Bhutan · Weapon Craft / Bamboo Craft
འདའ་བཟོ། (Dazo)
The making of the traditional bamboo bow (zhu) and arrow (da) used to play archery, Bhutan's national sport since 1971. Arrows are cut from Yushania bamboo (locally yangka), prized specifically from Jaala village in Wangduephodrang district; bows are made from a separate bamboo species called zhu shing, considered best when sourced from Samtse district in southern Bhutan. Each component — the arrow's carved string-nock, its silk-thread color adornment, its metal arrowhead set with lac adhesive, and the bow's hand-spun plant-fiber string — is made to specific inherited measurements, and the craft is documented as fast disappearing as archers increasingly switch to imported compound bows.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not documented as separately inscribed; documented by Bhutan's own National Library & Archives and National Land Commission as an endangered element of national intangible cultural heritage
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