Traditional Bow of the Selenga Buryats (Based on a 2019 Field Study)
https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2024.52.1.145-153
Abstract
Three Buryat bows, studied at Tashir village, in the Selenginsky District, Republic of Buryatia, in 2019, are described. They are relatively well preserved, and one is still functioning. A detailed description of their design is given. The specimens are similar in terms of morphology and technology (specifically, an outline without strings), design of transition zones, section of elastic part, and the shape and position of horn overlays. The tension force of the bows is evaluated, and conclusions are made about the impact of force and practical use. Comments made by a Buryat archer (the bow’s owner) are cited about specific use under various weather conditions. The information is compared with that gained from ethnographic sources, and archival illustrations made in late 1800s and early 1900s are given.
Supporting agencies: This study was carried out under the R&D Project No. FWZG- 2022-0006 “Comprehensive Studies of the Ancient Cultures of Siberia and Adjacent Territories: Chronology, Technologies, Adaptation, and Cultural Ties” of the IAET SB RAS. The author expresses gratitude to the senior researcher of the Ethnography Department of the IAET SB RAS A.A. Badmaev for his help in preparing the publication.
About the Author
R. M. Kharitonov
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090
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Review
For citations:
Kharitonov R.M. Traditional Bow of the Selenga Buryats (Based on a 2019 Field Study). Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia. 2024;52(1):145-153. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2024.52.1.145-153
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