Spruce quickbow - unique historical bow-type of the Saami people 

Thank you. I'm happy to hear this.

Thanks! I don't have historical knowledge about Saami customs of making arrows in the bush, so no video either. But when the quality of the bow isn't top notch, like with a quick bow, it's all the more important that the arrows are. So the customs might have been to carefully made carry good quality arrows, and only to make the bow if need be. Although surely every archery culture has known a way to make makeshift arrows when needed, but it's not as quick process in any case.

Thank you, Garret. Spruce branches are quite springy, if you find a good one, but I don't know other types of wood would do. You'll have to try it out. The quiver is my own making.

Thank you, John, and nice that you got inspired. Sometimes it may time to find a good branch, but once you got, it's surprising how well it can perform.

Thank you.

Thank you. I guess the norway spruce is another name for european spruce (Picea abies) - so that's exactly the same spruce as here. Trying a few different branches will get you started quite fast.

@@UgriArcher - Yes we call Picea abies Norway Spruce, they are not native here, like larch they did not make back after the ice age Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) is our only native conifer, apart from juniper. Most of our timber forests are spruce because the deer do not eat the young trees so much.

Yeah, hazel is good stuff, seems to be pretty much the only good bow wood that is fairly common around my parts, as this climate is too dry for yew and spruce is uncommon too. Maybe ash or green locust branches would work.

Thank you. And yes indeed I chose the fletching color deliberately for easier spotting in the snow.

Thank you, Murray. And indeed I've heard about the possible evolution and original asymmetry of Yumi bows coming from primitive bows made of saplings or slender branches. It's really understandable actually, although we of course don't know for sure.

Spruces root! That's quite something. So you found a big stump, or a fallen tree? Well if there's a springy, flexible part then a bow can be made, even if it's a bit extraordinary material choice.

@@UgriArcher yes it was uprooted tree and wood full of sapp very springy,compared to green hazelnut bows we used to make it was quite a powerhouse

These type bows i remember from my childhood in finnish countryside. I had no idea these were used historically for actual usage, but i suppose its good small game bow that you can make on the go.

@@lalli8152 Now I'm tempted to try it, but the only conifers I have around are some pines than I'm sure will break, but everything is trying.

@@lalli8152 The knowledge must have been passed on in your genes. :) Sometimes we try things instinctively even thought the tradition had been already forgotten. Great to hear this memory of yours.

You're welcome, Denis. Glad you liked it.

@@UgriArcher My first bow, in Slovenija, was made from the spruce branch. Slovenian bowyer, Mr. Matjaž Tomše, has published an article in Primitive Archer magazine regarding spruce bows.

I didn't think the pressure wood properties here, as with this kind of quickbow you kind of need to follow the natural curvature and allow the branch to decide which way it want to bend the best. Otherwise the result can be wonky and can flip-flop upon stringing/shooting. According to sources these were mostly used to hunt small game, birds and squirrels. But given time to look for a good sturdy branch, preferably one which has already dried a bit but not too much, maybe one could reach even 50+ draw weights. It's all about the branch. But if too much time needs to be used for tillering then it's not a quickbow anymore.

Many thanks for the answer. I have heard that, especially with spruce, the branch grows upwards and the pressure wood is therefore at the bottom of the branch and that you always have a natural reflex bow if you use the pressure wood side as the belly of the bow. I also saw this with the YT Canal Energetic Heretic, among others. You also only need to do a little tillering because the printing wood is very resistant. The Saami also built bows with a birch back and a pine compression wood belly. Since I was just experimenting a lot with pine and spruce compression wood to find out how good it really is. And why shouldn't the branch be too dry? Because it is then too brittle in the cold?

@@lordsingh3486 Yes, compression wood forms also in the curved branches. And in conifers/softwoods it forms on the opposite side of the load, ie. in the upwards curving branches it's on the downside. The most elegent and highest quality bow design within the Saami and other Finno-Ugric or North-Eurasian peoples was indeed the two-wood laminate bow made with birch back and compression pine belly. The compression pine gives the bow its strength, much like horn of the hornbows, and the birch keeps the design intact. It's of course possible to consider compression wood properties with mere branch bows too, but I'm not sure if that was the case with these bows as they were meant to be made quickly. However, one has to try out to how doable it is with minimum carving and tillering. And indeed, too dry branch will be brittle and prone to break. And on the other hand, too fresh one is powerless and sluggish to shoot. So finding a proper branch makes a lot of difference. And just as in the video, you may try to dry/harden the branch bow on fire to get more out of it.

