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Brief Description of the game

During tournaments in Bhutan, a team consists of 13 players with two reserves, making a total of 15 players on each team. The target from which shooting is to commence is decided by way of toss. The first to shoot at a contest is a matter of convenience and left to the discretion of the concerned team captains. It is widely believed that this is often determined by the zodiac signs of the players. The archers shoot alternately, on from each team. He is the ‘BU’ as is his contestant who shoots the first arrow. The archer who shoots last for his team is known as the ‘MA’, and usually he is the best striker of the team.

The archers are allowed two arrows every time their turn to shoot comes. They shuttle between the two targets shooting their allotted from each target. The amount of walking the archers have to do is considerable, perhaps 9,000 meters in a well-contested game. A contest may be prolonged over two days or longer in remote villages.

The method of Scoring

The method of scoring is by points. Two pointers are awarded when the arrow directly hits on any part of the target. This is known as “Karey”. However, if the hit is clearly on the bull’s eye, three points are awarded, this is known as “Gorthibu-Karey” (see figure 9 for types of Karey). When an arrow, firmly embedded the ground, is close enough to the target so that the distance between the target and the arrow is measurable with a team-mates’ arrow, one point is awarded. Archery tournament in Bhutan are played on the basis of the best of three games. Each game is completed when one side attains 25 points. The team that wins two games is declared the winner. The method of scoring points is elaborately dealt with by the National Archery Federation (NAFB) rules and regulations.

Two National Archery Knockout Tournaments are conducted every year. One tournament is on compound bows and the arrows. The summer tournament is usually held between the months of Autumn tournament sometime in October or November.

At official archery tournaments sponsored by the Government, the Royal Dance Troupe stages performances for guests attending the contest. They come on the scene sometime after the midday break.

Folk Dancers entertaining spectators

Equipments for the sport of archery

b) Tapzhu - a bow made from two pieces of bamboo held together by
Two iron bands
Compound Bow: a variety of contemporary bows, made of fibers glass.
The species of bamboo used for the traditional “Changzhu” and “Tapzhu” is called “Zhushi” and comes from Tabadamtay village in Dunang, in the Southern foothills of the Kingdom.

Traditional Bows

The bows string, or “Zhu-tha”, is obtained from the fibre of the gaint stinging nettle, locally known as “Zoeche”. In recent years, jute string zhu-tha have also been used. Such bow strings may last through one contest, during which an archer may release as many as one hundred arrows. This bowstring must withstand pressure of up to 60 lbs., drawn with a cast of 145 meters. The bow string is adjusted to suit the needs of the archer by either twisting or loosening the string, creating either a tauter or more flaccid resistance.

The bowstring is braced with the help of the knee by exerting pressure on the belly of the bow. The large eyelet of the bow string grips the nock of the lower horn, and as the bow is braced, the upper eyelet is slipped over the top horn and engaged in the nock. The bow is braced and drawn contrary to the natural curve of the bamboo. This makes the Bhutanese bow akin to the Tarter bow, which is also designed in reflex.

Tradational/ Indigeneous Arrow

length of the “Dha”, or arrow, is generally 80 cms, weighing between 20 and 25gms. The shaft is made from a reed (Hema) obtained from the foothills of Bhutan. The head, or “Dhacha”, which is 1cm in diameter, is affixed to the shaft of the arrow with either sealing wax or lachu.

The fletching or feathering extends 12 cms along the shaft. There are four vanes of feathers in the arrow. The feathers used for the indigenous arrows are obtained from the primary feathers of a pheasant. The four vanes are glued to the shaft at right angles by means of “Cheyene”, a Bhutanese adhesive obtained from animal hide. The space below the vanes is colored black. The crest or pung of the arrows usually consists of 7 colored rings of silk thread.

The shaft ends in a nock cut into the reed to the depth of 7 mm. It is in the “Tong”, or nock, that the bowstring fits when the bow is drawn.

The Targets

The target area consists of the following:
a) “Hopsi”, or the frames, decorated with colorful scarves and greenery.
b) “Sirri”, or the saplings and flags (Dhar) that line the two sides of target or “Bacho”.
c) Two upright pinewoods target with the traditional bull’s eye and surrounding rings.
d) Barricade made of sandbags.

According to the National Archery Federation of Bhutan, standard targets (BA) are made of pine wood 3.6’ in height, 11” in width and 2” thick. The targets are rounded off at the top and taper to a point at the base, which is embedded in the ground. The targets are placed at a slight angle facing upwards. These targets are white-washed and marked with colored rings. The bull’s eye is 2.6” in diameter and marked at 1 foot’s distance from the crown of the target. The lower portions of the target are decorated with painted Bhutanese designs, e.g. clouds and flowers in colors coordinated with those around the bull’s eye.

The attire

The Loose

When shooting with a bow, the Bhutanese archer holds it vertically in his hand, clasping the grip (Which is on the outside of the belly of the bow) with his finger, whistle his thumb is pressed against the belly of the bow from the inside. The arrow rests along the index finger of the bow hand, which is held rigid against the handle, and the ‘V’ of the thumb.
The ‘Loose’ (the way of releasing the arrow from the bow) adopted most commonly by the Bhutanese is the one known as the Mediterranean loose or release (figure 8). In this method, the bowstring is drawn with the help of thew first three fingers of the right hand, and the nock of the arrow is held between the index and middle fingers. There may be variations in this loose depending on the number of fingers directly used in the draw. Among the Bhutanese this will greatly depend on the styles adopted by the individual player. However, there has been historical evidence confirming the use of drawing rings in Bhutan. This implies that the Mongolian loose did exist in Bhutan in earlier times.

As far as sports in Bhutan are concerned, the last two decades were unquestionably dominated by games like basketball and football. However, the knee interest and the formidable challenge posed by the youth for the first time in the history of archery in Bhutan, during the 1990 National Archery Knock-out tournament, has confirmed beyond a doubt the growing popularity of archery. The National Archery federations of Bhutan is pleased with the outcome and believe that nothing could be better for the future of archery in Bhutan.

Tradational Archery Match Video