Safety in the Art of Archery

While I was impressed by the scrupulousness of American archers, other people fretted over their danger. But after hearing about a septuagenarian who had been shot with a gun in front of his own house, the threat of sportsmen accidentally shooting arrows backward at joggers seemed somewhat less.

Recently, there was a Pasadena city council meeting at which one of the issues was archery. The issue was whether or not the Pasadena Roving Archers could continue to practice in the Arroyo Seco. They had opposition from residents convinced of the danger of archery. People have totally different perceptions of risk though. I've tried archery in Mongolia and America, and from this perspective, the controversy seems almost bizarre.

Archery, or нум сум, is one of the three official sports of Наадам. I was hoping to try it as soon as I found out I was going to Mongolia. Unfortunately, archery wasn't very big in my town, and the equipment is not common or cheap. Luckily, two years into my stay, an archery demonstration was staged in my town, and another competition happened at the town's 90th anniversary celebration, so archery became more popular in my third year. A few people started practicing it, and I got some, but not many chances to try it.

Archery, cars, and nothing in between them.

The setup was very ad hoc. There was no actual range. The archers just put a target up outside town, walked far enough beyond that that they could shoot, and put their quivers on the ground to mark the line. Everyone crowded behind them to watch. Every so often one of the pros would hand off the bow to some kid, who would try to copy what he or she had seen the pros doing. There wasn't a whole lot of explanation. The only real rule, "Don't walk in front of the target when someone's shooting," was so obvious no one needed to say it. I think it's important to note, though, that the judges stand next to the target, so you are always shooting toward someone. After a while some of the adults would get bored and go home while their kids kept on running around the range. The little boys who weren't shooting were employed to run back and forth to the target to retrieve spent arrows, or to shoo cows that walked into the way, because there usually wasn't any boundary to the range.

I wanted to continue after I came back to America, so I joined the Pasadena Roving Archers. My first time there, I knew that it was way different, and not just because Western archers don't draw the bow with the thumb. We newbies were required to stand in a line, fill out information, and sign a release form. The club members tested our sightedness (left- or right-eyed?), measured our arms, fitted us with equipment, and put us in groups. The instructors made our groups do particular stretches, lectured on basics, and explained the rules of the range before we were allowed to string a single arrow. They drilled us on their system of whistles which told us when to go to the line, shoot, hang our quivers, and retrieve arrows. If we walked in front of the targets while people were shooting, we'd get kicked out, we were warned. There are even rules about walking around the target when nobody is shooting. Shooting itself was easier, because the American bows all had less draw weight. They even had little arrow-rests on the bows to keep the arrow from falling out while you aimed! Everything was prepackaged for your safety and convenience.

The gravest risked I encountered in Mongolia was temporary numbness in my thumb after drawing the string without wearing a thumbring.  No one got hurt, and nobody worried about anyone getting hurt, despite nobody taking precautions that nobody would get hurt. Don't be dumb - what else do you need to know? No fences, no rules, no worries, no injuries.

Archery in rural Mongolia. Notice all the people hanging around
the target, the residential dwellings right behind it, and the
lack of any clear boundary around the range that was just set up
that morning.

American archery rules and guidelines seemed like overkill compared to that. On the other hand, when they're this thorough, at least they've covered all possible ground and there's no way anyone can complain.

But of course someone did anyway.

I'd only been to the range a few times when they told us that there was a group, seemingly consisting of concerned mothers, who wanted archery out of the Arroyo Seco, and the matter would be taken up a city council meeting. Amazingly, while I was being impressed by how scrupulous American archers were, other people were fretting anxiously over the dangers of their squeaky-clean sportsmanship! How could it be so? The anti-archery activists were quite creative, it turned out, and imagined all kinds of strange things that might happen. Hikers and joggers would be forced out of the Arroyo, or they would get hit by stray arrows if they didn't get out, or someone would shoot an arrow into someone's lawn. Perhaps a child might even get struck by an arrow playing in their own front lawn!

