Native American Bows.

[ionicmuffin]

Here are some Native bows that I saw in the Cody museum while I am traveling to college. I must admit, they didn't have to make it look pretty to kill bison, and on top of that the arrows that they used were only 20-22" One is not backed and the other is sinew backed with snakeskin and cherrybark wrappings.

[ionicmuffin]

Few more.

[Ifrit617]

I've seen those exact bows in the same museum. Probably one of the coolest museums i've ever seen.


Jon

[ionicmuffin]

I know right!? It tells you a whole lot about what they found useful in a bow, obviously super rounded edges were not important and they knew that a short bow of about 3-4 ft and a thickness of 3/8" would be sufficient to kill bison.

[Joec123able]

Wow really cool stuff I like those Gull wing bows they look neat

[ionicmuffin]

Yeah I have to agree, in fact the first place I went to find was the weapons, really liked finding the bows!

[loefflerchuck]

Thanks for the pics. Looks like an antler bow and one little sheep horn bow in there. That's the 5th snakeskin backed bow I have seen in museums. Seems they were quite common on the northern plains and great basin. specially up north. I have heard religion kept the Sioux and some other plains tribes from using snake, but seems a few tribes used snake often

[BL]

It's amazing to me how much those gullwing bows look like an inverted, heavy R/D.  I wonder if anybody has tried replicating one backwards.

[Traxx]

BL,
Those bows are R/D.
What you are referring to are D/R.
I have seen bows made the opposite direction purposefully.