The posts on Penobscot bows reminded me of this. I've been trying to find out what styles of bow were used by the Western Abenaki, from where i grew up. The Penobscot are a band of the Eastern Abenaki, with the two groups divided by the White Mountains of NH. The only entry I've found so far is from the Abenaki museum in Odenak Quebec; they have a Penobscot replica displayed as an "Abenaki War Bow". I'm still not too convinced that these bows were that common in the west. The Encyclopedia of Native American Bows, Arrows and Quivers shows Iroquois on the map, in what was traditionally Western Abenaki territory, then shows the individual 5 Nations of the Iroquois in their traditional territory, west of Lake Champlain. I wonder if some of the bows listed in collections as Iroquois are in fact, Abenaki. The two groups had extensive contact through warfare over the course of centuries, especially between Abenaki and Mohawk, and there was plenty of "adoption", mainly of women and children, between the groups. The Abenaki also absorbed many refugees from southern Algonkian tribes, who were displaced as a result of King Philips War in the 1670's, So there must have been some influence from that direction as well. I'm wondering if anyone has any historical reference for bows attributed to the Western Abenaki specifically? If you can help me, I would greatly appreciate it. This site is an enormous gathering of technical and historical knowledge. Thanks, Jude.
