The basis of hunting of Ket — a small indigenous people of the Krasnoyarsk territory — at the end of the XIX century was the fur trade, which had a commercial value. An equally important role was played by the extraction of large ungulates, forest and waterfowl-along together with fishing, this was the main source of food.
The Ket bow was famous throughout the North of Yenisey and was an object of exchange with others — it was valued for its unique fighting qualities. In addition, it remained the main tool for hunting for longer than all other Northern peoples — it was used for all types of animals and birds until the 1930s.
Bows were glued together from different types of wood — birch, larch and cherry. The bowstring was made from animal tendons or plant fibers. Both the bow and string were covered with thin birch bark to protect them from moisture.
Arrows with a length of 62 to 80 cm come with three types of tips. The first type is characterized by an iron tip of various shapes and sizes — such arrows are intended for hunting fish, foxes, otters, geese, loons. When hunting ducks, arrows with a spear-shaped end or a small pitchfork at the end are used. Arrows of the second type — without an iron tip and with a blunt thickening made of bone are suitable for hunting squirrels and capercaillies. The third type — arrows with a tip inside which is empty in thickness. When flying, it emits a whistle similar to that of a hawk, which hares and ducks are afraid of. For this feature, it is called ‘hawk-arrow’ or ‘Whistler-arrow’.
All the arrows had eagle feathers — they determined the direction. The projectile could fly at 120-150 paces, but at this distance, hitting the target was out of the question. However, if the arrow was shot into a dense flock of birds, the shot was usually successful. If necessary, the Kets smeared the tip with fish venom, so that even a small injury to the prey made the hunt effective.
Generally, archery is not a difficult task, but hitting the target can be difficult. Therefore, the Kets taught their children into this type of weapon from an early age — they made their own small bow from spruce.
The Ket bow was famous throughout the North of Yenisey and was an object of exchange with others — it was valued for its unique fighting qualities. In addition, it remained the main tool for hunting for longer than all other Northern peoples — it was used for all types of animals and birds until the 1930s.
Bows were glued together from different types of wood — birch, larch and cherry. The bowstring was made from animal tendons or plant fibers. Both the bow and string were covered with thin birch bark to protect them from moisture.
Arrows with a length of 62 to 80 cm come with three types of tips. The first type is characterized by an iron tip of various shapes and sizes — such arrows are intended for hunting fish, foxes, otters, geese, loons. When hunting ducks, arrows with a spear-shaped end or a small pitchfork at the end are used. Arrows of the second type — without an iron tip and with a blunt thickening made of bone are suitable for hunting squirrels and capercaillies. The third type — arrows with a tip inside which is empty in thickness. When flying, it emits a whistle similar to that of a hawk, which hares and ducks are afraid of. For this feature, it is called ‘hawk-arrow’ or ‘Whistler-arrow’.
All the arrows had eagle feathers — they determined the direction. The projectile could fly at 120-150 paces, but at this distance, hitting the target was out of the question. However, if the arrow was shot into a dense flock of birds, the shot was usually successful. If necessary, the Kets smeared the tip with fish venom, so that even a small injury to the prey made the hunt effective.
Generally, archery is not a difficult task, but hitting the target can be difficult. Therefore, the Kets taught their children into this type of weapon from an early age — they made their own small bow from spruce.
