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Iti Fabussa

Making a Choctaw bow

Dear Iti Fabvssa, they very quickly snap back to their origi- I was wondering if you could tell me nal shape when they are bent and released. about the process for making a Choctaw This means that a bow properly made from . Any help would be appreciated. these can shoot an with a lot of Bess speed and force. Not just any or bois d’ark tree Dear Bess, will work for bow-making. Most bow-mak- Thank you for your great question! Janu- ers prefer trees that are relatively straight, ary’s edition (2010) of “Iti Fabvssa” focused free of large knots, and free of grain twist. on the form, history, and effectiveness of the Examining a tree’s outer bark can usually Choctaw . Due to space con- tell a lot about the properties of its underly- straints, we had to leave out a description ing before it is cut. Most bow-makers of how Choctaw bows are made. Thanks to prefer to select and cut trees during the win- you, we can now present that information. ter (see Swanton 2001:49) because at this Through time, and in different places, time of year the sap is down, and the out- Choctaws have used many different vari- ermost growth layer in the wood is dense eties of to make bows, however and hard. two woods in particular have been especial- Through time, most Choctaw bow-makers ly popular. In Mississippi, before Removal, have probably used one of two basic tech- to several years. Bow-making is begun only hickory was the most commonly used (c.f. niques to transform raw wood into a work- when the thick pieces of wood are fully dry. Adair 1775:331). After Removal, Okla- ing bow. The older of these two involves Whether using stone or steel , green homa Choctaws found themselves in the doing most of the shaping right after the tree or seasoned wood, the same basic steps must heart of bois d’ark country, and have come is cut down, while the wood is still green be accomplished to make a good bow. Bow- to make most, but not all, of the bows from (see Beverley 1705, reproduced in Swan- makers usually start by shaping the “back” it. Both hickory and bois d’ark are excel- ton 1946:577). Green wood is softer and of the bow, the side that faces away from lent bow-making materials because these easier to work than is dry, seasoned wood. the shooter. Most Choctaw bows were and woods have a high density and because This difference is night and day if the bow- are made in such a way that the back side of maker is using stone tools. With the “green the bow exposes only one growth ring in the wood” technique, the bow is roughed out wood. This helps to make the bow durable – to near its final shape, and then allowed to as a bow is bent, the side facing away from quickly dry under controlled conditions that the shooter is experiencing tensional forces prevent it from warping. The fine-shaping that try to pull the apart. Having of the bow is done only after the wood has only one growth ring exposed on the back become dry and hard. With this technique, a side of the bow minimizes inconsistencies living tree can be transformed into a power- in the wood, making it much harder for ten- ful, seasoned bow in less than two weeks sion to find a weak spot to pull up a splinter time. A few Choctaw bow-makers are cur- and break the bow. rently revitalizing this ancient green wood Hickory bows are made from the sap- / stone technique, using a combination wood of the tree. To create a hickory bow of still-surviving information and personal back that exposes only one growth ring, one experimentation. However, for the last simply strips off the outer and inner bark, three centuries, most Choctaw bow-makers leaving the outermost growth ring of wood have used tools. Today, steel tools are exposed. In other words, the very outer part most often combined with a technique that of the wood becomes the back of the bow. involves cutting wide trees down and split- Bois d’ark bows are made from the tree’s ting them into bow staves. The ends of the inner heartwood. The bark and white sap- staves are sealed to prevent cracking, and wood must both be removed from the outer the wood is set aside to slowly cure for up part of the tree, exposing the outermost lay- er of yellow heartwood. This becomes the tips of the bow are narrowed down and then from moisture. back of the bow. tillering is completed. With the dry wood As we mentioned in our January article, After the back of the bow has been shaped, technique, tillering is usually done right af- Choctaw Nation sponsors a team that uses the sides of the bow are usually roughed out. ter the bow’s sides are finished. traditional Choctaw bows in inter-tribal ar- The thickest part of most Choctaw bows is During or after tillering, nocks are cut chery competitions. Choctaw bow shoots at or near the handle. With the green wood in the bow tips to hold the . Surviv- are held on the Tushka Homma