Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Papa Matt on July 16, 2008, 03:33:38 pm

Title: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Papa Matt on July 16, 2008, 03:33:38 pm

Any brothers know which (if any) NA tribes commonly backed their bows with snakeskin, regardless of the type of snake? Was this popular, rare, or random? Any of our red brothers, please ring in!  :)


~~Matt

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: uwe on July 16, 2008, 03:42:16 pm

Thats a question, I`ve asked myself. Lots of tribes were afraid of snakes, but for others a snake was and I think a snake is a holy animal. In the J. Hamm/ St. Allely books there is`nt a bow with snakeskin on. I have a reprint of a book from Otis Tufton Mason "Bows, Arrows and Quivers", Smithonian Institution from 1893 (Indian and Eskimo) and even there is no bow with snake on. Maybe none existed.

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Papa Matt on July 16, 2008, 03:45:54 pm

Interesting. It also looks like there isn't much knowledge on the subject, because so far you're the only one to respond.

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Pat B on July 16, 2008, 04:08:00 pm

From Jim Hamm's book "Bows & Arrows of the Native Americans", page 73, Decorations, Snakeskins..."A snakeskin covering is a practical addition to a sinew-backed bow. The Indians added this feature to their bows occasionally, but it was not common. They probably didn't like messing with a rattlesnake. But they sometimes used it, as I have seen a few sinew-backed bows from the Northern Plains and the West Coast which employed them."      Pat

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Papa Matt on July 16, 2008, 04:13:52 pm

That would make perfect sense, I should've thought of it. The skin would provide the perfect thin, light-weight water-proof cover for the hide-glued sinew. Duh. So it sounds like they were only sometimes applied on sinew-backed bows, probably very rarely applied on a non-sinew backed bow I would imagine.

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Hillbilly on July 16, 2008, 05:33:11 pm

In Jim Hamm's chapter on Plains bows in the TBB III, there is an illustration of a sinew-backed gullwing Blackfoot bow with snakeskins. I have read a few historical accounts of the Cherokee, and others, having decorated pipe stems with snakeskin.

Title: Re: Who used snakeskin?
Post by: Woodland Roamer on July 16, 2008, 11:24:29 pm

Not sure how common it was. I have see one bow from the northern plains in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody Wyoming that has skins. I have a pic of it somewhere but cant find it right now. Here is a link to it on their website if it works. http://www.bbhc.org/collections/bbhc/ImageViewer.cfm?object_key=17022&img=KodakImgs%2Fna%2E102%2E157%2EJPG

Alan