Weapons or Indian Weapons

Bows and Arrows

When the Bow and arrow first appeared, it was made as a weapon consisting of a stave made of wood or other elastic material, bent, and held in place by tension of the string. The arrows are thin wooden shafts with feathered tails that is fit into the string by a notch in the end of the shaft. When the arrow is drawn back, the bow is released and the arrow is propelled forward from the release of tension. Arrowheads have been made from a number of materials including stone, flint, metal, and other hard materials.

The Navajo Indians used a short double curve bow similar to the plains style bows. The arrows they made had three feather fletching and lightning groves on the shafts. The Navajo quiver was made of different types of leather including deer hide, cow hide, buffalo hide, fox hide, wolf hide, mountain lion hide, and various others. The quiver may be decorated with fringes, fur, horse mane or beads. The bows were usually made from Mesquite wood and were round on the back and flat on the belly. The back was sometimes lined with sinew and the handle was often wrapped in buckskin. The string was primarily made of sinew.

Some bows were made from Mulberry, Locust, Mesquite, Oak or Maple; however, Mulberry was said to be the Navajo people’s favorite. Sinew strings were fashioned from leg sinew from deer, and arrow shafts were made form mountain mahogany, Apache plume, and mulberry and were fletch with three feathers. There is no record of flint to stone points for hunting; however, a record of sharpened and fire hardened wood tips is available.

The best Apache Indian bows were considered to have been made from mulberry, although locust, oak and maple were sometimes used. The Apache craftsman knew of double curved bows and made some; however, these bows were thought to be inefficient to the single curve self bows that they preferred. The length was usually three to four feet. Bows were made from branches which were stripped of their bark, shaped to size, and dried for a week. After one week, it was greased, bound to shape, placed in hot ashes to keep its shape, and cured for 10 more days. Bows were not immediately fully drawn, but rather gradually broken in. The preferred bow string was made of sinew string, but mescal fibers could be substituted. The Apache made two types of arrows. The first type of arrow was approximately two feet in length and made of hardwood such as mountain mahogany, Apache plum, Mulberry, and Desert Broom. The second type was made from cane and had wooden fore shafts. Hardwood arrows were fashioned from bark peeled branches that had been dried for several days. Once the branches had dried, they were straightened against heated rocks. An arrowhead was bound to the shaft with sinew and hide glue and the fletching of three buzzard, eagle or hawk wing or tail feathers was added.

The Sioux Indians made a double curved bow that was customized in length for each archer. The bow measurement was taken by measuring from the archer’s outstretched left arm that is parallel with the ground. The bow length is from the left middle finger to the right outside hip at the joint. Although some historians have said the Sioux liked their bow’s sinew backed, but this is not true. Green Ash was also used to make their bows. This wood was cut when it was green at the approximate size needed, greased, and hung in the lodge to season before finishing. The arrows were made of wood with three feather fletching running even with the nocks and lightning groves. The arrows were measured from the tip of the middle finger to elbow of the right arm and from the wrist to where the hand joins the middle finger. The combined measurements gave the over all arrow length. The Sioux Indians used stone, bone, and sinew arrowheads, but used steel arrowheads as soon as they could trade for them.

Tomahawks

Originally, the tomahawk was a type of axe native to North America that resembled a hatchet with a straight shaft. In the 17th century, the term “tomahawk� made its way into the English language as a transliteration of the Virginian Algonquian word. The main purpose of the tomahawk was it was to be used as a tool by Native Americans and European Colonials alike, and it could also be employed as a hand-to-hand or a thrown weapon. The tomahawk once had a stone head, but later, iron or brass heads were used. Metal tomahawk heads were modeled after a Royal Navy boarding axe, and it was used as a trade-item with Native Americans for food and other provisions.

Knives

The knife is a sharp-edged hand –held utensil or instrument that is made up of a handle attached to a blade. A knife may be used for cutting as well as a weapon. The knife originally dates back to two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools.

Knife Sheaths

A knife sheath protects the handler from accidents, protects the knife from any type of damage, and keeps the knife convenient for use. In several states, a knife can only be carried in a knife sheath in order to comply with concealed weapons laws.

Daggers

The word dagger comes from the Vulgar Latin “daca� or a Dacian which is typically a double-edged blade that is used for stabbing or thrusting. During close combat with the enemy, daggers often fulfilled the role of a secondary defense weapon. The tang extends into the handle along the centre line of the blade.

Daggers are differentiated from knives on the basis that daggers are intended for stabbing whereas knives are usually intended for cutting. Almost all knives and daggers are capable of both stabbing and cutting. Our daggers are for decorative purposes and make a wonderful addition to your collectible wall.

Lances and Spears

The word “lance� describes a variety of different types of pole weapons that are based on the spear. The actual term is derived from “lancea�, which was a Roman auxiliaries' javelin. The lance is basically a light throwing spear, or javelin. Although the lance could generally be classified as a spear, it tends to be larger; therefore, it is usually longer, stouter, and considerably heavier. This makes the lance unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting, unlike the infantry spear.

After the arrival of the railroad, the Native Americans received a Western introduction of the horse and lance. The Plains Indians took up the lance because the American cavalry at the time had sabres and pistols. The Native Americans charged them with lances at full gallop. The natural adaptation of the throwing spear to a stouter thrusting and charging spear appears to be an evolutionary trend in the military use of the horse.

Tomahawk Heads

Decorative silver inlaid tomahawks with ornate tomahawk heads, which were brought by the Europeans to Indian leaders as gifts, were manufactured specifically for the Indian trade. Each country or nation produced tomahawks and tomahawk heads with their own patterns and markings. The French tomahawk head was shaped like a fleur-de-lis, the English blade was a straight ax, and the Spanish tomahawk heads were shaped like a broad ax. Native American Indians are credited with giving the tomahawk head and tomahawk its crowning glory by adding beads and fur, carved designs, and painted handles. The Native American Indians also attached beaded tabs and appendages, which were in perfect proportion to the tomahawk.

Spear Head or Spearhead

Spearheads or spear heads are the sharpened tips of spears. The spear is a pole weapon that is used for hunting and war. Most often the spear consists of a wood shaft with a sharpened spearhead. The spearhead may be sharpened at the end of the shaft itself like the bamboo spear, or it may be made of a variety of materials fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, bronze, steel, pewter, or bone. The most common shape is that of a metal spearhead which is shaped like a triangle or a leaf.

Our collection of Weapons may be made by Native American Indians or non-Indian made. Certified Native Crafts will be marked as such at the end of the text. This collection includes replicas of the Sioux, Navajo, and Plains Indians styles of bows and arrows, a lance, a spear, a knife sheath, tomahawk heads, Indian weapons, an inlaid Indian knife, pocket knives, and many, many more intriguing Native Crafts or Indian weapons.