Anyone who has visited the range should realize how easy it is to get around without getting in the way, and how hard it would be for the archers to hit bystanders, even if they tried. If not, I suggest you refer to my diagram. Arrows that miss the target just hit the hillside behind it, and since it's steep and bushy, no one is going to be climbing there. To hit someone, they would have to turn away from the actual targets toward the trail, and hope someone stood still and waved their arms so they could aim clearly. In order to get an arrow into someone's yard, they would have to shoot across the trail, over the wash, up the canyon side, across the street, and finally into someone's yard. That's not easy. Most likely, the archer would just lose a perfectly good arrow in the wash.

Archery equipment, unlike guns, is not something you can ignorantly and accidentally set off. To hit anything with accuracy and force, you would have to be somewhat competent, by which time you would have figured out that aiming at people is bad. Anyone who might shoot you with arrows would have to really want to hit you. And if someone wants to shoot you, that's an entirely different problem which could not be prevented by an archery ban.

Danger: Kids with Weapons.

I was eager to help the Roving Archers, so I signed their petition, sent a letter to my district four representative, Gene Masuda, and attended the council meeting on Monday. The turnout was so great that that the majority of supporters, including myself, couldn't fit in the council rooms and had to stand outside watching the meeting on a screen. Immediately before the archery was considered, they heard about a crime wave in another neighborhood. In this case, the delay may have been fortunate, because the meeting itself put the issue in perspective. After hearing about a septuagenarian who had been maliciously shot with a gun in front of his own house, the threat posed by good-natured sportsmen potentially, accidentally, shooting arrows backward at joggers seemed somewhat less.

The council talked a long, long time, and didn't vote until 2:30 in the morning, and I had to leave only a short time after archery began to be discussed, so I had to wait until the next day to find out. Thankfully, the city council was reasonable and decided in favor of the archers. The Roving Archers work hard to make archery enjoyable, and safe, for everyone. I was truly bewildered how much some people worried about the Roving Archers after I had already done archery in an almost completely unregulated environment. Things are pretty safe here, but every time someone thinks archery is dangerous, or refuses to drink their tap water, or shave without cream, or lots of other things, I can't help but wonder if we're a bit too safe.

MWW 54: Нум (ft. Сум 2)

Cyrillic	нум	NomO
Transcription	num
IPA	[nʊm]
Layman’s Pronunciation	NOOM
Meaning	bow
In Genghis Khan’s time it was numu.

Cyrillic	сум	SomO
Transcription	sum
IPA	[sʊm]
Layman’s Pronunciation	SOOM
Meaning	arrow, dart, bullet, missile, cursor
In Genghis Khan’s time it was numu.

Нум means “bow.” Сум (a homophone of the word for district) means “arrow” and “dart,” and by extension also “bullet,” “missile,” and “cursor.” Together the two form the compound нум сум, “archery.” Archery is also called сур харвалт or байт харваа.

The bow was the most important weapon of ancient steppe nomads. Chinggis Khaan’s warriors are credited with numerous feats that astounded their enemies, such as firing arrows backwards at approaching armies while they retreated on horseback. Archery skill is still celebrated in Mongolia every July, although the modern bows, I’m told, are very different from the bows of 800 years ago. They’re larger, and would be much less useful on horseback. Naadam archers today compete standing up, but I’d love to see mounted archery come back.

Personally, archery is one of the most fascinating things in Mongolia, but unlike Mongolian script, of which I can say now “Ok, I learned that,” I’ve tried in vain for 2 years to find someone to teach me archery. No one I know at site practices archery or knows anyone who does. But at least I was lucky enough that my sum became host to an archery demonstration back in May, and I got to try it out a little bit.

When the archer takes the bow out of its case (хоромсого), she must reattach the bowstring (хөвч) to the bow. Next, take an arrow out of the quiver (саадаг). The Mongolian archer must nock the arrow (нум сум онилох), or place the little notch (онь) on the butt of the arrow so it fits on the middle of the string. She now draws the bow (хөвч татах) as she raises it to aim at her target. To draw the bow properly, pull the middle of the bowstring with your thumb and wrap your other fingers in front of the thumb. The target (бай) is made up of many pieces of leather called сур. When her aim is certain, she shoots (сумаар харвах). The arrow flies until it hits the target (бай онох) - or misses (бай онохгүй).

