A Hungarian horsebow made for the author by Johnny Snyman.
A number of traditional bows made by Johan van der Merwe.	Two of bowyer Johnny Snyman’s designs.
Johan van der Merwe’s 85-pound Monster bow.
A Norseman bow made by Derek Nourse.

Viktor Kuhn writes on South African bowyers, their skills, and their products.

It started when I was only five years old and I got my first pocket knife. It was a rusty old Okapi knife which I picked up while fishing for kurpers in the Kensington dam. I was not content with that knife for long, as I soon realised that there is no single knife suited for every purpose. I went through the same thing when I took up fishing. I could not find just one rod that could be a perfect allrounder. I needed different rods for different waters and different fish, and special “poacher” rods that are more suited for travelling.
Luckily the same applies to the traditional bow. There is not just one bow for the traditional archer. We tend to have more. Why? No one can tell. When you can answer that question you will also understand what women want – quite a feat… The traditional bow never sees the inside of a dusty cupboard or a safe. They are placed on display in padded places of comfort for everyone to see, much to the dismay of many a life partner who objects to the living room being turned into a medieval armoury. There was an article by Chris Green in Africa’s Bowhunter a few issues back entitled “Are you a gear junkie?”. I did not even have to read it. My answer was an immediate “yes, of course”. I knew that Chris was a traditional archer, plagued by the equipment demon.

Many compound archers who want to test drive the old ways, and new guys who want to take up the journey of stick and string, have asked me what type of bow they must buy and from which bowyer. Now this question is about as easy to answer as when your wife asks you “do these pants make me look fat?” The first straight answer I can give them is: don’t buy an imported mass-produced product. Our bowyers are easily the best you can find anywhere in the world, and their bows are certainly the most beautiful pieces of archery equipment found on the planet. A mass-produced imported bow may give you years of flawless performance and great pleasure, but it will be similar to being a university student and never living on campus. You are missing out on half of the experience!

Getting to know the bowyer and seeing your bow taking shape into a one-of-a-kind, tailor-made product is the best part of the buy! The etching on the woodwork shows your name, rather than the insignia of some far-off factory. It does not even hurt that much when you pay for your bow, and I will guarantee that you will always leave with a smirk on your face, thinking that you definitely got the better part of the deal!

I have been fortunate to have met most of our prominent bowyers and I own bows from most of them. In fact, I own several bows from several of them, with more on back order and more being worked into our budget. The reason for that is that their bows differ like night and day, but they all deliver flawless performance, exceptional beauty, and craftsmanship, with the back-up service and camaraderie obtainable only from a craftsman passionate about his vocation.

A simple example: I got a Norseman takedown longbow from an archer at the Sterkfontein Traditional shoot, and not directly from the bowyer. The particular individual had a shoulder injury preventing him from drawing the bow, and he had to part with it. After a lot of begging, sulking and bartering, I was the proud owner of a Norseman. A fine example of a world-class longbow that cannot be copied or improved upon.

My first hunting experience with this bow was in the jungle in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a hazardous journey through the creeper vines with my bow in one hand and a machete in the other resulted in a severed bowstring. I had another string but it was not custom made for the bow. I got on to our rickety satellite email system and after a short Google search I got hold of the bowyer, a Mr Derek Nourse. I sent him a panicky email with a brief description of the bow and the serial number. He got back to me immediately and he could recite the history, previous owners and specifications of my particular bow out of his head. He gave me the required advice on brace height, nocking points etc to enable me to fit the string. After an abortive hunt, where I just couldn’t hit the back of a barn, he sent motivational emails to cheer me up. I will always associate him with his words of “aim small, miss small”. And I have never met him face to face! Try to get that kind of service from the creator of a mass-produced product!

Another bowyer which is impossible to visit without placing an order is Johan van der Merwe from Combretum bows, just outside Pretoria. Upon your arrival he drops whatever he is doing and greets you around a Peterson pipe with “die kinders maak vir ons koffie, kom ons gooi 'n paar pyle.” He immediately makes you comfortable, and will tutor you on mistakes in your shooting form without being overbearing. Your quick pop into his workshop is never quick, and you find it difficult to leave. He never mentions his bows nor does he try and sell you one. Just one peek into his workshop and they sell themselves. (I already own four of his bows…) If you are looking for a bow that has woodwork beautiful enough to use as a screensaver on your computer (and good enough to drop a buffalo) he is the man to see. He can also assist you with almost any archery questions that you have, without even noticing if you have a bow from another bowyer in your hand. After a hunt on his game farm, as I was contemplating how to skin an impala (something I’m really not good at), three very young ladies, his daughters, gave me the same look my mother used to give me when she saw my report card. In no time at all they had helped me dress and butcher the entire carcass better than most seasoned hunters! This is the kind of experience you will miss out on if you order a product that is other than local.

Just a few kilometres from Johan van der Merwe’s place is the farm of Jaco Wessels of Timberpoint archery. He personifies the difference between any sport and traditional archery. In which sport can you frantically phone up the South African champion before a hunt, because your arrows won't tune correctly and you need a new fletching jig? Even as a relative stranger he would take a break in his busy schedule to help me with my equipment woes. After my purchase he ended the conversation with: “Hier is ’n teiken hier agter, kom ons gooi pyle.” He even has a dog that finds and returns your “flyers” that end up in the bush, with the minimum of chewing and slobber. His workshop is a financially challenging place as he has all the accoutrements and accessories that you could ever wish for! He has his own line of bows which are unique and look like no other. He also tutors novices on how to make their own bows from a single piece of wood. And if you wonder if his bows work, the line of medals on his workshop wall speak for themselves.

Johnny Snyman from Heartwood bows is for the more exotic archer. He makes the Scythian recurves that look similar to the bows that the Mongols used. They are shorter with more curves, making them ideal for men who used to shoot from horseback. His bows have even been used in a few Hollywood movies! Johnny’s bows may take a while to make, but he will keep you updated on how your bow is taking shape with regular photos and video clips over the internet! He is currently busy with a new line of bows, called the Nomad, which will remind you of an Egyptian pharaoh on a chariot hunt! He has even made me a one-off bow, the Hungarian horsebow, which will not form part of a line. It will be the only bow of its kind in the world. Try and get that kind of service from an overseas bowyer over the internet and I will eat my hat. (It is quite a large leather Akubra from Australia).
There are other bowyers who are still on my wish list, such as Pierre de Wet from Cupido bows. I have seen his wares at the annual Sterkfontein Traditional Shoot hosted by Henk du Plessis, another legendary bowyer. And there are also the likes of Johan Smit, well-known amongst the traditionalists. As soon as finances permit I will come a-knocking…
I don’t throw stones at the compound shooters or guys using factory-produced traditional gear. They are professionals in their own right. But I spend a lot of time in the archery shops, and a lot of good service and advice comes from guys such as Beyers from Archery Africa and the whole gang from The Bowshop in Pretoria (they are constantly reminding me that if we go hunting, they can shoot a buck with their compounds and we can cook it on my traditional bow). I’m just illustrating the “bacon and eggs” analogy made by Byron Ferguson: “The chicken makes a contribution, while the pig makes a total commitment.” If you want to try traditional archery, and if you want commitment, take a look at our local guys.

There comes a time when you want to move away from the mainstream, when you would rather fish with a split cane bamboo rod, with flies you tie yourself. You throw away cigarettes and smoke a hand-crafted Peterson. You enjoy wearing veldskoens, and you pay more attention to articles by Robin Barkes.
When that time comes, take up a stick and string, made in South Africa.

Updated: Monday, February 15, 2010 2:23 PM