Bow Mamai

95.00 $

Traditional bamboo-laminated Bow Mamai. Stylization of a composite bow of medium length. Such bows were used by nomadic peoples in Asia and Europe until the 18th century. Symmetric handle with leather grip, also available execution option with a notch in the handle from left or right side.

DRAW WEIGHT

Description

Mamai – the stylization of the bows of the Turkic-tatar peoples of eastern Europe and their neighbors in the period after the Golden Horde and up to the 19th century. These bows differed from the classical Turkish bows, which existed at the same time, in their longer length, thickening of the handle towards the belly and an additional bend of the shoulders in the area of the handle.

Bashkir bow from British Museum, presumably 19th century.
Bashkir bow from British Museum, presumably 19th century.

After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the Turkic peoples created several states on the territory of Eastern Europe: the Crimean Khanate, Kazan, Astrakhan, and others. They all had a kindred language, a similar culture and a common Islamic religion. 

The name Mamai comes from the name of a powerful military commander of the Golden Horde at the end of the 14th century, he was a representative of the Polovtsian-Cuman people, who later became the basis of the Crimean Tatar state.

The main feature of the military tactics of the Tatars is the highly mobile mounted warriors who operated on the “wild field”, a vast, almost uninhabited steppe. To quickly overcome long distances, they used several horses.

The bow was the main weapon. Сombat tactics took into account the use of a bow on horseback. Guillaume Le Vasseur de Beauplan describing the tactics of the Tatars in the 17th century wrote that the range of the Tatars’ bow shots was greater than the range of the firearms of that time.

Usually, the Tatars were divided into several detachments to distract the attention of the main forces of the enemy. At this time, other detachments attacked the settlements left without protection. During major raids, the Tatars decided to attack only with a tenfold numerical advantage over the enemy army. To deceive the rival, the Tatars planted dummies in the form of a man on horses, so that their number seemed larger.

Engraving of a Lithuanian battle against the Tatars (16th century).
Engraving of a Lithuanian battle against the Tatars (16th century).

The bordering Tatar states of eastern Europe also actively used light cavalry units with bows, using similar tactics. Often Tatars served in their armies and even moved into the interior of their territory, founding large settlements that exist to this day.

On the Ukrainian-Tatar border, as an opposition to the raids of the Tatars, the troops of the Ukrainian Cossacks appear. They also actively used bows in their tactics of defense and attack until the 17th century, about which many memories have been preserved in history. For example, images of bows were captured on the coats of arms of the nobility and various cities.

Baida Vishnevetsky, portrait of the 18th century.
Baida Vishnevetsky, portrait of the 18th century.
Petro Sahaydachniy. Engraving 1622.
Petro Sahaydachniy. Engraving 1622.

The bow Mamai is a bamboo-laminated bow. The core of the bow is made of hard wood (ash or other), the outer layers are made of bamboo. The ends are reinforced with additional internal wood inserts to increase stability and prevent twisting. The bow Mamai has a symmetric handle with a leather grip. It is a medium length bow that suits archers of various skill levels and backgrounds. You can shoot it using the standard 3 finger pulling technique or using a thumb ring.

The bow is also good for Horseback Archery. Сhoosing a bow remember to select the correct draw weight and also consider the maximum draw length. 

The bow is completed with a Dacron B-50 bowstring (or analog) and a fabric cover.

Materials: ash and other hard wood, bamboo
String material: Dacron B-50 (analog)
Total length tip to tip along the belly:  59″ (149cm)
The length of the string: 56″
Draw weight: 22-45# (at 28”)

Max. draw length depends on the draw weight:
for up to 25# draw weight – 32″ max draw length (draw weight is specified for draw length 28″)
for 26-30# draw weight – 31″ max draw length (draw weight is specified for draw length 28″)
for 31-35# draw weight – 30″ max draw length (draw weight is specified for draw length 28″)
for 36-40# draw weight – 29″ max draw length (draw weight is specified for draw length 28″)
for 41-45# draw weight – 28″ max draw length (draw weight is specified for draw length 28″)

Video Tutorial: how to care for the bamboo laminated bows. This video contains English subtitles, do not forget to turn them on

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Average rating:  
 5 reviews
 by Maria Sund on Mamai

I have used longer bows before and wanted to have good short bow that is enough strong for hunting. I selected Mamai, special with horn pads on tips. I like this bow a lot ands can also recommend this. It is so pretty, feels light in hand, accurate and is nice strong too when draws the full length.

 by Anthony on Mamai

Wow just wow. The quality is fantastic and the price can’t be beaten. I
Would recommend this bow 100 percent not only that the customer service is the best I have ever had. Any question you need answered they do in a very timely matter . Thanks guys again Anthony

 by Michael de Nijs on Mamai

I got this one years back in 22 pounds along with boo arrows. Both awesome and sturdy. The bow is my go to practice or lazy afternoon bow. It's amazing quality to price ratio, elegant curves and the kind service from the people at Sarmat are all good reasons to get one (: I heartily recommend getting a traditional bow from here, it's hard to beat

 by Kevin on Mamai

What a great little bow! Got this to start practicing thumb release and khatra. Took me a little bit to get used to it, as I've always shot three under off the shelf. Now that I'm getting the hang of things, it's been a lot of fun. Thank you sarmat! Worth every penny.

 by David Maynard on Mamai

Light weight, fast and beautifully made!These bows are very slim, amazingly fast for an all wooden bow and very accurate. I am really impressed with the performance of the bow, buy one you will love it!!