By Johnny Snyman

My first encounter with bow and arrow occurred when I was six years old. We lived on a farm in Zimbabwe, nowadays referred to as "Grim". For tradition's sake, however, let’s call the country by the name that flows like sweet fountain water off the tongue: Rhodesia.

One magical day back in 1974 I was taken to a movie house in Bulawayo. The film featured was "Tarzan of the Apes" in black and white. What particularly captivated me throughout the movie was Tarzan's bow. Many years later, I found a picture of former actor Jock Mahoney in an old Bowhunters Digest. Introduced to archery through his portrayal of the Tarzan character. Mahoney became a keen archer in his time. It was the very same movie that stirred my passion for archery as a little boy, so many years ago.

Needless to say, many a little homemade arrow zipped across the savannah plains of the farm in sunny Rhodesia. Thinking back, it's almost as if small seeds of archery were planted where every arrow landed. Sadly, in 1975 we had to leave Rhodesia owing to the "Grim" Sun of Politics rising. Our farm was sold and the winds of change took us back to South Africa.

One rainy Christmas Day, during my ninth year, hastily torn away wrapping paper covering a very long box yielded an object of pure joy: a longbow, one of the youth bow sets made by Bear Archery. Accompanying the longbow were three cedar arrows, a quiver, armguard, finger tab and a standard archery targetface. I shot that 20-pound longbow out in the rain until the feather fletchings lay flat on their shafts and the target was a soggy lump of paper. The sweet memory is one I cherish to this day.

While most boys outgrow playing with bows and arrows, for me archery remained a sweet companion. It filled my young years with dreams and endless hours of fun outdoors. I had little archery training or know-how in those days, save for an uncle who was a formal target archer, and who taught me good form and how to choose the correct arrow matchup for the recurve bow I was then privileged to own.

To me, archery is a natural activity. One day, at the age of 11 and still at primary school, I chose the bow-and-arrow as my topic for an oral test. It was a joy to stand in front of my classmates with back quiver and bow, talking about archery. It was almost impossible for me to stop.

As a grown man today, if I could summarise the joy and warm memories the traditional bow-and-arrow has ingrained into my soul in a single word, it would be "freedom".

In 1989 I enrolled in a commercial diving course in Cape Town. This took me to the cold waters of the Southern African West Coast in search of sub-sea diamonds, the Far East and the oil fields of West Africa. How true that saying among diamond divers: "A diamond is like a pig, it lies anywhere it wants to".

The diamond is an elusive gem, protected by the sea, a harsh taskmaster that determines when men may venture into its icy depths in search of adventure and the riches it holds. Long, cold and windy winters keep men at home or in the pubs, allowing few sea days for ships to leave port. It was during those years, in a secluded desert town 700 kilometres from the closest city, where the seeds of my love for bowyery were sown.

Archery became an excellent pastime. The desert offered a variety of adventures with the bow-and-arrow. If you want to experience complete seclusion, take your longbow or recurve, some arrows and supplies into the Richtersfelt Desert, where it is said Africa's biggest leopards breed. In the Richtersvelt Dessert, you don't get in touch with your "inner self", your "roots" or the "Great Spirit of The Wild", as today’s "Nature Lovers" misleadingly portray the "self". You simply lose touch with your ego and get in touch with the Lord. You’ll see more stars there than you'll ever see in your entire lifetime. You’ll stare in wonder at these, His creations, and know that He knows each one by name. You’ll stand in awe of His mighty creation, feeling rather small.

Spend some time fishing on the banks of the Orange River, and shoot the bow-and-arrow. Sleep on the warm river sand, under the stars. We enjoyed many an adventure in this fashion.

Being so far from civilisation, few archery outlets stock the needs of the traditional archer, and the need to become independent in making one’s own arrows, bowstrings and basic archery tackle becomes imperative.

In 1994 I heard of a bowyer in Natal who would be of great assistance in this venture and Derek Nourse and I soon became close archery friends. Derek is a bowyer extraordinaire. His craftmanship has set a high standard for South African made traditional bows.

Once when I asked him how to make bows, he replied: "Do some brain stretching. If you want to make a bow, you must first shoot one. Shoot it until you understand why it shoots the way it does, and then make a bow."

While on a hunt together in the Eastern Province, Derek taught me how to make the Flemish spliced bowstring. He also introduced me to the Traditional Bowyers Bible's, a must for anyone interested in bowyery. The pages of this book really opened up the craft of bowmaking for me.

