Composite bow material

[dmann]

Hi, my name is David Klein. I'm am a 16 year old high school student and i have been making bows for about a year now. I have decided to create an American Indian style composite bow and i was wondering other than buffalo horn what materials can be used for the belly?

[Pat B]

David, I believe big horn sheep were also used by NA in their composite bows and possibly even bison rib bones. Some of the composites were sinew backed elk horn.  You could use cow horn, Asian water buffalo horn, gemsbach horn and some others if you aren't trying to be authentic. James Parker(Robustus) here on PA builds all wood(and bamboo) composite bows that are similar to the horse bows of Eurasia. Check out his website(Huntworthy Productions). He is an advertiser here on PA. James also could tell you anything you want to know about composite bows.

[M-P]

David,  I have yet to see any original native American composite bows in a museum.  They get mentioned often enough though so the idea was around.  J. Hamm has written about his experience building buffalo horn bellied bows and bison rib bows.  Mountain sheep horn bows are also widely described.  Grayson especially has written about sheep horn bows.  I've also seen mention of bows bellied with antler (moose?, caribou?, elk?)  and baleen (also called whale bone.)  Ron

[Hillbilly]

The vast majority of existing specimens are bighorn sheep horn. From reading the experiences of those who have made replicas of them and with other materials such as elk/caribou antler, buffalo ribs, and such; the sheep horn is the only practical way to go. Trouble is, you would need a trophy-sized head to get horns big enough to make one, and it's apparantly still a major pain in the neck.

[JackCrafty]

Here's one from the American Museum of Natural History:
(It is about 43" long, highly reflexed in the middle, and the string is on the wrong side).

BOW
NORTH AMERICAN ETHNOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
Catalog No: 50.1/ 7363
Culture: HIDATSA
Locale: ND, DUNN COUNTY?, MCLEAN COUNTY?, MERCER COUNTY?, MOUNTRAIL COUNTY?, FORT BERTHOLD INDIAN RESERVATION
Country: USA
Region: PLAINS
Material: ANTLER (ELK), SINEW, QUILLS, PIGMENT, STRING, PITCH?
Dimensions: L:109.5 W:13 H:4 [in CM]
Accession No: 1913-53
Donor: WILSON, GILBERT L., REV.

Most of the composite bows that I have been able to get specs on were made from sheep horn or large antler of some kind.  They were most often spliced in the middle.  The sinew backing was always quite thick, maybe 1/2" thick at the handle and 1/8" thick on the tips?

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