Banara na Bilas

This visit was great, we didn’t have to cross the river either.  Not that crossing the river is bad but sometimes it can be nice to stay dry!  In this village they have many craftsmen.  Here Bryan is learning about “banara” (bow and arrow).

 

 

If you look at the banara in the picture below you can see the craftsmanship they put on the inside of the banara!

 

 

Next our friend had the opportunity to learn how they make the arrows.

 

 

This piece of grass holds the sharp or pointy part of an arrow to the shaft of the arrow.  They don’t have feathers, they are simply a straight arrow.

 

 

Here is the finished product!

 

 

While the men were working on their banara skills a few of us ladies got the chance to see one of the men work on “bilas” or jewelry.

 

 

You can see the cow bones next to the newspaper in the picture above.  That’s what they us for the white looking jewelry.  The darker looking kind is from some sort of a seed.

 

 

The cow bone jewelry takes a hand crank to smooth it out and make it take shape.

 

 

We feel very privileged to get the opportunity to see this craftsmanship at work.  Banara’s are used by many men today.  The size you saw Bryan using is more for play.  Our security men on this center however use rather large banara’s.  It makes me feel safe!  They use them for hunting pig, birds, and even men.  Hope you enjoyed another amazing time in the villages!