The mention by Nephi that he “did make out of wood a bow” (1 Nephi 16:23) might be a significant geographical and cultural statement. Hugh Nibley asserts that according to the ancient Arab writers, the only bow-wood obtainable in all Arabia was the nab wood that grew only “amid the inaccessible and overhanging crags” of Mount Jasum and Mount Azd, which are situated in the very region where, if we follow the Book of Mormon, the broken bow incident occurred. [Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, F.A.R.M.S., p. 61]
I Nephi Did Make out of Wood a Bow Potter Theory
This statement by Nephi that he “did make out of wood a bow” (1 Nephi 16:23) has some significant geographical and cultural aspects, especially when put in context with the other statements which Nephi makes concerning this part of their journey. One might ask, Were there any woods in this part of Arabia, especially near the Frankincense trail, that were suitable for making a bow? Could Nephi have made a bow from the chosen wood? And would the length of this process have affected the family in the same way that the text records?
According to Potter and Wellington, in order to make a bow Nephi would have needed a quality hardwood that would remain flexible when it was dead. Since most trees in Saudi Arabia are brittle and only a few hardwood species exist, an investigation into woods available to Nephi is both apparent and required. After detailing the qualities of a number of woods (Nab’ wood (Ziziphus), pomegranate, acacia, tamarisk, and olive, they noted that while it is impossible to know with certainty what wood Nephi used to make his bow, we may assume a few things in accordance with the text:
(1) We may assume that he used a wild tree, since the loss of the bows seemed to lead to hardship and lack of food. This seems to imply that they were not near an area of cultivation. This would probably rule out pomegranate wood since the tree is rarely seen in the wild and seems to be associated solely with cultivation in Saudi Arabia.
(2) Since Nephi would have probably used the most readily available wood for a bow, Ziziphus, or what might have been termed “Nab wood” would seem the least likely choice, for it grows “amid the inaccessible and overhanging crags” of mount Jasim and mount Azd. Mount Jasim is on the west of the mountain range, so Nephi wouldn’t have been close. Ziziphus. is also far less common than acacia, tamarisk or olive.
(3) If the bow were made below 1,000 meters then tamarisk is a possibility; up to 2,000 meters then more likely acacia; above 2,000 meters then olive becomes more probable. Since Nephi did not leave when he made the bow (1 Nephi 16:23) like he did when he went to hunt (1 Nephi 16;23), the bow appears to have been made from wood near the family’s camp. When Nephi went to hunt he followed the direction he was given on the Liahona. He tells us, “I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain” (1 Nephi 16:30). The Hijaz is a mountain range with hundreds of peaks but Nephi seems to mention a specific one and so it may be that he was already on the slopes of the mountain. If he were far away from the mountains it seems more likely he would have written, “I did go forth to the top of a mountain,” or “to the top of the mountains.” If the family were already at the base of a mountain, then his terminology is correct. And if this were the case and the family were already in the mountains, then olive wood becomes the most likely choice for Nephi’s bow.
(4) Knowing what we do about Nephi, it seems most likely that he would have made the best bow possible. And we do not read of Nephi making another bow, so it must have been powerful enough to bring down enough big game to supply the family for the remainder of their journey. Therefore, we would look towards the olive tree (“Atim wood”) as the most likely candidate. A fact confirmed by research.
Bruce Santucci contacted the Department of Antiquities in Riyadh concerning bow woods. The Department indicated that there had never been a study conducted of ancient bow woods in southwest Arabia. The oldest wooden bows they have in their collection dated back only 150 years. They noted that these bows were made form “Athl” wood (Tamarisk). The Department suggested that we contact tribal authorities in the southwest and ask what wood they traditionally used. Niel Holland did just that.