Council technique, for the entire length of the bow, ing old Choctaw bows from different parts House Grounds on most second Saturdays. the sides are uniformly trimmed down only of Choctaw Nation have different styles of As a part of these, talented Choctaw bow- to the intended widest dimension of the nocks that include several shapes and ar- maker Les Williston periodically teaches finished bow (Baker 1994). This gives the rangements of double and pin nocks. After classes on making Choctaw bows. For in- wood a straight, board-like shape that will the nocks are cut in, most bows are sanded formation about these, please call the Cul- prevent it from warping sideways as it dries. and/or burnished. The latter is done by rub- tural Events Department. Only after the wood is fully dry (see below), bing the bow forcefully on all surfaces with This is by no means the full story on the will the tips of the bow be narrowed down. a hard, smooth object, such as the side of Choctaw bow. Be on the lookout for future a deer antler or a smooth rock. Iti Fabvssa articles about making Choctaw These steps make the bow very , , and . smooth and pleasant to touch, and can help reduce the chance of the References Cited bow breaking. Baker, Tim With the high humidity of Mis- 1994 A Bow. In the Tradi- sissippi and Oklahoma, it is nec- tional Bible, Vol. III. edited by essary to seal the wood in order Jim Hamm, pp. 183-198. Bois d’Ark Press, to protect it from moisture. This United States. is important because a bow that is even slightly too damp Garcilaso de la Vega (something you can’t necessarily 1993[1596]La Florida. In The De Soto, discern by touch) can permanently edited by Lawrence A. Clayton, Vernon weaken it. One of the most com- James Knight II, and Edward C. Conversely, with the dry wood technique, mon sealing methods (e.g., Speck 1909:20) Moore. pp. 25-560. University of Alabama the bow’s tips are usually narrowed as soon is to gently warm the fin- Press, Tuscaloosa. as the back of the bow has been shaped. ished bow and repeatedly St. Louis, The “belly” side of the bow is what rub bear or opossum fat Mark faces the shooter. It is shaped through into the wood. Bows made 2008 H e a t - a process known as “tillering.” Tiller- from certain woods in- Treating Bows. ing is where the skill of the bow-maker cluding hickory, can also In The Tradition- really comes into play. Wood must be re- be heat-treated as a part of al ’s Bi- moved in just the right proportions so that the same process (St. Louis ble Vol. 4, Edited the bow will bend in an even arc. Moreover, 2008). To do this, the belly by Jim Hamm. just the right total amount of wood must be side of the bow is held next The Lyons Press, removed so that the finished bow will have to a bed of hot coals, close Guilford. the desired draw length and draw weight. enough to the heat that the This is accomplished by incrementally wood becomes too hot to Speck, Frank shaving off small amounts of wood from touch, but not so close that 1909 E t h - the belly side of the bow. Periodically, the it scorches. nology of the bow is carefully bent to evaluate its strength After half an hour, the Yuchi Indians. and the shape of the arc it makes. Then, ad- belly side of the bow should University of ditional wood is removed accordingly. This start to become an even Pennsylvania, process is repeated dozens of times, and brown color, at which point Philadelphia with each, the bow is bent slightly farther, it is taken away from the Swanton, John and slightly farther. With the green wood fire. This process thorough- R. technique, tillering is completed approxi- ly dries the wood and also shrinks the cells 1946 The Indians of the Southeastern mately half way while the wood is green. on the belly side of the bow, permanently United States. Smithsonian Institution Bu- Then, the emerging bow is lashed down to a making them less able to absorb water. This reau of American Ethnology Bulletin 137. flat surface along its entire length to prevent makes the bow more springy and power- Greenwood Press Publishers, New York. warping and set in the shade until the wood ful. Interestingly, early European accounts dries. This happens rapidly because by this tell us that Natives living in the Southeast 2001 Source Material for the Social and stage, the bow is already pretty thin. Drying could make a bow any color they desired Ceremonial Life of the Choctaw Indians. the wood before the later stages of tillering and with surfaces so shiny that they were re- Reprint. University of Alabama Press, Tus- is important because bending the wood too flective (Garcilaso 1993:305 [1596]). This caloosa. hard or too far while it is green will strain was probably done by coating the bows in it and cause permanent damage to the bow. made from tree sap mixed with pig- After the wood has become fully dry, the ments. This would also help to protect them ©BISKINIK, October 2010