Hey PAt,
I'm so glad you're excited...because I am!!
I didn't really get any ideas for other bows though. I like my longbows because they fit me. However, the one thing that continually surprises me is the relatively small size of the weapons that I've seen. The longest bow I saw was a Cherokee bow (62 inches), but even then the arrows were not nearly as thick in diameter as the cane arrows I make. In general, the indian weapons tend to be much smaller, sleeker, and more elegant than the big, beefy bows and large, heavy arrows that we shoot today. Maybe that's because we are taller than indians. But whatever the reason, it is fascinating to examine and handle weapons that were made by people who actually based their survival on them.
Some of the bows were crude...but some of them were so incredibly well made that you aren't gonna believe it. Those indians were able to do things with wood that you wouldn't believe.....just wait till you see the pics of the super-reflexed Hupa bow!