The lure of the bow can be a very strange thing. In early 1999 I gave up the hunt for diamonds in exchange for pursuit of the bow, and the evergreen forests of the Knysna region have been my home ever since; home of the Heartwood Bows.

Being situated in this beautiful area offered unlimited access to a wide variety of timbers, especially from our beautiful indigenous woods. Also, the region's stable climate and relative humidity was a great plus factor in stabilising bow woods in storage. For example, while still living in the desert on the West Coast, the dry arid climate would cause wood to quickly lose moisture content. Being on the coast, sudden cold misty days would appear from nowhere, causing wood to regain some moisture and swell a little.

Wood has life, but if it had a mind, it would have been pretty confused up there. The constantly shifting climate caused many a bow wood to fail.

By 2000 my working hours were devoted full-time to archery. Monthly displays and demonstrations helped promote traditional archery and bow sales.

I have a soft spot for young archers. Mention the words "bow-and-arrow" to a child, and watch the little face light up. That’s the way it should be. Traditional archery should be a burning fire among today’s youth. It not only exposes them to fresh open air and heaps of fun, but also to a better mental and physical state, as well as the realities of life, including hunting and adventure. It's a sight to see a line of children, longbows at full draw, loosing a volley of whispering arrows into a target. The little ones will preserve the traditions of true archery for the morrow.

Sadly, it's not the Internet, space age games, television and boredom that deprive the youth from their God-given freedom of tomorrow; it's parents who don't find the time. The days spent shooting the bow-and-arrow with my children, shooting arrows into the sun with my boy, and spending time with over two hundred little Robin Hoods over the past five years, I wouldn't trade for the highest-profile job, flashiest car, or most promising credit facility in the world. Time lost with a child can never ever be regained.

Selfbows, bows backed with plant fibres or other woods, sinew-backed flatbows, long bows, short bows, all are a joy to labour over. Each is a different challenge. Some break your heart because they break while you make them, others because they are difficult to part with.

Wooden bows have life within them. They do have limitations, but there are no limits when it comes to their rich history and traditions. The most satisfying part of wooden bowmaking is when the person whose hand you made it for has successfully used it to hunt or win a competition.

The wood bow or self-bow is not for everyone, however. The bow type must suit the temperament of the archer. A purist will look past the limitations of the all-wood bow and accept them, then shoot, hunt or enjoy it within the boundaries the archer has chosen. If it's designed for hunting, it will bring meat to the pot, simply because it has done so for thousands of years.

By mid-2001 it became necessary to expand Heartwood Bows. The idea envisioned was to offer a variety of bows to an ever-growing interest in traditional archery in Southern Africa, crafting wood bows, as well as laminated traditional longbows and recuves, and also to expand the horizons of archery towards schools and institutions for handicapped youngsters. The offshore diving industry helped turn that dream into reality.

Through the many months of research and development, I was introduced to a man to whom I am deeply grateful today. Pretoria-based Johan Smit offered a wealth of guidance and information into laminated bowyery. The saying: "Quality is never an accident, but always the result of an intelligent effort" applies to the character and temperament of another friend in archery, who portrays this saying within his longbows and recurve creations.

On reflection, I feel compelled to give thanks to the greatest Man of men, the Lord God Most High, for it was He who planted the seeds and ability for this wonderful sport into my soul. He has led the way in making things possible. It's really an honour to dedicate bows in praise of His exalted name.

It is truly exciting to have Heartwood Bows back in place again. Apart from the selfbows, the first laminated longbow model, "The Buffalo" is already in production. It is a joy to work with the beautiful local hardwoods that originate from deep within the Knysna forests. The Buffalo is a longbow of stable design, with the limbs gently curving into an elegant reflex. Its handle is constructed from either mullet-laminated hardwoods, or solid wood with contrasting inlays. It is available in the 40 pounds-plus draw weight range.

I am currently busy with a one-piece recurve design, The Cheetah, which I am confident will stand up well up to its namesake. For young archers, the Mongoose Longbow and Squirrel Recurve will not only guarantee endless hours of pleasure, but also serve as a foundation for an intermediate bow stepping into the ranks of traditional archery.

Deeply ingrained into each Heartwood Bow lingers a piece of youth’s freedom. Traditional archery, with its rich heritage and romance simply envelops freedom, which is what I wish to share with you.

Heartwood Bows
Johnny Snyman
Tel: (044) 343-1507/ International: 011 27 44 343-1507.
Cell: 083-280 3680./ International: +27 83 280 3680.
email: jheartwood@mweb.co.za