Kiitos, kiitos. Hyvä että maistui.

Saako kuusesta minkälaisen jousen jos panostas enemmän? Saako kestävää? Vai suosiolla jostain muusta puusta heti?

@@lanius9 Kyllä kuusestakin kestävän jousen saa, vaikkei sa varsinaisesti mikään jousipuu olekaan. Joskus tein ukkosenkaataman ison kuusen säleistä aivan kelvollisen ja pitkäikäisen jousen.

Saatan keväällä kokeilla. Kiitos

It's traditional tinder called 'taula' in Finnish, and made from tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius).

Thank you. Let's keep doing the outdoors stuff. :)

@@UgriArcher yes sir 👍

Hei, kiitoksia, ja mukava kuulla pitkästä aikaa! Viini on todentotta poroa, koipinahoista tehty.

Thank you, Miguel. Best wishes.

@@UgriArcher same to you Brother Happy new year 🎉 😀

Jees, hauska kuulla tämmösiä muisteloja. VaanjJos ei osunut edes ladon oveen niin oisko se sitten voinut olla nuolissa vika...

Welcome aboard! :)

Fully healed and stronger than before. No worries about that anymore.

Greetings and thank you, neighbouring archer! As from Norrbotten you're actually from the Linneaus travelling region. And yep, I heard Tod mentioned my bouncing arrows video as original inspiration/source to try his own. It's always nice if this content and research reaches wider audience.

@@UgriArcher Yes Carl von Linné went through my city/municipality. it's believed he actually had a bastard named Daniel Solander with a woman from Piteå (Magdalena Bostadia), Daniel was born February 19th 1733. He was the result of Linné staying 2 nights at the house of Carl Solander and Magdalena Bostadia in his journey through Lappland In June 1732. At age 17 Daniel Solander went to Uppsala to study under Linné and became one of his formost students. He also became a great botanist himself and has a number of places named after him here in my municipality in honor of him. such as a school and a park. I cannot find any sources confirming he was a bastard of Linné but it's atleast interesting "folk faith" or old gossip that has been passed down around here.

@@swedisharcher9405 Hey thanks for these interesting details, and stories. I guess offsprings resulting from the journeys of travelling explorers, historians, folklorists etc. may not have been uncommon at all, but of course it's hard to verify reliably.

Something very improvised which I don't even recall clearly. It wasn't any proper traditional string knot anyway.

Alright! This is fun and simple bushcrafting to try. I guess pine branches of this diameter are less flexible, but I don't know, you have to try. Completely dry branch won't work as it is likely to break under tension, rather than to give in. With a little experimenting with different branches you'll soon figure out what's going to work.

@@UgriArcher So after these quickbows dried out would they just throw them on the fire and make another bow?

@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 Maybe, but the story doesn't really tell what the Saamis preferred to do with the 'used' quickbows. But they were most definitely made and used only for short periods of time.

@@UgriArcher OK, thanks!

Bone, iron and blunt wooden. The usual materials among many different archery cultures.

@@UgriArcher Thanks for your reply. What animals can be hunted successfully with wooden arrowheads? I'm guessing that hares could be hunted with wooden, and reindeer with bone ones?

@@rachelcoleman4693 Wooden blunts were used namely for squirrels. That way the hide keeps intact. With strong bows they could work for others small animals too. With bone arrowhead you could hunt practically any game, small or big.

Thank you! I'm fairly sure the Linneaus book can be found online, as everything, but I can't provide exact link. It's very true that Saami knife served as a tool that could do many axe tasks, like chopping firewood, cutting down slender trunks and such. So in the old times, when living in kotas, I believe axe wasn't a common tool at all. Wikipedia has a brief article about the Saami knife: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_knife ...and with some searching I guess many online resources, or books, about Samis should be found in english too.

