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This is a write up my father did for my brother]
Select the tree limb or reed. I'm not sure which, but they were at least 5 feet above dry ground. You can see it's very woody dense pulp. Get the right diameter and the best straightness.
Before the arrow making started, from afar, we watched and listened to a rite that we did not have explained to us. We think is was a blessing and thanks of the arrow materials and asking a 'spirit' for a good arrow and good hunting with the arrow.
The sample arrow is one used against small animals or birds. Arrows for larger game would have a metal tip fashioned from perhaps a nail by pounding between rocks into a point and ground sharp be rubbing on a stone. The tip would be attached as the feathers are attached and noted below. The natives sharpened their knives the same way. Metal tip arrow may have poison added. After hitting the target / animal, maybe as large as a giraffe, they would follow the creature , if necessary, until it fell down and died.
Using only a knife, remove any bark and small side twigs or bumps. At the same time trim the full length to make the shaft as round as possible.
Sharpen one end to a long point. Again round out the tip with the lathe type action noted below.
Lay the notch end of the shaft on upper leg thigh and hold and press shaft there with left hand. Hold knife blade at about a 20 degree angle to the shaft and not perpendicular to the shaft axis. Roll the shaft between the hand and leg, from knee toward crotch, while dragging the knife from the tip toward notch end of shaft to scrape the shaft more round. Of course, you have to 'reset' the shaft on the leg and remove the knife between passes down the shaft. This a lathe type action creates a very round shaft.
The natives were always checking the shaft to see how round and straight it was. To straighten it, they held the shaft, vise like, in their teeth and bend it the right amount in the right direction. If that didn't work they would heat it over an open flame of fire to make it more flexible, then bend it a little.
Next the grooves were cut into the shaft while the shaft turned on the leg. Some were long spirals for various lengths and some were simply around the shaft at various spacings. Some grooves had cross hash marks cut in them. The later appeared to have no function except maybe decoration. Another possible reason could be to identify the maker. We saw 5 men making arrows and none made 2 arrows, so we don't know about the identity idea. However, each arrow is *unique *in decor, length and tip shape.
At the tip end the spiral grooves are well defined to leave the groove with a barb shape and feel. That is: feathered from the tip toward the notch end of the shaft. This is so the arrow would not fall out of the prey or less likely to go through the prey. That is: if the prey wasn't killed outright.
Again more was done to the arrow, probably for decor. Cooking fat was rubbed into the grooves and charcoal was rubbed into the fat.
The notch end was cut off and a the notch cut into the shaft.
Bird feathers were saved from a previous hunt. Also sinews were from a previous animal hunt. The string like sinews were chewed to moisten them and make them stretchable, sticky and flexible. The sinew was stretched tightly and wrapped around the shaft. The tip end of a feather was attached to the shaft under a wrap of the sinew. Two more feather were added and wrapped to the shaft. The feathers were now projecting beyond the notch end of the shaft. The feather were then bend over 180 degrees so that the quill end of the feather lay against the shaft. The quill end of the feathers were lashed / wrapped tightly to the shaft.
The arrow is now done except testing by shooting at a target. If target practice or other use dulls the tip, it is resharpened.
