If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The first bow was probably no more than a stick that had a piece of sinew tied to it. Bows and arrows were used for myriad purposes: Hunting, delivering messages, battle and war, competition, and more. Over the centuries, not much has changed, as far as the basic concept of bows is concerned. A bow remains a stick with a string. However, the bow itself has evolved into a precision weapon, and though it may not be used anymore in warfare or for delivering messages, it is still favored equipment amongst hunters and archery enthusiasts.
Every object today has a moment back in time where the item was conceived and first put to use. Anything we have in our lives has history and roots, and the bow is no different. Early bows were no more than bent sticks strung with sinew. What’s interesting is that the basic design of the bow has barely changed over time. What has changed, however, is that the uses the bow could accomplish, such as warfare and delivering messages, have fallen out of favor. Hunters and archery enthusiasts still consider the bow favored equipment, though.
Primitive bows are a thing of the past, but the initial design of a bent stick and sinew attached as a drawstring has remained true for an incredible amount of time. Of course, past times had a wide variety of uses for bows and arrows, and most of those uses have fallen from favor, replaced by other methods, techniques, or equipment. For today’s hunters and archery enthusiasts, though, the bow retains much of its favor and is still as popular as ever.
One of the most obvious characteristics of a primitive bow is the lack of an arrow rest, a small shelf that the arrow rests on when nocked. Shooting a primitive bow requires resting the arrow on the first knuckle of the hand holding the bow. Another characteristic of primitive bows is that they are made of all-natural materials. Backing such as animal sinew helped strengthen the bow in areas where the wood alone wasn’t sufficient. Fiberglass and carbon backings were not an option and those who replicate primitive bows do not use these materials.
Don’t let the term “primitive” fool you, though. Crafting bows was and still is quite a science. One method used for increasing the strength and flexibility of a primitive bow was creating the bow from several thin layers of material. A bowyer would layer the back of the bow’s wood core with horn and the belly (the side facing the archer) with sinew. When drawn, the sinew would stretch, and on release, the horn would contract, thus adding power to the flight of the arrow. Today, bows constructed using this technique are called composite bows.
Many people taking up the sport of archery want to emulate their ancestors and use bows primitive people had at hand or want bows such as those used during the medieval ages. The most simplistic of these bows are “stick bows”. These bows are usually made from a straight piece of wood with no curve at the tips. Stick bows were most commonly used among primitive people such as the Great Plains Indians. Other bows, such as the English long bow and the short bow, have the same design. A long bow’s design was more for distance than accuracy. At the height of its popularity, a legion of archers could launch enough arrows to darken the sky. Some of these bows required as much as 150 pounds of pull and could travel great distances.
One attraction of archery is that individuals can take up the sport to emulate people who lived in medieval ages, acting as veritable Robin Hoods of the modern day. The bows used in medieval times included the English long bow and the short bow. The media often shows displays of the English long bow’s abilities, that of launching arrows to fill the sky. These bows were designed for distance, not accuracy, though they required as much as 150 pounds of pull and traveled long distances. Stick bows, another bow of the Middle Ages, were simplistic bows made from a straight piece of wood having no curves at the tips.
Aficionados of medieval times often take up archery to emulate people of past eras. The English long bow and the short bow were popular in the Middle Ages and the prowess of the English long bow is often demonstrated in the media. Archers using long bows would fill the sky with arrows, using up to 150 pounds of pull to deliver their missiles over great distances. Accuracy gave way to the need for arrows to travel far. Another bow used in medieval times was the stick bow, a simplistic type crafted from a single piece of straight wood.
Other types of primitive bows include “horse bows”, as used by the Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors. These bows have a unique curve that allowed shooting from horseback. Another type of horse bow used by the Samurai was one where the hand grip was set off center. The archer would hold the bow lower down so that it wouldn’t interfere with riding the horse. It is easy to see how our modern day recurve bow evolved from these ancient horse bows.
There are bows that have evolved from primitive bows, such as those used by horseback riders. Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors used bows having a unique curve that permitted shooting while riding. Samurais also used a bow that had an off-center grip, and this bow was held at a lower position to avoid interfering with riding. Modern recurve bows are clearly designs based on these types of primitive bows.
Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors gave us another type of primitive bow that has evolved to the modern recurve bow archers are familiar with today. These uniquely curved bows were used by horse-riders and held in positions that didn’t interfere with equestrian requirements. An off-center grip was common to bows used by Samurais, though the holding position was lower down.