Is it possible to buy good native american bows from NE?

[Kestrel]

Hello,

Is it possible to buy a good native American bow from NE? I see that there are some available as souvenirs, but I was thinking about good quality bows. Are there some persons/companies that sell such bows?

Regards Kes

[Josh]

Dude, just make your own!      ...and welcome to Primitive Archer!  Lot's of good info on how to build your own here.... there is nothing more satisfying than your first arrow from your first bow made by your own hand.  -josh   

[RyanY]

True dat!

[radius]

hey hey, not everybody likes to scrape wood...guess he's got something else in his nothing box!

[Kestrel]

In someway it could be nice to support those who are selling Native American handcraft, and also getting a well made bow. But I'm open for making one myself, and probably I'll find a lot of information on that topic on previous post What was the most common wood used for NE Native American bows?

[M-P]

Hey,  Take this as an informed guess;   Ash, and Juniper (erc and rocky mountain juniper), are the most widely spread bow worthy trees.  Other woods available in more localized areas; american elm, bur oak, ironwood, red maple, chokecherry, mulberry, birch.   Osage is widespread now, but was introduced by european settlers.   If you're really serious about native made crafts, you might try contacting the Omaha reservations directly.   Ron

[jthompson1995]

Don't forget about hickory, very common in some areas of the NE.

[medicinewheel]

...   Osage is widespread now, but was introduced by european settlers.   ...

Never heard that before!   

[CraigMBeckett]

...   Osage is widespread now, but was introduced by european settlers.   ...

M-P, it is my understanding that Osage is a native American wood. I think that you are mistaken in your comment, probably because of its pseudonym of bois d' arc which was originally a term used by the French for the Laburnum tree.

Craig.

[Dano]

I have heard the same thing about settlers bringing it over. They planted it as fence rows to keep cattle out of the fields. I'll have to look, but I believe I read that in one of the Bowyers Bibles.

Just googled it, I guess you can't believe every thing you hear. Here's a link, some good reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange

[M-P]

MTThompson,    Good catch about the hickory!  I've been told it's common enough along the Missouri in the east end of the state, but I grew up in the panhandle and never had much to do with the eastern fringes of the state.   

Craig,  Osage is definitely a native tree, and Nebr tribes could have traded for it.  I even heard that the Omaha and Osage tribes were very closely related, with the Omaha referring to the Osage as "the people who moved downstream".  But Osage ( the tree) did not grow in Nebr until european settlers planted it for hedges.   Once barbed wire became available, hedges were forgotten, but the trees are still there.

Kestrel,   Good luck finding a bow.  The ones I've seen as in gift shops re not intended to be used, though I know there are some native american bowyers out there.   Ron

[sulphur]

ed scott makes native american style bows.  don't know if eastern tribes or not.  but if there is any inkling you might like to make your own, you will not be dissappointed.  You'll learn something about yourself i bet.

[medicinewheel]

The wikipedia history segment say it's a native American tree, too.
It's actually been brought back to Europe, Hungary to be precise, where it still grows and where us Europeans supply our Osage from.

[Hickoryswitch]

From what I have read Osage is native to America. What I read said it only grew in a small area but was then planted "everywhere" by european settlers for hedge rows. I dunno but it sure is good wood.

[richpierce]

For NE (if it is New England or the North east) the hickory would be king for native bows.  Black locust would also be appropriate.  Osage would not be used as it was not present when NE native Americans were still making bows.  Many other NE woods make good bows but might not have been chosen for various reasons: ash, ironwood, maple, elm, cherry, etc.  Accessibility, durability, and ease of making with stone tools were probably the most important reasons for choosing a particular wood for any purpose in any locale.