Can you provide some information about Tibetan traditional archery?

Archery is not only the survival means of fishing and hunting in primitive society, but also the most important military skill. At the same time, it has gradually evolved into an important means of education and the most widely spread and participated sports. According to the Tibetan history book mkas-pavi-dgav-ston: "In the ancient times of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there were more than a dozen big tribes at first. Among them, there have been weapons such as bows and arrows ... ". According to Tang Shu? "The Legend of Tubo" records: "As far back as the Tang Dynasty, there were archers in Tibet who were good at shooting, such as Lux Nenjiecen, who could shoot an arrow at the waist of an eagle, and Lux hung in the east, which could shoot three times as much as his eyesight." Therefore, we can judge that the Tibetan people have widely used bows and arrows as powerful weapons since ancient times, and their skills and manufacturing techniques have reached a considerable level. In the Tibetan heroic epic "Biography of King Gesar", the story of King Gelsall and his 30 generals using various bows and arrows to exorcise evil spirits and eliminate violence is also recorded. There are many kinds of traditional bows and arrows of Tibetan people, such as wooden bow, bamboo bow, iron bow and horn bow. Arrows are composed of feathers, shafts and arrows. Feathers used are divided into vulture feathers, owl feathers and Shan Ying feathers. According to the different materials of the shaft, it can be divided into loose arrow, bamboo arrows arrow and iron arrow.

Nowadays, archery is a comprehensive folk competitive entertainment activity with extensive participation of the masses. In the agricultural areas of Tibet, almost every man can shoot arrows, and every village has to participate, and there is a set of traditional and standardized competition organization and various ceremonies. The competition process embodies all kinds of ancient rules and game traditions of martial arts, going out to war and one-on-one fighting. In this way, the simple Tibetan people pin their memories of going to the battlefield in the past and express their yearning and pursuit for peace, harmony, justice and auspiciousness. However, with the acceleration of social modernization and the impact of various cultures, this unique traditional custom of the Tibetan people is being destroyed and destroyed day by day, and some are on the verge of extinction.