@@UgriArcher Thanks for your answer, and the link... I will keep searching online... I also admired your beautiful back quiver. And I have never before, seen a back quiver strapped to the shoulders that way. It obviously keep its position much better, than one strap over the shoulder. Is it your own invention, or a traditional thing from the Samii, or the Finn people? If you are interested, about the original people in Finland, thus your own ancesters, keep reading... If not, stop reading now... European history teaching is filled with misinformation, which any archaeologist now can prove. ALL "historical texts" I found about the Samii, was clearly "christian misinformations"... Claiming they had a "religion" which I know as a fact, is a "christian falsification"... They followed the Orion Religion, believing in ONE creator, who made that event we now call Big Bang, and eagerly waited, to see what happened... They did not have an "animalist religion"... They believed mutations formed all species, just like modern science say... Archaeology has proven, the Samii nation was started, when Turkish reindeer clans moved to Sweden, when the reindeer stayed there after the warmer period started, just before 3.000 BC... But surely, other Turk clans already followed reindeer east of the Baltic Sea... Later those joined the Samii Nation... The ancient riverfleet, mainly had cities and sailed, on the Danube and the Wisla in Poland, and reached the Baltic sea 5.300 BC, and started selling a new style of clayware, in northern Poland, and in the southeast part of the Baltic Sea... About the same time, that fleet got Dwarf Smiths... And placed Dwarf charcoal makers in the forests in the southeast of the Baltic Sea. The real Dwarfs were from the first race, now called Homo Erectus... Averaging 150 cm hight, but far the strongest race... While the River fleet was from the second race, called the AN people or the DAN people, so we could say it is the "Danish race"... Now called Homo Neantherthal, or Cro Magnum or Caucasians... Calling Danes a "germanic peole" is also a "christian misinformation"... That is like calling all in England "Americans"... It is an insult to the tall white race... We were defined as the Dan people or the An people or the Man people or the Han people, long time before the iceage. The Roman who wrote "Germanicus" starts that book by explaining, the socalled German people "was only small nation in... Germany" So he clearly explained the tall "whites" in Denmark and Sweden were NOT germans... But GERMAN historians totally ignore that, and only "use" the rest of the book... And now even wikipedia call us all "germans"... Pure misinformation... The socalled Great Turks came from the third race, medium tall, but slimmest build, and with black skin. Modern science calls them Homo Sapiens... But fail to explain "that is the black race"... Coming to Europe 40.000 BC... Going to Turkey during the iceage... Returning to Europe and west Asia, after the iceage... Coming to Denmark with the reindeer, from 9.000 BC... Making those Turk Bows, found in Denmark, which are the oldest existing bows today... The Holmegard, and the others... Shaped like hornbows, but made of one peace of wood, as glue would slip, in this moist climate... As they returned first, Danes considered them the owners of all of Europe, and west Asia north of Persia, till the pass to China. Danish farmers came to Denmark 4.000 BC, to lands the Turk Nation had given... The River fleet sailed them up... Only after the Turks on Zealand left, Zealand became "a fully Danish land"... Dan Mark... In Sweden the Turk reindeerr clans could not send people to the Turk Universities in Europe, to become official school teachers, or healers... They needed to start a new nation, and start their own three Universites, with the summed knowledge from the first race, and from themself... Remembering they originally came from the SEMI nation in Africa, they named their new nation "the Semi'i nation", which ended spelled as the SAMI or SAMII nation... Their healers were called "Saman" healers, by Danes, and that ended as "Shaman" healers... Only women became healers! Much later danish farmer from Denmark and Sweden came to Finland... Then Finland had a number of Dwarf charcoal makers and smiths... That is why Finland has a great tradition regarding smiths, who knew more than any "Christian smith"... And a number of Danish farmers... And some clans from the Samii nation... My grandfather's side of the family, came from Dwarf charcoal makers on Zealand, who came up with the Ancient Ocean fleet, about 3.000 BC... So from him I learned some history and science, which no schools teach today... When the Pope's armies managed to invade Denmark, and the Sweden and Norway, and then also Finland, they burned the last Universities, both those the two fleets had and those the Samii people had... They also burned all Dwarfs they could find... That was about 1.000 years ago, and a bit later... Then all books were burned, which families had in their homes... And then the Christain history claimed "The people could not read nor write, before we came, and made schools..." Since then all which schools taught about the time before the invasions, was fully fabricated misinformation. And this is the only things I know from my stydies of archaeological finds in Europe, combined with what my grandfather taught me... Once I doubted his incredible "tales" could be true... Now I know all he said, can be confirmed by archaeology... I also learned all he taught me about particle physics, is absolutely correct... Using that I could answer in school "about the physical laws", so the teacher smiled and said "totally correct", and asked: "is your father a professor at the University?"... No he was not... But my granfather was a common worker and taught me this! But I was carefull not to mention the details, which modern science is not yet teaching! I went to the Univerity to study basic science and particles physics... I was disapointed... Moder science have refound much, so that proved his basics were correct... But his teachings were more advanced, yet simpler, than what modern particle physics believe now... He simply called it "The Dwarfs Science"... But he made me swear never to mention that in school, or to others... Formerly people were burned, if they told that in public... Now, you are simply ridiculed, as all believe what the schools teach... But now I dare mention this to you... Today archaeology has proven, his history about the Dwarfs was true... Even when archaeologist still do not dare write "Dwarf race", when an adult sceleton is about 150 cm tall, an stronger build... I write this to you because: Your face reminds me of his face... To me it looks like also you are a "fine mix" of Dwarfs and Danes, and also of the Sami people. He was by far the most intelligent in my family... The most inventive, and able to split any mashinery and assemble it "only to see how it worked". He was smallest of hight, but had wider hands, and hips, and had shortest legs, and were the strongest in my family... But nobody would guess he was from the Dwarfs, unless they knew others, with that "special face"... All in his side of the family had that face... Dwarfs were also called Trolls... In Danish that meant "very effician worker"... While Chistians invented a totally different meaning... While the word Dwarf came from the Ocean fleet language, simply meaning "The workers"... That is all I know about how Finland was populated after last Iceage... With this you might understand yourself better... And your burning interest for true history, like about Archery... You have the brain of a true scientist... Kind regards Dan

