Popinjay (sport)
The archery form, called staande wip[1][circular reference] in Dutch language and papegai (i.e. parrot)[2] in French, is popular in Belgium, and in Canada among descendants of 20th-century Belgian emigrants; it is shot occasionally in the United Kingdom under the governance of the Grand National Archery Society.
The annual papingo (popinjay) tournament of the Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers, of Ayrshire in Scotland, takes place at Kilwinning Abbey, with the papingo target on the end of a pole projecting from the top of the tower.
The event is believed to have been running since 1488, though the earliest records are attested in a minute of the society dated September 1688.
In a tradition dating back to 1488 when the Benn was a multicoloured length of Persian taffeta three quarters of an ell broad and 3 ells long, the winner is awarded the Captain's Benn, a scarlet ribbon worn over the shoulder and across the chest, and buys a round of drinks.
The prize of a silver arrow was introduced in 1724, and following that became a perpetual trophy, with a medallion attached each year by the winner commemorating his name and date of victory.
The format and rules of popinjay given below are drawn from those defined for the United Kingdom by the Grand National Archery Society.
(GNAS, 2006 - rule 1000) The archer stands near the base of the mast and shoots arrows upwards at the birds.
(GNAS, 2006 - rule 1000) The arrows are tipped with rubber blunts rather than sharp points.
(GNAS, 2006 - rule 1004) In Manitoba, Canada, the sport is called Pole Archery.
In Ontario, Canada and Michigan, United States, there are popinjay archery clubs that shoot horizontally at the angled indoor "perch" (or "rack") from a distance of 65 feet (19.8 m).
[5] This horizontal variation of popinjay originates from Flanders, and is called liggende wip.
At the end of the season, trophies are awarded to members who have received the most points in their division or category.
On this day, a figure of a popinjay (a parrot or other brightly marked bird) clothed in coloured feathers is suspended from a pole and used as a shooting target.
The man whose ball or arrow severs the string being used to suspend the bird can claim the title "Captain Popinjay" for the rest of the day.
Walter Scott's Old Mortality depicts a papingo shoot using muskets, set at a wapenshaw held in 1679.
In the Rifle form, members of Popinjay Clubs—likely from the upper classes—would gather in a field in front of spectators; the festivities were sometimes marked by musical bands and other entertainment.
