Native American Bow

Although projectile points found on archaeological sites are commonly referred to as “arrow heads” Native Americans did not always have the bow and arrow. The first projectiles people used in were likely spears. It was not until about A.D. 500 that this technology was adopted by many tribes including but not limited to the Plains tribes, Eastern Woodlands Tribes, Apache, Achomawi, Blackfoot, Sioux, and most tribes in North America... In some instances, bows continued to be used after the introduction of guns. Even with the many advantages of guns, bows and arrows are much quieter and much more rapid than early muzzle-loading guns, allowing the hunter more chances to strike at the prey. Native Americans used arrows to kill animals as large as bison and elk. Hunters approached their prey on foot or on horseback, accurately targeting vulnerable areas.

Bows like the one on display were often constructed sinew or rawhide for the bowstring, and arrows were fletched with feathers (commonly turkey feathers) and tipped with projectile points, often made of chipped stone like flint. With the bow being many any lock variety of local hardwood with the bark being striped and whittle and sanding it—thicker in the center, thinner on either end. Then the wood would “stretch”, or use heat/steam to bend the wood into a rough bow shape. Stretching the wood could take upward of a week, depending on the amount of shaping needed. It must be done slowly so as not to crack the wood. The bowstring notches would then be cut into each end, and the wood was coated in animal fat to protect and season the wood. The properly-shaped, bent wood piece would be left to dry slowly over a fire for a good length of time to finish the seasoning process. The final step before stringing the bow was to wrap the handle with leather to form a good, comfortable grip.