I am planning on making a reconstruction of the quiver fouind with the "otzi" iceman found in the Alps. I have made a few reconstructions of his equipment and found the experience incredibly informative. Very simple but incredibly effective. I used a backpack based on his hazel and larch panier a few years ago on a fortnights mountain trip and was really impressed.
I am going to use a fallow hide as it is the hide I have I can't imagine it's too different from the chamois he used It's also very beautiful. i am working from the dimensions given in the konrad spindler book.
I'd be grateful if any of the craftsmen or more experienced quiver makers/ leather workers (or any interested parties) would give their advice or opinions.
The quiver is often portrayed as a back quiver I am not sure that it would have been used in tihs way and will wear it as a lakota style side quiver worn at waist height on the left side. I find back quivers awkward to use and watching other archers at field shoots has confirmed this bias in me. I am not sure of the provenance of back quivers but I think that we only assume that they were used historically. Side quivers are comfortable to shoot with and make selecting the right arrow far easier.
The prototype oetzi quiver I have made is very comfortable to use though i had misgivings about it suprisingly long length. the weather flaps are a bit of an annoyance but I tend not to hike through forests and mountains with my kit (worst luck!) They are also more flimsy than the reinforced hide they will be made from.
The original quiver has the fur on the outside and is reinforced with a hazel rod the original carrying strap is missing. 14 arrows and archery supplies were inside the quiver.
His quiver had two "weather flaps" one of which is missing. The remaining flap is seperate piece of material reinforced and decorated with stitching. Why a different piece of material?? He was possibly using a stiffer piece of leather or a different fur pattern. However I think that this piece would have been hidden usually and think that the marterial had been reversed to have the fur on the inside protecting or muffling the fletchings. The other flap is missing i think that it carried on along the axis of the quiver and folded back over to keep the arrows from sliding out when moving, climbing, running or whatever. Again i think a decorated or contrasting piece of hide was used for htis flap. These two flaps would result in a secure and quiet quiver. I will adjust the mouth of the quiver to make it a bit shorter as I tend to shoot shorter arrows than otzis 80 odd centimetres
Native american quivers had rawhide and cedar bark at the bottom to seperate the arrows and protect the quiver from razor sharp flint arrow heads. Oetzi's quiver didn't have anything like this which I would have thought quite neccessary. Given the damaged and incomplete state of otzi's kit it is possible that there was usually something like bark or rawhide (even fur scraps) at the bottom of the quiver. The quiver was damaged in his lifetime and only two of the arrows were complete (they had been damaged, possibly retrieved out of bodies.) I will probably sew in rawhide or thick cow leather to the bottom.
Detailed and non sensational Information on otzi is difficult to come by however if anyone finds error with waht i have written or could point me the way to decent information i would be grateful.
I am going to use a fallow hide as it is the hide I have I can't imagine it's too different from the chamois he used It's also very beautiful. i am working from the dimensions given in the konrad spindler book.
I'd be grateful if any of the craftsmen or more experienced quiver makers/ leather workers (or any interested parties) would give their advice or opinions.
The quiver is often portrayed as a back quiver I am not sure that it would have been used in tihs way and will wear it as a lakota style side quiver worn at waist height on the left side. I find back quivers awkward to use and watching other archers at field shoots has confirmed this bias in me. I am not sure of the provenance of back quivers but I think that we only assume that they were used historically. Side quivers are comfortable to shoot with and make selecting the right arrow far easier.
The prototype oetzi quiver I have made is very comfortable to use though i had misgivings about it suprisingly long length. the weather flaps are a bit of an annoyance but I tend not to hike through forests and mountains with my kit (worst luck!) They are also more flimsy than the reinforced hide they will be made from.
The original quiver has the fur on the outside and is reinforced with a hazel rod the original carrying strap is missing. 14 arrows and archery supplies were inside the quiver.
His quiver had two "weather flaps" one of which is missing. The remaining flap is seperate piece of material reinforced and decorated with stitching. Why a different piece of material?? He was possibly using a stiffer piece of leather or a different fur pattern. However I think that this piece would have been hidden usually and think that the marterial had been reversed to have the fur on the inside protecting or muffling the fletchings. The other flap is missing i think that it carried on along the axis of the quiver and folded back over to keep the arrows from sliding out when moving, climbing, running or whatever. Again i think a decorated or contrasting piece of hide was used for htis flap. These two flaps would result in a secure and quiet quiver. I will adjust the mouth of the quiver to make it a bit shorter as I tend to shoot shorter arrows than otzis 80 odd centimetres
Native american quivers had rawhide and cedar bark at the bottom to seperate the arrows and protect the quiver from razor sharp flint arrow heads. Oetzi's quiver didn't have anything like this which I would have thought quite neccessary. Given the damaged and incomplete state of otzi's kit it is possible that there was usually something like bark or rawhide (even fur scraps) at the bottom of the quiver. The quiver was damaged in his lifetime and only two of the arrows were complete (they had been damaged, possibly retrieved out of bodies.) I will probably sew in rawhide or thick cow leather to the bottom.
Detailed and non sensational Information on otzi is difficult to come by however if anyone finds error with waht i have written or could point me the way to decent information i would be grateful.
