Bows and Arrows from the Highlands

One of several things that are true in this fallen world is that boys will be boys. At least that is something that we have easily observed in our family with Greer and Knox. If there is a battle to win, a dragon to slay or a dangerous feat to perform; rest assured that they will be the first through the gate.

Since we arrived in PNG Greer has been asking to make a Bow and Arrow set. The only problem is there are not many trees in our backyard to fell and turn into a bow. God however provided for Greer’s desire another way.

Seken is a good friend here in PNG and he is our contact for all the guards at our home. He is a Highlander, he is a kind man and is very trustworthy. Our family is continually indebted to him for his care. He recently gave Greer, Knox and I bows and arrows that were handmade by his Father in his tribe just outside of Mt Hagen in the Highlands. The bows are made from a large section of Bamboo. The arrows have a bamboo shaft with the various tips made from a very hard wood called Kwila. The string of the bow is made from a fresh strip of bamboo that is about 1/2″ wide. When he brought the bows and arrows it was a big deal and we had to take a photo.

The arrows are very sharp so Seken told me that the kids could not shoot the bows and arrows unless they were supervised by an adult. Since the day we got them Greer has been asking when we were going to shoot them and I told him I wanted to build a simple target before we could. Every other day he would check in on the status of the target and I would say, “not yet.” This last weekend we purchased some foam and took old cardboard boxes to make a skin around the foam. Fresh sheets of paper were taped to the face of the target with target circles drawn in Red and Blue. It was time to kill the target!

When we shot them Seken was not home so John showed us how to hold the bow and arrow to shoot straight. There was no notch in the arrow so you have to hold the arrow to the bow string with your hand as you pull it back. This was difficult for the kids and even me. John got a bullseye on the first shot! I ended up placing one end of the bow on the ground while Belle and Knox pulled the string with me to shoot. Greer was able to shoot his on his own with great difficulty but it did get easier for him as the day went on.

We had a blast and even Lorie wanted to shoot – she did far better than me with accuracy! It has been a joy to build new relationships here in PNG and shooting bows and arrows is just one of the fruits of such relationships.