Native American bow woods ?

[arrowlauncherdj]

I recently did a knife for my cousin who is half Creek. I incorporated Osage in the scales with the idea  he'd have 2 points of family heritage... 1. Made by family and 2. Incorporated the Native American bow wood of choice. He thought that was very cool but then I got to thinkin... I've never seen an Osage tree anywhere around here but there's boat loads from just south of Tuscaloosa down to Monroe county, AL. This particular band of the Creek nation was allowed to stay here in Atmore, AL so this is there home range. In other words , the nearest Osage tree is 40-60 mi north of here.

Question is, were the Osage trees all cut by the timber industries and it was the wood of choice, or was there a different wood for the south Alabama Indian nations like ash??

Dave

[Kituwa]

Locust wood was used too. It is very simuler to a osage tree. There is a black locust and a honey locust, may be more but im not sure. They are covered by thorns, even on the trunk of the tree. They tend to be crooked and you have to hunt to find one with a piece that is straight enough just like osage, and it is very hard wood. And just like the osage it was used as fence posts because it lasts many many years. Both the osage and locust will shoot out sparks when you cut it with a chain saw if the wood is well seasoned.

[Fletcher]

Osage staves were a valued commodity and favored bow wood by many Nations.  They were traded between tribes so are correct for many tribes.  While 40 miles seems like a long way to us, I doubt it was to a native looking for a prime piece of wood.  He could be there and back in a week or two.  What impresses me is how they cut and split it without steel.

[Charlie Lamb]

Lots of trading went on and osage shows up in original native American bows all around the country.

[gringol]

I believe settlers actually expanded the osage range by planting it as hedge rows.  The osage you have in AL may not be "native".  Charlie is right, osage bows were pretty valuable and traded all over.  I read once that an osage bow could be traded for a horse.

Elm was also used pretty extensively.

[Kituwa]

Fletcher is right,the men from south eastern tribes did not mind going on trips that lasted for months.I am Cherokee myself and traditionally when a man marreied a girl he moved in with her AND her parents. I know if i had to live in the same house with my mother in law, i would be gone on a lot of trips hunting some good bow wood,lol.

[arrowlauncherdj]

I just checked with my cousin who asked someone he said would know, I assume a tribal history buff out at the tribal community, and he said pecan and hickory for the Atmore band primarily. I would agree with yall tho that prolly a lot of trading went on and a mix of bow woods would be expected.

Dave

[tippit]

Eastern Woodland Native Americans used white woods predominately...Ash, Hickory, Locust. The Sudbury bow that is in the Peabody Museum in Boston was Ash.

[Knawbone]

I would imagine the north eastern Indians used hop horn Beam also called lever wood or iron wood. Elm, Sugar Maple, Sassafras,Mulberry,Oak,Ash, Hickory were probably all used if it was straight grained and relatively knot free.

[tomsm44]

We have hop horn beam in Louisiana also so it may have been used by southern tribes as well.  We have another small tree here called blue beech that some of the old timers also call ironwood.  Has smooth bark instead of shaggy like hop horn beam but the leaves look the same and it has similar wood characteristics.  I also know of a third locust species in la, water locust, but I don't know how the wood compares to black and honey locust.

Matt Toms

[jrbows]

On the trading angle, flint isn't native to my area and most of the arrow-heads (not all) found in this area are flint I have heard that Ohio is a flint rich state not sure on other states we border but I'm in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and pretty far from the Ohio border so things got around pretty good in times past.

[Justinlandrum]

I just found this guy up in Kansas.
I was having a horrible time trying to find Osage to make axe a handle. I stumbled onto this guy. From what he tells me he has miles of this stuff. He is a small family sawmill and is priced well. I bought a rough cut board 2x10x9' for a $200.. I can get a couple of axe handles, 2 bow staves and a bunch of spare out of the piece of wood. He even sent me pictures of the piece of wood before I bought it.
 http://www.tallgrasswood.com/index.html
His name is Kevin Curch
Cell # (620)794-7120
Thanks
Justin

[M60gunner]

I would bet there are trails along the Easteren seaboard like the ones that follow the Sierras out West. Those trails went down into Mexico. Like trading Osage in the East the Indians in Ca. trade for Obsidian to make points. Obsidian arrow heads have been found in San Diego area. The glass comes from the North of state.

[Pat B]

A friend of mine found an 8" obsidian blade falling out of a river bank is coastal SC, that's 3000 miles away from any naturally occurring obsidian.
 Osage was used by the Cherokee but only after they were moved to Oklahoma. Before that they used locust, hickory, ash, elm and other whitewoods.
  Kituwa, black locust and honey locust are two different genus and their wood is not similar at all. The fact that they both have thorns and compound leaves is the only similarity but even their thorns and compound leaves are different.

[Jack Skinner]

Off subject just a touch but talking about the Indian Trade Routes. I remember reading that Louis and Clark were amazed that several of the trade goods (medals, beads, pots and such) that they had traded to Indians on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers were already in the hands of the Nez Pereze(?spelling) along the Columbia River in the Rockies when they got there.

[Tim Finley]

Osage bows were even way up here in ND theres no osage trees close . I was following a blood trail once and found a piece of obsidian no obsidian in N.D. Wyoming would probably be the closest. Our Knife River flint was traded all over the country and you can still get into the quarry .I have a 1800 Sioux bow and I think it is made of ash .