Or look here:

A left-handed archer draws and shoots

You can see many more pictures of our archery exhibition here. For those who can read Mongolian, these websites have some longer lists of archery terminology:

• http://www.goldenbridge-forapartment.com/en/mongolia/show/id/271
• http://lhagii_0529.blog.gogo.mn/index.html

MWW 52: Наадам

Cyrillic	наадам	Negedo^
Transcription	naadam
IPA	[ˈna:tǝm]
Layman’s Pronunciation	NAH-dum
Meaning	game, festival
In Genghis Khan’s time it was naγadum.

Now that it’s July, it’s time for the other biggest holiday of the Mongolian year, Наадам, so in its honor this week I’ll be posting words related to Naadam, starting with Naadam itself. Наадам is held every year from July 11 to July 14, at about the hottest time of the year. Just as Цагаан Сар sort of marks the climax of winter and the coming of spring, Наадам marks the climax of summer and the coming of autumn. Naadam is the biggest sports even of the Mongolian year, and has been nicknamed “The Mongolian Olympics.” It features wrestling, archery, and horse-racing. For this reason it may also be properly called Эрийн Гурван Наадам, “The Men’s Three Naadams,” or “The Three Manly Games” (even though women compete in archery and horse-racing).

Other names for this big event are Төрийн Наадам or Улсын Наадам (state Naadam or National Naadam). This is to distinguish it from all the other little Naadams around the country. There are also сумын наадам (local naadams) and аймгийн наадам (provincial naadams). These Naadams are usually held early in July, with the winners going on to the National Naadam, but this year my sum is having its Naadam in late July, to coincide with its 90^th anniversary.

Наадам has given its name to many other kinds of events, such as багт наадам - masquerade (Naadam with masks), үгийн наадам - pun, word game (Naadam of words), галын наадам - firecracker (Naadam of fire), and жижиг галын наадам - grasshopper (little Naadam of fire). When my school put on a festival the day before the official first day of school, it was called the сургуулийн наадам. However, when one simply says Наадам by itself, it’s usually taken to mean the Улсын Наадам.

Наадах vs. Тоглох

Наадам, the noun, is derived from the verb наадах, “to play, enjoy oneself.” (This should not be confused with наадахь, “the one over here.”) Mongolian has two verbs that are normally translated as “play”: the other one is тоглох. Even though наадах has given birth to the mother of all Mongolian games, Наадам, тоглох has won out overall: it’s far more common than наадах, it is the normal verb for “play” for almost all types of game, and its derived noun, тоглоом, is the normal word for “toy” and “game” in the general, non-specific sense. Thus you would say сагсан бөмбөг тоглох, “play basketball,” not *сагсан бөмбөг наадах. Poor old наадах is hardly used at all.

However, наадах has, in its causative form наадуулах, given us a funny idiom, загас наадуулах, “to have sex” (literally “to let fish play.”)

Naadam Greetings

The proper greeting on Naadam is Сайхан наадаарай! This is сайхан, “fine, well, good,” and the verb наадах with the -аарай⁴ ending. (The superscript numeral four indicates that it has four vowel-harmony variations: -аарай, -ээрэй, -оорой, and -өөрэй.) The -аарай⁴ ending is a kind of imperative, mid-way between the abrupt, demanding verb stem and the “if you please” request -аач⁴ form. So Сайхан наадаарай could be translated as “Play well!” It falls into a group of common greetings that all take the form сайн / санхан V-аарай⁴.

Greeting	Most literal translation	English sense-translation
Сайхан амраарай!	well rest-IMPERATIVE	Good night! Enjoy your vacation!
Сайхан нойрсоорой!	well sleep-IMP	Good night!
Сайхан баярлаарай!	well enjoy-IMP	Have fun!
Сайн яваад ирээрэй!	well go-and come-IMP	Have a nice trip!
Сайхан шинэлээрэй!	well renew-IMP	Happy Tsagaan Sar!
Сайн сууж байгаарай!	well sit-and be-IMP	(said by someone leaving on a trip, to the people who are staying)
Сайхан хооллоорой!	well meal-VERBALIZER-IMP	Bon appetit!

Сайхан наадаарай, everyone!