Niel Holland is a retired F-15 pilot living near the Frankincense trail in southwest Arabia with a university degree in history and a keen interest in archaeology, desert exploring and the Book of Mormon. He was asked to explore the mountains west and southwest of Bishah relative to bow wood. He provided some excellent insights:
This was the first Saudi I have talked to who knew what we were talking about. He said the tree we were look at was the Dharu tree and was not good for bows-it broke when dry (we confirmed this). He said there was another tree further down the mountain that was good for bows. We went lower and stopped when we spotted another variety of tree. He pointed to one and said that was very good. He called it the Atim.
Subsequently Neil dried the Atim wood and found that it still retained its flexibility and was very strong and springy. The problem Neil faced was that he was not able to find a straight piece of Atim long enough to make a “self-bow” (one made from one continuous piece of wood) but when visiting an Arab cultural festival being held in al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, he noticed an old bow on display that was made out of three pieces of wood. This type of design is known historically as a built bow. The bow had a center piece and two end pieces joined to it. Armed with the “new” idea for a design Neil returned to his home in Khamis Mushayt and, once the wood was dried, fabricated a bow similar to the one he had seen displayed at the Arab cultural festival. Initially his bow could shoot an arrow just over 100 feet. Neil then offered a second report on his findings:
I had an interesting experience yesterday (3 December 1998). I went by the local Dhafir Bin Hamsan Traditional Village to see if they knew anything about bows being used here anciently. It turns out that Dhafir represents the Asir region at the annual cultural festival in Riyadh which is held just after Ramadan… . I explained to Dhafir that I had made the bow from Atim… . He agreed that Atim was used anciently for bows and that they had been replaced by the gun. He knew no examples of remaining bow artifacts. He knew of Athel wood and that it also had been used for bows but that Atim was the best. He described Atim as being the best wood in the world.
Making a weapon from olive was a lengthy and exacting process. The piece of wood was first chosen and roughly shaped. Anthony G. Miller & Miranda Morris describe how these weapons were constructed ancient in southern Arabia:
He put it [the bow wood] in a liquid mixture of cow dung, urine and earth to soak for at least a week, after which time the bark was easily removed from the heartwood. Then the stick was carved into the final shape, hardened over a slow fire, then planed and rubbed down. Finally it was oiled and burnished at intervals with butter until it was smooth and glossy. Such sticks had a real marketable value, and were always in high demand.
Niel Holland adds the following:
Matt Fortner told me that the Native Americans steamed the wood to straighten their bows. I tried that with the Atim since it was very hard to find straight pieces and my bow had quite a curve to it. By saturating he wood with hot steam I found it to be easy to shape… . As a result I have straightened the bow considerably and improved it’s performance about 20%. Dhafir also showed me how they used intestinal walls of animals for “string.”
After much field reconnaissance and study, Holland proposed that the southern edge of the range of the Atim trees was Jabal Azzah, one hundred miles south-southwest of the Frankincense stage center at Bishah. Holland took Potter and Wellington into the mountains and showed them the Atim trees in a high wadi near Al-Qadim. The next morning they set out to estimate the northern limits of the Atim trees. They discovered that within 15 miles south of Al-Baha, the Atim trees disappeared. This would mean that the extent of the Atim tree seemed to range only 72 miles north-south in a narrow band of slopes between 6,000 to 7,0000 feet in elevation. However all but the very northernmost trees of the Atim range were far too far from the Frankincense trail. The most copious Atim groves they found were due west of Bishah. They approximated the distance from the Frankincense trail at Bishah to the Atim groves to be about sixty-five miles, a journey of four days. [George Potter and Richard Wellington, Discovering the Lehi-Nephi Trail, Unpublished Manuscript, 2000, pp. 132-140]
1 Nephi 16:23 I, Nephi, did make out of wood a bow ([Illustration] Neil Holland demonstrates the bow he made from Atim wood (Olive) that grows above 6,000 feet up in the mountains. Atim was favored by the locals for making the best bows. [George Potter and Richard Wellington, Discovering the Lehi-Nephi Trail, Unpublished Manuscript, 2000, p. 141]