@@danboron1 The back quivers were carried like this by many Finno-Ugric peoples. Like a backpack. But when it comes to your briefing about the origin of peoples here it's something I don't quite buy.

@@UgriArcher Thanks for your answer, about the quiver... But what does the term Finno-Ugric mean? Does it mean "the Samii people in Finland"? Or simply "the anciant people in Finland"? About my brief explanation, about the three races, I am aware, some of it is not what schools teach, yet, as it is the results from modern archaeology, and from the science about DNA, which have proven that "lately", and it will take time, before that is taught in schools too... However Danish schools teach that Homo Sapiens came to Denmark after 9.000 BC, and made those bows, we have dated to be from that time, and they lived as hunter-gathers... Both on Zealand, and in Jutland... The tall Danes arrived at 4.000 BC, and lived as farmers... On Zealand and Fuen and in Jutland... And they traded with "some sailing traders, from Europe", which proves "sailing trade" already existed... In fact they could only come to Zealand and Fuen, by sailing in ships. And they intermarried with Homo Sapiens women... There is no proof of battles between those two races, in Denmark. That is what all Danish school children have been taught since the 1960'ies, when I went to school... The European "Bone Scientists", have found and classified all three races in Europe, the last 500 years. It was them who made the modern science names, for the three races, they found in Europe, and outside Europe. They made the name "Homo Erectus" for the "1,5 meter tall and strong build race", which they found was the oldest "by far"... But they lived in Europe, "when the two new races also lived here"... Datings could only be done by geologists, who "guessed how old that layer was, the sceletons were found in"... And "in the last period, all three races lived here"... But "suddenly only very few from the first race lived here"... THEY were not found in Christian grave yeards, since the Christians took the power in Denmark, about 1.000 years ago. And they gave the name "Homo Neanderthal" for the tallest race, with slimmer bones, which they found were the second race. And the name "Homo Sapiens" for the medium tall, but slimmest build race, which is the third race, having the "most modern face"... It was an excavation outside Europe, which first proved the order, as Sapiens were found near the surface, while Neanderthals were found deeper, and Erectus was found "much deeper"... And that fits with details on the sceletons: The second race had all features from the Erectus, and NEW features... Sapiens also had features from Erectus, AND from Neanderthals, and then NEW features... Also that proved the order... European Bone Scientists, found the Pygmee People outside Europe, had the same features as Erectus, and they decided, those are not a new race, but is a "slim version of Erectus"... They saw the same changes had happened in many different isolated places, so the Pygmees do not have "one shared ancestor", but are a "natural variation, within the Erectus race"... After that, "normal Erectus" was called ROBUST Erectus, while Pygmees were called SLIM Erectus... All this proved the two next races evolved from two mutants, and "was not shaped by the Creator in Heaven"... Only in Europe it seemed the Neanderthals came first, then the Sapiens, and finally a "small number of Erectus" arrived... That was documented, and published, after carefull measurements had been compleeted, about 1870... But since that "went against what the Christian schools, and priests claimed", it was ridiculed and ignored... However, now the science about DNA has proven it was correct... Danes have about 75% of their genome from the Neanderthal race, and about 25% from the Sapiens race... They can even see, those 25 % mainly came from women, which Danes married"... But the DNA science can not yet measure, how much we have from intermarriage with the Erectus, as both the second and third race had "all their genome, PLUS something new"... But finds which was dated during the 20. century proved, Erectus lived in Europe about 700.000, and again about 600.000 years ago, but then they stopped returning north from Turkey, after each iceage, so Europe stood empty, till the Neanderthals came 80.000 BC... Then we now know the Sapiens came to Europe too, about 40.000 BC... So now Danish schools teach that... Only lately it became clear, Homo Sapiens is the black skinned race... While it has long been clear the Danes are Neanderhals... And the Turks, and the Samii people are Sapiens, with a portion of genome from the Danish race... That is what true science knows now, about the races... I hope you do not feel it was a waste of time, to read this... But now I will not write more about this subject... I am just glad you answered so politely, even when you "do not buy it"... You have the right to "believe what you want"... In fact, it is good to be sceptical, and not "simply buy" all which somebody claims, is the absolute truth... Each day I see youtube vids, which claim something, I know that science has already proven totally false... Kind regards Dan

