Instinctive Archery in Singapore
As introduction of modern archery in the 60s took shape, traditional Malay archery ended together with most of the history under the British colonial rule.Through the years there are interest groups that tried to revive traditional archery but most has died trying to establish or practiced traditional professionally and competitively. We have had our fair share of
criticism and barriers reviving traditional instinctive archery. What most forget is instinctive archery has always been one of the primary weapons used in this region, the Malay Peninsula….dating back to when Singapore was known as Temasek under the rule of Malacca Sultanate, which was closely knitted with the great Ottoman Empire of modern day Turkey. Traditional instinctive archery began to take shape again in 2000, at that time definition of instinctive archery is shooting an arrow from any bows including modern bows without sight or any other mode of assistance. In 2011 both Mr Alfyan Ariff ( Founder ) and Mr Ahmad Zuhairi ( Co-Founder ) founded Traditional Archers Singapore, taking another step further by introducing traditional archery to the mass, a method by using only traditional bows without arrow rest or sights, and by using natural material arrows and in training your body to shoot accurately with instinct and emphasising the importance of it than any other skill. Training & Archery Range
Singapore being a fast paced country, leaves us with no suitable space to train outdoor. We train in a modern archery facility where the furthest distance is only 30 meters. Furthermore most of Singapore’s instinctive archery competition distance is 35 meters at maximum range. To fill that desire of shooting long range, Traditional Archers Singapore participates in several competitions held in Malaysia and abroad such as in the World Traditional Archery Festival in South Korea. It is an achievement when we obtained good score in 50 to 100 meters distance categories. Archery In The Malay Peninsula
Singapore or Temasek was under the Malacca Sultanate. The sultanate was the seat of an established Muslim community in the 1400s as Islam spread to the other regions, including islands now belonging to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, southern Thailand, and southern Philippines (Mindanao).
“The arms which they ordinarily use in warfare are the sword, shield, lance, bows and arrows, and blow-pipes with poisoned darts. At the present day, in consequence of in*******se with us, they use muskets and ordnance. The sword, a blade measuring 5 palms in length, is called Padan ('pedang') among them: like the Turkish sword, it has a single edge. The dagger, called Cris ('keris') a blade measuring 2 palms in length, is made of fine steel; it bears a deadly poison; the sheath is of wood., the hilt is of animals' horn, or of rare stone, or of gold and precious gems.” - Extracts from Godinho de Eredia's 'Description of Malacca' (1613)
No physical evidence of the Malay bow were found yet, but it is believed that the widely use of Turkish bow in the Malay army is due to the close ties between the Malacca Sultanate and the Ottoman Empire especially during the Siege of Malacca (1568). The offensive was the result of a pan-Islamic alliance organized by the Ottoman Empire to try to repel the Portuguese from Malacca and the coasts of India.The Ottomans supplied cannoneers, swords, bows and arrows and other types of arms to the alliance, but were unable to provide more due to the ongoing invasion of Cyprus and an uprising in Aden. The army was composed of a large fleet of long galley-type oared ships, 15,000 troops and Ottoman warriors and personnel. Conclusion
Today, we continue to strive in the appreciation, practice and research of traditional archery in Singapore. Although the epicentre of this practice do not originate or have great impact on Singapore, we are confident that forgotten history of this art will one day appear. We continue to engage and educate the public in this forgotten culture, where once was an integral part of the society. We also play an active role in every new discovery or research paper that touches on traditional archery in the Malay peninsula. Alfyan Ariff
President, Traditional Archers Singapore
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