Primitive Archery

Primitive Bow and Arrows

In North America, primitive archery and flint knapping was traced back to about 500 years ago. Arrow heads, spear heads, harpoons, knives, tomahawks and other tools used by the North American Indian are being created by the modern archer, who has the interest in traditional archery. To make or build their very own bow and arrows is what they are seeking to accomplish. There are kits on the market you can buy to build your bow and arrows but this is not considered to be primitive archery.In order to build a bow the primitive way you must first start the same way the North American Indians did and that is to start from a piece of wood or tree limb. They say the best trees to look for to start your process is; Osage orange, Locust, Ash, or Hickory. These particular trees have a very dense and tight wood grain and growth rings and they can bend to an extreme point without breaking. To begin your process, start with the outside growth rings to face the target. Cut off to length (length should be twice the length of your draw). If your draw length is 30 inches your bow should be 60 inches long. The reason for this is to create a maximum spring action when drawn and released to send its projectile or arrow at its maximum speed and force.

The next step is to find the center for location of the handle and start shaping the bow on both sides of the handle. Make sure you start tapering from the handle towards the end and also making sure you are doing it evenly on both sides of the handle. To do all this trimming and shaving you need to have a very sharp machete, which in order to be primitive archery you should make this tool yourself, also. When you finish this process you need to test it. To do this, put the handle against a post or something solid and pull the limbs toward you so you can test to see if each limb is pulling with the same force. If not, you may need to trim more off one side to get an equal amount of pull from both limbs.

After you have succeeded in shaping the bow the way you like, you need to notch each end by cutting a groove around the limb to allow you to tie your bow string to it. This is because when you draw the bow back you do not want the bow string to slip and slide down the limb of the bow. When making the bow string, in order for it to be primitive archery, you make it out of natural material, such as; sinew, hemp or something like that. Next you need to wrap the handle with leather strips or hemp. This is so when you release your arrow, it will not slap against the bow quite so hard. Don�t worry if your bow breaks, it does happen. Just build another one. They say after you get good at building bows; it only takes about an hour and a half.

Primitive archery, you may think, would be hard to do, but the satisfaction of building bows and arrows can be very rewarding. This can be especially rewarding when hunting and harvesting animals for the dinner table. GOOD LUCK!