@@danboron1 Finno-ugric is language based classification of ethnicities and includes many peoples such as Samis, Finns, Khanty, Mansi, Hungarians, Maris, and so on. It can be divide to smaller sub-groups, and is derived from wider Uralic language group.

I believe the arrows were always ready made. It's the quality of the arrows that matters a lot. If people went on hunting trips specifically I'm sure they carried more hunting gear, but we can imagine just taking a bunch of arrows with you on not-hunting-related journey "just in case", and if there's plentiful small game spotted then a bow is made. Also, if a group of skiing people are on the move, it's easier for one to carry a dozen of arrows (just in case) than everybody carry their bows and arrows. The reason's for moving without a bow isn't explained in Linneaus's sources, but I'd imagine it have been "carry arrows just in case" kind of thing.

@@UgriArcher You are right, it would have been easier to carry several arrows than even one bow. Btw- Carl Linneaus is a hero of mine. He basically established biology as a science. I'm not surprised that he also made accurate observations about the Saami. I will look at all your videos. Cheers from a musical instrument maker in Vienna, Scott

Didn't measure, but with the feel of it I'd say #30-35 max. But surely you can do stronger quickbows too.

I though of showing the easiness of firemaking as it's easy bowmaking too. :) It's essentially the same process all-year around, except that in the winter (and autumn) dry kindling is harder to find. The needle thin small spruce branches do their job here.

@@UgriArcher so no need to clear away the snow first? i once tried on frosty ground and it was just too much vapour it ruined the kindling and i gave up :D

@@user-yr5nv2gv7m The video shows all the steps I made. I just stomped on the snow few times, and then just cut and toss longer branches on top of the snow. So no need for real clearing. The burning bundle is put on top of the branches on the snowy ground.

@@UgriArcher oh i see that prly works even better with snow which is possibly better insulator than bare ground

Pieces of "Taulakääpä" (Fomes fomentarius) which is also known as tinder fungus. It's widespread traditionally used tinder. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomes_fomentarius

Hyvin monenlaisia, käyttötarkoituksen mukaan, niinkuin kaikki kansat ja kulttuurit joissa jousiammunta on tärkeässä osassa. Tylppiä kolkkanuolia, kaksihaaraisia kärkiä, leveä- ja kapeateräisiä, jne. yms. tms. Kärkimateriaali saattoi olla rautaa, luuta, sarvea tai puuta.

Kiitos. Ja heh, myönnän että tuo kirves on heikoin lenkki tässä kokonaisuudessa. On niitä onneksi vähän kelvollisempia ja perinteikkäämpiäkin nurkissa, mutta toki lahjotuksia otetaan vastaan myös :D

Yep. If you're thinking of that one particular iron-age game.

@@UgriArcher I haven't heard of it. However, I took a trip to Finland and visited the Owl Tribe up north and traded some fine arrows that I crafted for one of their northern bows. It's really a masterwork piece! Very powerful. Looking forward to going back after winter, we're almost through Dead Season!