things we do – like driving a car, cooking food, playing catch, and so on. In the Archery Workshops, we’re going to harvest some of these built-in instructions to develop our calling for crafting wood and shooting arrows. That is our primitive skills.
First-time students and seasoned archers alike, continually surrender to the amazement: the graceful grounded archer form – the mystery of aiming – watching an arrow in flight – and the thrill of reaching the target. Archery is one of the few sports where both genders, all ages and all abilities have equal potential, thrill and award. Archery fills many of our prescriptions – discipline, imagination, physical therapy, competition and joy.