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Author Topic: cherokee bow design?  (Read 13856 times)

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Offline mcginnis6010

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cherokee bow design?
« on: December 24, 2012, 12:15:35 am »
Anyone know what bow design the cherokee used? I have been getting into my native american heritage as my great grandmother was full blooded and i never really got to learn about my heritage from her as she passed when i was about 6 yrs old.
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Offline lesken2011

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2012, 10:22:24 am »
Maybe Half Eye will chime in. He knows a lot about the indian bows.
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Offline okie64

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2012, 10:57:00 am »
Most of the cherokees made simple bend through the handle flatbows from black locust when they were still in the east. After they were forced to Oklahoma they made their bows from osage orange. Their bows ranged anywhere from 40-70 inches so take your pick. Theres a great book called encyclopedia of native american bows, arrows and quivers by Jim Hamm with lots of the different designs in it. Are you in Oklahoma?
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Offline Dictionary

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2012, 11:09:41 am »
A lot of them from what i've seen were pretty short. Around 55 inches long i think i read was the average for most eastern woodland tribes. But we must remember they weren't very tall people. Maybe their average height was around 5'5 or something(i guess). Their arms were shorter and they used a floating anchor, drawing instinctively. I am 5'10 and have longer arms as most of us do now and we draw using a mediterranean release typically so our drawlengths are a bit longer. Some people do it with ease but i dont like getting 28 inches out of a 55 inch peice of wood when i can do it more easily out of a 60 inch peice.


Bye.
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Offline mcginnis6010

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2012, 01:15:21 pm »
No I actually live in Virginia now and I have access to large amounts of BL but not osage.
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Offline half eye

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2012, 02:24:39 pm »
Mc,
     here is some items I found from the American Museum of Natural History....most of the items were collected 1909, from the eastern Cherokee, in North Carolina. they do not list the length od the bow, so for what it's worth the arrow is 30.43 inches long and made of wood. the blowgun is 93.5 inches long and made of cane. Dont know how the photo will show up on here but in the bow pic there is also a nice example of Cherokee quiver......if they wont post please send your email by PM and I'll email you a direct link.....aint smart enough to get it on these posts or PM's for that matter. hope it helps ya out some
rich
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2012, 02:34:05 pm »
TBB#2 has info. Their bows bend in the handle. Their war bows approached 6 ft. Their hunting bows were just over 5'. Handles were not narrowed. Jawge
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Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #7 on: December 24, 2012, 02:45:54 pm »
Quote from: George Tsoukalas on December 24, 2012, 02:34:05 pm
TBB#2 has info. Their bows bend in the handle. Their war bows approached 6 ft. Their hunting bows were just over 5'. Handles were not narrowed. Jawge

Also, they were rectangular in cross senction.  In some cases they were even radically decrowned.  I think the one that comes to mind was in Allely & Hamm's "Encyclopedia of Native American Bows, Arrows, and Quivers".
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Offline Bowman

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #8 on: December 24, 2012, 05:29:39 pm »
Short, (55"-67") flat longbows with bend in the handle and heavy tips. Some of them had a smal reflex in the tips. I,ve made two of them. These bows give you a little bit of handschock. Read "encyclopedia of native american bows and arrows " and "bowyers bible 2" :-)
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Offline Pat B

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #9 on: December 24, 2012, 06:14:28 pm »
Like George said, TBBII has a good drawing of a Cherokee hunting bow and a Cherokee war bow. Hunting bow is 61 3/4", 1 3/8"x9/16" at the handle and 7/8"x5/16" at the tips. The war bow is 72 1/4" long and 1 9/16"x5/8" and the tips are 1 1/16"x7/16".
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Offline Postman

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #10 on: December 24, 2012, 07:44:46 pm »
Quote from: mcginnis6010 on December 24, 2012, 01:15:21 pm
No I actually live in Virginia now and I have access to large amounts of BL but not osage.

Staunton?  Plenty of osage in our area.   I'm up in Mt. Jackson, I can getcha  a stave. i can occasionally be found at Jack Brown's in H-Burg    ;)
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Offline mcginnis6010

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #11 on: December 24, 2012, 09:24:22 pm »
Quote from: Postman on December 24, 2012, 07:44:46 pm
Quote from: mcginnis6010 on December 24, 2012, 01:15:21 pm
No I actually live in Virginia now and I have access to large amounts of BL but not osage.

Staunton?  Plenty of osage in our area.   I'm up in Mt. Jackson, I can getcha  a stave. i can occasionally be found at Jack Brown's in H-Burg    ;)
yea i live in staunton. i didnt know that there were anyone else around my area building bows. Hmmm i have seen a whole lot then again the only thing i know to look for is the fruit.
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Offline mcginnis6010

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #12 on: December 25, 2012, 10:41:47 am »
Wheres Jack Browns at? Im not too familiar with H-Burg as i usually just go there with my wife to the mall but she knows alot of H-Burg but she hasnt heard of Jack Browns.
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Offline Traxx

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #13 on: December 25, 2012, 05:53:53 pm »
Heres some pics of an old Cherokee made bow.Its the first few pics.

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/50038/Some-of-Gary-s-Bows-and-Arrows

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Offline Postman

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Re: cherokee bow design?
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2012, 04:06:17 pm »
Quote from: mcginnis6010 on December 25, 2012, 10:41:47 am
Wheres Jack Browns at? Im not too familiar with H-Burg as i usually just go there with my wife to the mall but she knows alot of H-Burg but she hasnt heard of Jack Browns.

About 2 blocks south of court square on rt. 11. Across fro dave' s taverna greek place. Haven't been building a lot, wouldn't mind hooking a local soldier up with a stave. Least I can do!   ;)
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"Leave the gun....Take the cannoli"

John Poster -  Western VA
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