PST: Part II

Climate

Despite being next to one of the world’s most famously cold and barren regions, I’m not cold. Actually, I’m hot.

I had read that temperatures average in the 70s during the summer, which sounded pleasant enough. This is true but misleading. The key word is average. The reason temperatures average in the 70s is not because most days are in the 70s (they aren’t), but rather because they fluctuate between very hot and cold.

The heat isn’t surprising. When the sky is clear, the land gets more than enough sunshine, because the sun doesn’t set until after 10PM, and rises about 4AM.

The rainy season in Mongolia, especially in the north where I am, is during the summer, and when it finally started to cloud over and drizzle after I had been there a week or two, I was very pleased, because the temperature dropped quickly.

The rain has generally gotten more intense each time it’s come, with the temperatures swinging downward. Two days in particular were cold and wet; one was the day of our local Naadam, on July 6. (Mongolia’s nationwide Naadam sports festival is from July 11-14, but many towns celebrate local Naadams before that. Like a tournament, winners from the local Naadams often get sent to the national Naadam, such as Kari’s host dad, who kicked everyone’s butt in archery.) A few days before our Naadam I was sweating in my dress shirt. On Naadam, I was wearing four shirts and still a little cold. Plus, it was raining, although it mostly just spit.

Sometimes the sky is completely empty, sometimes it’s impenetrably cloudy, for the most part there are some clouds floating here and there. Usually there’s not much of a breeze, but the clouds float slowly from west to east, so there must be a high-altitude west wind. That would be normal in the middle latitudes. Since that would be coming from the center of the Asian landmass, naturally it brings warm, dry weather. However, before our biggest rainy days, the normal rhythm of the skies was interrupted by a very strong, cold north wind, which could be felt at ground level. Obviously these storms must be coming in from Siberia, perhaps because of an intrusion of the polar air mass. During Naadam I noticed the wind change back to west-east, so I guessed the weather would clear up. Indeed, the next day it did. And after 24 hours, it was in the 80s again.

Allegedly one of the teachers said that the wind usually blows from the west for a week, and then for a week it reverses, bringing rain. If we have wet east winds, it must be because they’re carrying air all the way from the Pacific Ocean, and it may even have something to do with the monsoon.

They try so hard to warn you about the country being cold, to prepare you for being cold during the winter, that they fail to warn you that it will be very hot during the summer too. It was for the first week I was in S----.

I had been so busy trying to prepare for the Mongolian winter that I failed to prepare for the summer, so I didn’t bring shorts, sandals, or anything else suited for the heat. (I didn’t bring anything for the rain either, but my parents sent me a package with an umbrella in it - Thanks!) So if you’re packing for Mongolia now, bring shorts. The small town where you get sent for training won’t have a clothing store, and you won’t be able to leave the town without official permission from Peace Corps, which usually means bringing a member of your host family with you.

You might also consider taking swim trunks and pool shoes in case you live near a river, like I do. When it gets hot, you’ll enjoy jumping in the river, and it will be more convenient and less constraining than a bath in a tumpen. However, the Peace Corps Medical Officers like you to wade with shoes on, to avoid cutting your foot on a beer bottle someone threw in the river and getting an infection from the bacteria swimming around.

Daily Life

Our weekdays are as full as any school. Monday through Thursday we have language classes from 9 AM to 1 PM, go home for lunch until 2:30, then have technical training (TEFL and community development classes) until 5:30. On Friday we just have the language classes. S--- is divided into two parts, “Uptown” and “Downtown.” Our group is similary divided. Six of us, including me, live at the bottom of the big hill, and the other five live at the top of the hill. The school is also on top of the hill, so us downtowners have a 30 min. walk uphill to get to class. Since I go home to eat lunch, I spend most of the time walking, and only get about 30 minutes to eat. In total, I spend minimum 2 hours a day walking Monday through Thursday.

Naadam

Naadam is the national sports festival. It features three events: horse-racing, wrestling and archery. Since this is a Mongolian specialty, there’s lots of information in books or online about how it works. For now, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

I missed the horse race, which starts early in the morning, but I got to see parts of the wrestling and archery competitions, which went on until late in the day.

Etc…

Yesterday we killed and butchered a ram. I’ll have to talk about that later.