By Dylan Roy
This article contains historical language and content that may be considered offensive, such as language used to refer to racial, ethnic and cultural groups. Please see our historical language advisory for more information.
Archery, like most other sports or physical endeavours, can teach an individual many things, including discipline, perseverance, patience and focus.
I began my archery saga very recently and, despite my obvious inadequacies in the sport, I have had a great time learning about its various intricacies. This newfound hobby led me to scour the published and archival collection at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to see what could be found about the bow and arrow.
Lo and behold, there was a plethora of books to read and many interesting archival materials to choose from. Like Robin Hood of yore, I shall share some precious gems from the rich resources we have at LAC.
First, if you were ever stuck on where to start for archery, there are many beginner guides and archery club-endorsed publications available. One of my personal favourites, due to its charm and whimsical cartoon art style, is the book Archery is fun! This book is mainly geared towards children, but it can also teach adults the basics of archery. With this swell book, you’ll be shooting arrows like Katniss in no time!
Second, as noted in the title of this blog, archery is an ancient art. To learn about the history of archery, why not use a book that was written over a century ago? Archery, by C.J. Longman and Henry Walrond (published in 1894), is a wonderful piece of literature to learn about archery’s ancient roots. Moreover, the book can enable you to understand the shifting thought patterns and language of authors writing over a hundred years ago.
Spine of the book Archery by C.J. Longman and Henry Walrond. (OCLC 342853)
According to Longman and Walrond, only hunting “can lay greater antiquity than archery.” The archaic allure of archery is one of the things that attracted me to the sport. It’s fun to think that, long ago, our far-distant ancestors were most likely taking part in archery in much the same way as we do today. This intriguing sport connects us with the past through actions in the present.
Longman and Walrond also included a quote in their book from a Hindu poet, which can be seen below:
“May the bow bring us spoils and oxen, may the bow be victorious in the heat of the fight; the bow fills the foe with terrible fear, may the bow give us victory over the world.”
This poem demonstrates the importance of archery and the impact that it has had on human civilization. The unknown poet declares that with the bow, humans may ultimately be victorious over the earth itself—thus indicating the sheer power associated with archery.
The book also provides lovely illustrations of some prehistoric arrowheads, which can be seen below:
Five different prehistoric arrowheads found on page 19 of the book Archery. (OCLC 342853)
Many societies have held archery in high regard and many deities have been associated with it, especially in relation to hunting, such as the Greek goddess Artemis.
With the history of archery behind us, I will now share some sources that provide insight on how to get in shape for archery. You’ll be looking buff like Hawkeye in no time!
Floyd W. Johnson’s Fitness for Archery is a wonderful read for anybody looking for some pointers on the types of exercises that facilitate archery. Johnson advises that there are four main criteria needed for fitness as an archer: aerobic capacity (or stamina), flexibility, strength and relaxation.
According to Johnson, “aerobic capacity is the maximum amount of oxygen that can be taken into the blood and delivered to the muscle. Flexibility is the range of movement in a joint or series of joints (spinal column). Strength is the capacity of a muscle to exert force against a resistance.” Finally, relaxation is important because “archery is a sport which demands full mental and physical concentration at all times.” Therefore, if one wishes to practice archery, it is crucial to address all four of these fitness priorities.
Johnson also supplies the reader with several exercises to enhance one’s fitness, which you can see in the images below:
Seven different exercises for building strength and endurance, including bent-knee sit-ups, push-ups, bent-arm weight pulls, bent-over lateral arm raise, star jumps, twisted sit-ups and bent-over rowing. (OCLC 15918112)
Three different exercises for bow arm isometrics: shoulder blade lock, arm throw and arm rotations. (OCLC 15918112)
Three other exercises for bow arm isometrics: elbow rotations, finger spreads and finger presses. (OCLC 15918112)
By including these exercises in your regimen, you’ll be fit enough to surf down a flight of stairs on a shield while shooting arrows, just like Legolas!
Although our published section provides a vast array of content concerning archery, we also hold many records about archery in our archival holdings.
A good fonds to consult is the Federation of Canadian Archers fonds. This fonds contains a multitude of records concerning the federation. Researchers can garner a wide array of information by consulting the sections found under “Record information – Details.” For example, the “Scope and content” section conveys the following information:
Fonds consists of publications, bulletins, minutes and correspondence; competition records; finances, membership, history; instructional programmes, rules; scrapbooks; athletes’ files; president’s files.
Photographic material depicts various Canadian archery championships and activities of the Federation of Canadian Archers, 1949–1972. Medallic objects consist of six competition medals (1966–1971), and one 1969 Federation of Canadian Archers pendant. Maps contain plans of the competition sites in Montréal and Joliette during the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.
Something interesting I learned from the “Biography/Administrative history” section—also located under the “Record information – Details” header—was the fact that the first time Canada competed internationally in archery was in 1963 at the world championships in Helsinki!
Aside from this fonds, I located many photographs of archery that are available entirely online in our archival holdings. You won’t need to scour the physical records for these!
Some of our photographs show how much a delight archery can be, such as the photograph below:
Two women participating in archery while smiling. (e000762820)
Other photographs demonstrate that archery is practiced by a wide variety of individuals—for example, wheelchair archery is a prominent part of the Paralympics:
Four Canadian Paralympic archers in a field. Left to right: Pierre Brousseau, Roch Poirier, Jean Rochon, Thérèse Tourangeau. (e011176636)
Some of our photographs demonstrate some remarkable archery techniques, like the one below wherein the archer is drawing the bow while holding it with his feet—let’s see Robin Hood do that!
Archer John Jamieson Jr. drawing a bow with his feet while lying down. (e011310538-037_s3)
During my search, I noticed that we had several pictures of military service women practicing archery. The photograph below shows a Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) member next to a target, demonstrating that they were indeed a force to be reckoned with!
CWAC archer in front of target. (e010778805)
Throughout my hunt for archery photographs, I came across some offensive language that I think is important to highlight as it is an unfortunate part of LAC’s archival history, such as the original title of the photograph below:
Inuk man using a bow made of muskox horn as his wife watches. (a211284)
Archival descriptions such as the one above reflect historical language and content that may be considered offensive—for example, language used to refer to racial, ethnic and cultural groups.
Items in the collection, their content and their descriptions reflect the time when they were created and the views of their creators. The items retain their original descriptions to ensure that attitudes and viewpoints are not erased from the historical record. LAC provides additional descriptive information to give background on such records. This is an ongoing process.
If you see records with inappropriate language or content that you think LAC should review, please contact us at reference@bac-lac.gc.ca.
Archery is a sport that requires many faculties to perform well. Although it can be frustrating at times, it is so rewarding to see the arrow strike the centre of a target and to hear that triumphant *thump* as the arrow penetrates its target.
I hope you enjoyed looking through some of the archery-focused holdings we have at LAC, and I hope it inspires you to get out there and try your hand at the ancient art of archery.
Dylan Roy is a Reference Archivist in the Access and Services Branch at Library and Archives Canada.
Library and Archives Canada Blog 