Calusa bow material

[swamp monkey]

I am interested in making a bow consistent with the Calusa of Florida.  I have done plenty of research on what exists in terms of style (not much) and tools.  I am from Missouri so I have my work cut out for me.   My future plans are to obtain some shark teeth, barracuda teeth and make some shell scrapers etc.  in the mean time I am interested in what kind of wood could be used from that area to make a bow?

I know this community has great knowledge about obscure and oh so fun facts.  Thanks in advance for your time and expertise.

[stickbender]

     I haven't got a clue, but we have hickory, maple, oak, and cypress that is native to Florida.   There may be others also.

                                                                              Wayne

[mullet]

Cypress, Red Cedar, to start with. I helped someone waylon57, on here make a bend in the handle cypress bow last year and 2 years before Fl Redneck came over and made the same style from Red cedar. Both were excellent shooters and were made in the bend in the handle, Eastern Woodland style. These two bows were roughed out with hatchets and shooting in one day.

[Hrothgar]

If I recall correctly, Jim Hamm's book on native American bows and arrows showed quite a few bows made from cypress or black locust  among the Creek, Choctaw and Seminole; but the black locust wouldn't be available after the tribes move into Florida.

[mullet]

Yep, no Black Locust down here. I know Snake wood was used also but is very hard to find.

[swamp monkey]

Red cedar was available to coastal Calusans?  Wow.  I have that here in Missouri.  I have access to a board of quarter sawn cypress too.   Any thoughts on which one to pursue?

[Parnell]

I live in the heart of Calusa territory and have kicked it around for sometime.  Cypress would be the most likely candidate from the area but not the best performing.  Snakewood, buttonwood, potentially black mangrove.  The Calusa were incredibly powerful in there prime.  One of the most powerful tribes from what I've read.they could have trade for all kinds of wood.  Another local wood that works is Pop Ash, shot one made by a local Seminole and it was a fine bow, good wood.   There are very few artifacts due to the environment and history.  Even coral heads aren't really found down here.  I think de Soto died from a Calusa arrow though...or was it another early conquistador?

[lebhuntfish]

I saw a video on YouTube the other day of a guy from Florida that is making the calusa bow, he said he went to his local museum and researched it. If found that the Indians that lived in that area migrated from south america. He said that the wood they used was black mangrove. You might research it but I'm sure that's what he said. As far as myself, I live in Missouri too and have No idea! Lol 

[Parnell]

I love making replica bows but always have to remind myself that there is really isn't an "exact" bow for a tribe.  A 60" bend through the handle native growing zone 10 wood bow with a plant fiber string is as good as we'll ever know.  Whoever that fella is that you saw doesn't know more than anyone else!

[lebhuntfish]

I pretty well agree. But building one out of black mangrove sounds cool to me!

[mullet]

 All of the research I've done of the Calusa's, and I paid for some of it while researching a bracelet I found from the De Soto era, said that the bows they were shooting were over six feet tall and the Spanish soldiers had a very hard time pulling them back. De Sota died in Mississippi from a cane arrow infection by one of the tribes north of Florida.

 There is not of lot of the real, native wood left in South Florida, including the majestic, Bald Cypress. I was very surprised how fast, easy to make, and hard hitting a cypress bow was that we made at my house in one day with minimal tools.

[Wiley]

What about live oak? Quercus virginiana, it's range extends into south florida. 

Numbers on it seem to look great for making a bow from. The only things that I can see that might come into play is finding a straight enough stave and it's incredible density is going to make it hard to work with primitive tools. It would be a serious bow wood contender of mine if I was going to make an eastern woodland style bow with a southern florida native hardwood.

[criveraville]

Here is a link to a guy that makes and sells Calusa weapon replicas. They are not sold as archery, but rather as historical replicas.


http://www.sanybelcom/calusa_indian

[mullet]

The Calusa's territory did go pretty far inland with the Caloosahatchie River being their main highway source. The river goes all the way to Lake Okeechobee so they would have been around a lot of hickory. It also grows up and down the coast of Florida from Tampa Bay, south which was their main territory.

[swamp monkey]

Looks like I will start with my cypress board and see about trading for some black mangrove wood.

Parnell, I want to follow up on your comment and say I am with you 100%  I am thinking in terms of shell tools and then a paint job that is consistent with some of the colors they used on their masks.  something to spice things up a bit.

Calusa inspired might be the best term.