Eastern Woodland bow pictures library

[half eye]

Hey Chuck, I had so many bows cataloged for a while the missplaced ones probably slid through the "editing crack"  (meaning the old mans memory and not top flight proceedures ) please point out those in error and I will edit them out. Also I have a bunch more to put up so please do the same with those.....we can either flag them or remove them and thank you, sir.
rich

PS: some of the plains Chippewa and plains Neshnabek (Potawatomii) do look like the bows from the area they moved into, is probably where my confusion came from while posting, again fellas, my apologies.
rich

[half eye]

more

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again

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few more

[half eye]

allmost forgot the earlier question here is a partial list of sources....should have more on the other computer.

Musee McCord (Montreal)
Research. amnh.org.anthropology-database
Museum of Anthropology, college of arts
Hannahville virtual Museum
National Museum of the American Indian (collections database)
Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
rich

[make-n-break]

This is really cool. Would love to see this thread become a sticky! I've been wondering though, were scallops for decoration purposes or did they serve as anything more functional? They sure look cool.

[IdahoMatt]

PA should archive this thread.  It seems to have some of the bows from hams books.  But in color.  I love this kind of stuff for inspiration.  Thanks again Rich. Very cool of you to take the time and do this.

[half eye]

I have talked with several elders and this is what I think is the deal with scallops. I believe they were intended as something like a sign post....so friends or enemys can tell who you are from a distance, or a aggressive personality that wanted the same  recognition as a "in your face" message. As far as I know all nations who did scalloped bows had different sizes and locations of the scallops and or bow shape.....but they also had bows that were not scalloped so obviously it was not a mandatory thing more like the personal prefference of the carrier.
      Another thing is that Eastern bows were generally not extensively painted or decorated so the carving could also serve as method of decoration or pride etc.

I'm attaching 2 pics of Odawa bows, one recovered from Wolpol Island (Ottawa Island) in the great lakes and one from Oklahoma Reserve made by a displaced Odawa......they are markedly different.

Thanks Matt, was posting while you was
rich

These are guess work of course and there is no stone carved that says this is so. However there are many things in the Native American culture wherein the same applies as to items made and decorated to the beliefs, caprice, or meaningfullness of shuch object has to the carrier.

The Oklahoma bow is on the other computer will put it up in the next post
rich

[half eye]

the other Odawa bow

[half eye]

here are 4 more....the first one (single bow) is a Neshnabek (potawatomii) from the Peabody Museum I kept this one because it shows one of their Groundhog rawhide string (hows that for a string silencer?

[tipi stuff]

No apologies Rich. This is a great collection! I agree with the idea of putting this up for permanent access.
In line with Chuck's editing suggestion, the AMNH lists the bow with the green beaded quiver (501_1297AB) as Shoshoni. The quiver looks more Lakota to me though.
                                                                                                                                                                   Curtis

[George Tsoukalas]

Rich, awesome! Thanks for posting!
This thread should be archived.
What a resource!
Jawge

[half eye]

tipi stuff, george  thanks fellas, I hope it can be of use as another resource for the PA guys.

tipi, a side note dont know if you studied this or not but......back in the time of the Shawnee Prophet Techumse's brother, a Odawa war leader made his first attack on the Muskodesh of Le Arbor Croche and masaquered thousands....at that time was an earth tremor in Michigan, taken as a omen nearly half of the Odawa nation moved west and lived with the Shoshoni. That maybe why I saved it because of the connection.....also a large cache of great lakes copper pints were uncovered in Montana country, and I also find it interesting that the Shoshoni are the only algonquian speaking plains tribes......anyways thank you for making the noteation
rich

[PatM]

 Great resource of bows.
The Shoshone however are not Algonquin. There are however several Algonquin tribes on the Plains, including the Plains Cree and The Blackfoot.
 Language didn't seem to have a great deal to do with Plains tribes alliances.
 

[Marc St Louis]

The decorated scalloped bow above is actually properly named an Anishinaabe bow at the museum.  This could be Odawa or it could be Algonquin or even Ojibwa.

An Algonquin elder who used to make bows called it a medicine bow when I showed him a reproduction of this bow.