Warriors
Their Natural Weapons
The bow and arrow was the most natural weapon for the Plains Indian, the tool best suited for hunting buffalo. It was the first plaything given to him as a child. He began to practice before he was even 4 years old. At the age of 8 to 10, he would begin to use his developing skills to assist in the hunts.
Each warrior would craft his own bow. It was made from strong Osage orange wood, with the string made from buffalo sinew. Arrows were fashioned from dogwood, with hawk or eagle feathers. Arrowheads were usually flint or bone, with the size of the arrowhead dependent on what animal was being hunted.
Warriors developed commendable skills with the hunting and war lance, knife, hatchet and club. Hunting lances were undecorated and much thicker and longer than war lances. It was said that the shorter the war lance, the greater the courage of the warrior who carried it.
Courtesy hmdb.org
