Keepers of the Hearth

By Rick McCurrach

For example, his greatest general, Subotai Bagatur, was not even a Mongol. Rather, he belonged to the sedentary Uriangkhai people from the dark forest of the Siberian Taiga, west of Lake Baikal, who were not adept at mounted warfare like their nomadic cousins in the southern plains. To receive tutelage, young warriors like Subotai had to first learn humility through service before having an opportunity to prove themselves.

They would serve as ‘openers of the tent door’ or ‘keepers of the hearth’ who opened tent (i.e., “ger” or “yurt”) doors, saddled horses, maintained fires, prepared mutton and salt tea, and organized yurts for campaigning officers. While the officers scried over maps, ledgers, and scout reports, the keeper of the hearth would absorb as much knowledge as possible.

In modern horseback archery our ‘campaigning’ is the yearly training we commit to. For an entire year Okanagan Khanate Mounted Archery’s (OKMA) seasoned riders sacrificed their own training time to focus efforts almost entirely on community building. Nearly every weekend these dedicated individuals hosted intro and skills clinics all over BC, did private lessons, ran weekly practices, and made equipment: targets, arrows, quivers. The Herculean effort from these people was incredible (and exhausting), but the positive impact it had on so many people made it infinitely worthwhile.

Horse Archery Canada (HARCAN) – a national horseback archery organization committed to fostering the growth of horseback archery in Canada – put on the first annual HARCAN Rendezvous (August 1221, 2022) in Olds, Alberta as the culminating event and reward for a year’s worth of commitment and training. The event was a training camp that incorporated numerous activities, such as: • ambidextrous ground archery practice, training, and competition; • long-distance landmark shooting up to 120 metres; • conditioning horses; • morning and evening theory lessons and discussions on aspects of archery, sportsmanship, competition, coaching, community building, and the equine psyche; • training on the Qabaq (a metal disk affixed atop an eight-metre standing pole); • working equitation lessons; • training and competition on five different IHAA courses (Raid 1-23, Tower 90, Skirmish, Aussie Triple, Utah Quad); and • arguably the best part: a nightly communal feast around the yurt fire!

On August 19 participants took a break from a week’s worth of eight-to-ten hour daily training to enjoy a lamb roast harvested by two of the organizers at their local family farm. There’s much laughter and mirth to be heard overtop the crackling fire and sizzling meat. The gentle breeze is smoky and sweet as I chop firewood to feed the cookfire. I finish an axe swing through a cord of poplar, leaving the head buried in the block. When I look up from my work to retrieve far-flung pieces of wood a deep and ancient part of me is taken back through time. Some people are basting the lamb, others are feeding the fire, preparing side dishes, tallying scores, sharing wisdom, setting chairs and tables, feeding and watering the horses, cleaning stalls, or repairing equipment. At this moment I am struck with the notion that we are all ‘keepers of the hearth’ in both a literal and figurative sense.

Though we train as individuals, what we learn are the skills we carry on and teach others. In this way we are simultaneously growing community by kindling the spirit of this martial sport as we are carrying forth traditions from antiquity that are far greater than ourselves. But to contribute to something of this magnitude we must first humble ourselves, just as great warriors like Subotai did before us. We do this through commitment. We commit to bettering ourselves, caring for our horses and equipment, and we commit to giving the best version of ourselves to each other and helping in our small parts however and whenever we are able.

The growth of horses and riders over the course of the training camp was staggering and it was admittedly hard not to be overly sentimental watching people overcome pre-existing injuries, difficult horses, and withering circumstances to attain heights in their own competitive performance they would never have previously thought possible. These valuable moments are what make it all come together and I am immensely happy for those who were able to attend, just as I look forward to seeing the up-and-comers in the saddle next year.

Keep persevering: train hard, shoot straight, and ride soft. It will all pay off in the end.

In the days when Tumujin (later known as Genghis Khan) was consolidating power over the Mongol Steppe, one of the things that drew warriors to his camp was that he broke with several Mongol traditions. The most notable perhaps was that he promoted warriors based on meritocracy instead of kinship or blood ties.