The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current, February 06, 2023, Page 20, Image 20

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    Page 20 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
ASIA / PACIFIC
February 6, 2023
Archery tradition thrives in northeast India
ANCIENT ARCHERY. Archers shoot at a hay
target (top photo) at an archery event in Shillong,
India, on January 18, 2023. In the bottom photo,
archers collect stray arrows from around a hay target
at the Shillong archery event on January 16, 2023.
The ancient skill of archery thrives in Shillong, the
capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya.
Every day, behind a row of liquor shops and next to
a motor garage, this event is held except on Sundays
and state holidays. It takes place in a small field and
people place bets on the results. (AP Photos/Ashwini
Bhatia)
By Ashwini Bhatia
The Associated Press
HILLONG, India — Thirty archers
armed with bamboo bows and
arrows sit on a platform awaiting
instruction. Then they take aim at a straw
cylinder 60 feet away. They each have 34
arrows to shoot in four minutes. They
release one arrow after another, their
movements languid and practiced. The
next round of the competition soon follows,
when the archers must shoot 24 arrows in
three minutes.
The ancient skill of archery thrives in
Shillong, the capital of the northeastern
Indian state of Meghalaya. Every day,
behind a row of liquor shops and next to a
motor garage, the event is held except on
Sundays and state holidays.
Archery is part of the traditional rites of
Indigenous people in Meghalaya with folk
tales of its origins told for generations. The
rules of the event are set by the Khasi Hills
Archery Sports Institute. Khasis, with the
Jaintias and the Garos, are the Indigenous
people of the state.
Matias Jyrwa, 58, used to watch the
event with his father at the same venue
since he was 11 years old. He is a proficient
archer and has taught his sons to keep the
tradition going. “Not many young ones are
interested, especially from the city. But in
villages, it is still popular and that’s where
most archers come from,” said Jyrwa, who
is also the general secretary of the archery
institute.
In villages across the state, a more
traditional form of archery is practiced.
The archers have to hit a much smaller
target mounted on a stick and a form of
poetry called “phawar” — four lines
composed on the spot — is used to rattle
S
opponents.
But it is the curious marriage of this
traditional event with the business of
together with recycled iron sheets and
wood, dot the capital city known for its
swanky cafés, soccer, and a popular live
music scene. At these kiosks, one can bet
small amounts of money by predicting the
last two digits of the archery results and
get the money multiplied several times if
the guesses turn out to be correct. Since
the money bet is small, the lure of a reward
is strong and the counters see good traffic
throughout the day.
The last two digits of the results are
displayed immediately after the event
ends and bettors and kiosk managers
watch the event live on YouTube.
The local Khasi name for the betting is
“tim,” derived from the English word team.
When the British occupied India and had a
strong presence in Shillong, the betting
was done on polo teams, but locals have
since adapted the idea to bet on archery
results.
According to local legend, the most
successful betters are guided by their
dreams when choosing the right, or lucky,
numbers to bet on. But some have
adopted more modern means to help
better decide on a number. Bantei, a young
man at one of the kiosks, offers an app on
his smartphone for customers to use to
help find their lucky numbers and place
bets.
betting, called “Teer,” that helps keep the
tradition alive.
Dozens of small kiosks, often put
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