This was given to me as a gift about twenty five years ago. Here is what I know about this set:
My brother-in-law was working in Africa on a construction project. One evening, he went for a walk and ran into a bushman who was hunting. Neither spoke each other’s language but the bushman was able to convey that he liked my brother-in-law’s tennis shoes. They eventually made the swap and my brother-in-law walked back to his camp (in his bare feet) with the bow and arrows.
The bow is made from a local wood. I do not know what it is. There is a carved groove down the inside of the bow. I was told this is to keep the bow from twisting when pressure is supplied to the string. The bowstring is made from a local vine.
There are five arrows with the bow. Each has guinea feathers at one end and a different arrowhead at the other end. The guinea feathers are tied on using a vine material and there is some sort of tar-like material used to treat the wood where the feathers are attached.
The first arrow is the crudest of the batch. Note the tree limb used has little modification after removal from the tree. It is quite crooked and could not be expected to shoot true for very far. The arrowhead looks like the blade of a knife but I was assured it is not. Instead, it is a piece of metal that the craftsman shaped with a rock and/or cutting tool.
The next arrow was used for fishing. The arrowhead is carved from some sort of wood and has barbs so the fish won't slide off when stuck.
The third arrow was used for "thumping." It would have been used on small game like rabbits.
The fourth and fifth arrows are more sophisticated than the first. I was told they were used for hunting those little African deer. The arrow shafts are much truer. I was told to be careful when handling these blades because it may contain some sort of African poison that was used to paralyze the game. Due to the age of these arrows, I doubt there is any poison left on the blade but it makes a good story. And, all those who have touched them are still living!
The last picture shows the outside of the bow where the hand goes. It is carved flat and there is a slight separation of the wood as you can see in the bottom right of the handle. It is not noticeable unless you slide your hand down this piece of the wood.
This bow and arrow set looks great hanging on a wall. In my life, I never owned anything that raised more questions from friends and visitors.
I have not handled this set with the respect it deserves but it has stood the test of time admirably. This will be professionally packed and shipped just to make sure it doesn’t get damaged.
Thanks for looking.