An Archer's Inner Life
A paean to the wood bow; a polemic on the ethics of hunting.\ Since the early 19th century when the Romanticists developed the literary theme, interest in the subject of our place in nature has grown enormously. Author Dave Sigurslid's interest was especially piqued one colorful autumn when he picked up an old book at an auction, The Witchery of Archery by Maurice Thompson. Its subject is the old archery of wood bows and arrows. It leads the author to examine the connection between making a...
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A paean to the wood bow; a polemic on the ethics of hunting. Since the early 19th century when the Romanticists developed the literary theme, interest in the subject of our place in nature has grown enormously. Author Dave Sigurslid's interest was especially piqued one colorful autumn when he picked up an old book at an auction, The Witchery of Archery by Maurice Thompson. Its subject is the old archery of wood bows and arrows. It leads the author to examine the connection between making a wood bow and finding his own place. His crafting brought forward an entirely unanticipated flood of psychological material. He suffered a fit of discontent. He became morose and restless. He restudied his Jung. He had dreams. He underwent a transformation. Herein he writes of his change, of crafting the wood bow, of primitive artistry, of kaleidoscoping personae wherein artist and hunter are, as in the ancient past, indistinguishable. He has used the ideas brought forth by bowmaking to approach the idea of hunting, but he has arrived at a conclusion different from that held by the dominant sport hunting community. One of the earliest and still most prevalent influences in his thinking is Aldo Leopold. Leopold's ideas, as well as those of Thoreau and Lao Tsu, are reformulated in this book to suit archers and hunters. It will be of interest to any lover of those thinkers, and to hunters, archers, outdoors-oriented people, and peripherally to anyone who is interested in personal transformation.
Preface and ApologiaxvWhat connection does making wood bows have with man's place in natureThe place of hunter and huntedThe connection of archery and bow making with huntingThe traditions of huntingSelf-knowledge is worth striving forA simple perspective to self-knowledge with a minimalist approachMaking bows has calmed meHidden Hand3PoemThe Bow: A Tool of No Significance4"I made that bow in 1938"I carved the bowThe primitive bow is good mythologyThe primitive bow is allegoricalThe nature of its shapeArcs, circles, cycles, symbols, bowsShooting primitive bows is not like shooting other archery equipmentThe Art of Being Genuine26This, dear friends, is huntingA bear huntFor modern hunters, Thoreau's sense of Nature has vanishedHunting is atavisticHunting is an exercise in genuityHunting is immersion into natureWe may eat without huntingRaven Speaks of Arrow Shafts39PoemConfessions of a Self-Bow Cultist41The central tool is called the self-bowSelf-bows are meager and simpleThe bow takes shapeSimple bow, tools, task, selfCarve a bow and ponder death lightlyThe Renaissance56The bow delights me with its character, as do the arrowsWe create artFunctional artA bow must work as a bowShooting the bow is an artThe roving archer is an athleteWe feel inexplicably compelled to find the secrets to primitive archeryLife After Fly Fishing63Fly fishing used to be a perfect hobbyWould Leopold call fly fishing a hobbyBamboo and natural feathersFinding a suitable substitute for fly fishing is not easyArchery is older than fly fishingHesitate at the future of fly fishingFeathered Hair71PoemSavage Liberty on Hummingbird Creek73Time is moneyDo not think on timeWhat interest and importance can bows and arrows beTime managementTime may be all we haveShoot arrows from ancient bowsIt may strike the targets: actual, time and selfWe watch our colorful arrows proceed mysteriouslyHow to Remember the Best Times82Moon phasesWe cannot remember everythingReact only if the bear tries the tentDeep calming breaths, deep calming breathsAdventure, danger strikes at our deepest partI listen to the bearsTime spent in field or forestFasting Hunt: A Hero's Journey92Bart packed no foodBart walked and walked some moreBart, Bart, BartBart breathed deeply, slowly, quietlyHis hallucinationPoor BartCompanion103PoemA letter from Native Americans to settlers, dated 1774105Short letterThe Uncertainty Principle106We were turkey huntingI thought how old is this kind of huntingHow accurately modern synthetic bows may be shotModern bows rely upon a large number of small variables to effect arrow flightWe learn caution in reliance on too small detailTurkeys see arrows coming and casually step asideA good wood bow in the Black HillsMore than a Mountain: The Archer's Paradox116We do not seekGnarled sinew-backed bowsThe archer's paradoxIt makes you an archer and not an art collectorDeath of a tree, life of a bow, portrayal in art, art itselfThe hunting archer illustrates another paradoxThe Yahi archer, Ishi, exemplified this paradoxOur lives are filled with paradoxThe Sorcerer's Appliance125Opponents of hunting would have us believe that hunting and killing are equivalent termsHow important is the killingWe hunt as we readHunting comprises a quality issue. 'Witchery' is an excellent synonym for quality huntingCultivation of the mind aroused when huntingEnough is Sufficient138Hunting viewed as a privilegeThe greater good of society superceding the benefit of huntingEngage in traditionThose who stand tallest and our extreme excess of material for huntingWhat constitutes pure hunting?Traditionally pursuit on foot or horsebackA grouse huntHunting: A Redefinition of Terms151The equipment checklists for modern huntingMore natural means exist for huntingHunting is predation, a biologic functionHunting equals killingHunting is big businessBusiness confuses the motivations of society for huntingEmersion into our ancestral formYellow Feathers159PoemA Part or Apart161Nature and my juniper bowAre we a part of, or apart from, nature?What is innocence in nature?Mankind's role in natureViolins are of wood, wood is of natureI ask if the lion in the zoo is of natureWe play sonatasThe reason for loving the natural lifeAs part of nature we live and dieA wood bow will remind us that we are part of natureI'll Take My Hunter's Stand170A noble ecological notionNature is a dealer in life and deathWe are born and by nature's hand we dieKey trophic linksHunt and eat or eat vegetarian"Ishi and modern man shared neither weapons, techniques, nor attitudes."Twelve Curses183Killing is the goal of huntingHunters hunt in order to killPeople carry weapons when they huntNo necessity for killing is attached to huntingHunting is recreationHunters kill for playHunting is fun for the hunterHunting is a matter of conscienceChant Wood195PoemThe Blank196The carver calls the piece of wood a blankGhost shape hiding inside the blankDreaming implies holding some expectation of an outcomePsychics and crackpots claim to dream with predictive accuracyThe carving to the dreamingDreams and outcomes convergeIntegration202Our covenant with the hunted is fair chaseHunting is traditionThe hunting business and advertisement people encourage more of us to huntHunters can reinvest thinking and practiceElk do not hide behind every tree and most of what is called elk hunting is elk walking
