Curved bow strung with twisted sinew and decorated with pigment and horse hair.

The bow was introduced to North America most likely around 1000 C.E. Bows and arrows were used in warfare and in hunting. The nomadic Plains tribes were hunter-gatherers and relied on the buffalo as their main source of food and resources. The tribes also hunted bear, elk, and antelope.

Arrows had to be made with experienced and practiced hands in order to be effective, accurate, and deadly. Region and tribe dictated arrow styles and materials. Shafts were made of straight wood, steams, cane, or reeds, and points or heads were often made of flint, different types of stone, horn, bone, shell, and copper. Iron quickly became popular with its introduction after white contact (Taylor 2001, 74-77).