Brief introduction of Mongolian horn bow making technology

Archery is another of the Mongolian traditional "three unique skills for men", and bow and arrow is an indispensable weapon in Mongolian life in history. There is no uniform specification for the style, weight, length and tension of bows and arrows. Traditional bows are generally made of wood with horns embedded at both ends; The back of the bow is semi-circular, and a round handle is gradually gained in the middle, and the bowstring is stretched with beef tendon. The arrow is about100 cm long; Sickle has various shapes, mostly iron and bone; The shaft was decorated with three rows of eagle feathers.

Traditional bows and arrows are made of bamboo. The side facing the shooter is covered with horns, and the outside is covered with beef tendons. When the bow is not wound, it bends into an everted arc, so it is called a compound bow. It's a bit like Chinese medicine. The raw materials must be authentic. Bamboo used to make bow tires is produced in Jiangxi and air-dried for more than one year. Horn needs buffalo horn made in Hubei, each bow needs two, and the length needs to be more than 60 cm. Such a big angle is rare; Beef tendon is made from buffalo back tendon, which is dried, moistened, mashed by hand and then torn into filaments. This is a very laborious job. As the saying goes, "a good man can't tear four or two tendons in one day"; The bow is made of elm wood, which needs to be processed into a suitable shape with special tools and then bonded with the bow tire to complete the basic structure of the composite bow. Horns should be collected in spring and cut into strips of appropriate size after one year.