Native Cultural Arts: Comanche Bow and Arrows
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2022
- View Willie Pekah's newest arrow making video here, • Native Culture Arts: T...
Join Willie Pekah as he shares his wealth of knowledge about making Comanche bows and arrows.
Email Willie Pekah with questions, pekahwillie11@gmail.com - Розваги
Rest in peace Elder Pekah. I would’ve loved a wood carving lesson from this man.
I’m 80. As kids we all knew how to make bows and arrows, slingshots, kites, whistles and anything that we could whittles with the pocket knives we all carried. We learned it all from older brothers, fathers, uncles and each other. All that kid knowledge, passed down from one kid to the other for centuries has disappeared in my lifetime.
We watch this, not to learn how to make a bow and arrow, but because we’re fascinated by the last man doing what everyone in his world used to do as a matter of course.
🇨🇦🇺🇸perfect 😄
We'll always have tree branches. Hopefully pocket knives will remain legal. What's new is cardboard. With on-line shopping, everyone has more boxes than they know what to do with. UA-cam is full of videos on what to make. Its the new plywood.
@@user-nd4le6ul5u i live in the U.S. next to a park. I can see the playground from my window. No children! A few times a week, maybe a child, always with an adult. Probably has custody for that day. A child outside alone would be reported to the police, perhaps taken from the parents. At the local school, during recess, 4(four) adults keeping their eye on maybe 30 kids playing outside, but on astroturf safety surfaces. After school, no children in sight. Sort of like 'Silent Spring' with no birds. No more hop-scotch diagrams chalked on the sidewalks; no more balls in your yard or through your window. They're all inside, doing what? Reading, playing the piano? I don't think so. They're staring at screens, becoming near-sighted, needing glasses, becoming zombies. None of this, of course, is strange or unsual to any one, exept those of us who remember when it wasn't so.
That's still a thing we just don't whittle stuff.
My older bro taught me all kinds of stuff I could make including slingshots.
But yeah lost knowledge and skills is always sad.
A bunch of kids still carry knives too just probably for different reasons lol
The Comanche numbered some 200,000 in 1750 before much contact with the west. By 1890, there were only 1500 left led by Quannah Parker when they finall went to the reservation in Oklahoma. They were warriors and only knew fighting and killing and stealing horses. They killed tens of thousands of white settlers indiscriminately just the joy of cutting the men head to toe with their war lances to spill their internal organs, then raped all the women down to the age of 7 or 8, while the men died screaming in their own viscera. Lastly they build a fire and roasted the women alive. Nice guys. Even the Sioux and Crow thought them uncivilized. The nearly wiped out the Apache and stoped the westward expansion of the United States for over 100 years. They refused to stop fighting white men, and if they were forced into a treaty immediately broke it. The could not farm, they could not ranch nor build permanent structures. The savagely fought anyone who wasn’t Comanche. In the end the US sent enough army troops to defeat them by fighting the way the Comanche did. In the end there were 1500 left, they were no given a reservation because they supported the confederates in the US civil war. Their living descendants see nothing wrong with the behavior of their ancestors, murdering white families, smashing infants against trees, etc.
As an archer, Dutch Traditional Hunting, I bow my head out of respect for this craftsman
@bastiat
Take lessons from someone who understand this discipline.
This discipline something not very known in the Archery world
I’m an English Longbowman. My Bow is 78 inches long and the power goes from 55 lbw to 140 lbw for the big Warbow. I’ve made hundreds of arrows over the years mainly 28 inch to 32 inch. It’s great to see traditional skills being passed onto the next generations. We say the Brotherhood of the Bow.
It’s amazing the variety of bows there have been throughout the ages, in vastly different places all over the world. All quite different from each other yet all serving very well the purposes of those who used them. Really all it is is a big SPRING. So simple that ancient peoples all over the globe employed them for survival over thousands of years. It’s fascinating.
Facts
@@QuantumMechanic_88 maybe its a bow for young boys to practice with?
@@MusMasi I make 48 inch horse bows all the time, 60 pounds. not exactly a kids bow.
🎯🇨🇦🇺🇸🌐😄
Wow.. I'm so glad this guy is out there. This is what the internet was made for. Forget all the arguing and politics. This man is preserving his heritage in beautiful fashion. My heart aches when I think of how many tribal arts have been lost. Thank you Willie for sharing this amazing skill with the world. I can't wait to teach my son when he's old enough!
Preserving heritage is political.
@@Viz-Jaqtaar It really isn't.
I think you should know that there are many many people, people of your culture and people of others including myself that really appreciate you sharing this with us.
What a fantastic video. Willie Pekah is a fount of knowledge, I could listen to him talk about this stuff for hours. Thank you for preserving this knowledge for generations to come!
From the stone age to the jet age in 80 years. It's great seeing a craftsman reviving the old ways .
You sir are a national treasure and a credit to the Comanche Nation. Thank you for your lecture on these wonderful bows and arrows.
Having made several osage bows and dogwood arrows, I can tell you that your first arrows are as difficult to make as the actual bow. Takes a bit to get right at first, but then becomes easy. People have a hard time believing that one can make as nice of arrow this way as you can with a factory shaft but it's entirely doable. Nice job sir!
Any bow will shoot an arrow, that is just physics. You only get consistency when the Fletcher knows how to make good arrows. Been doing this 20 years and I am still finding consistent arrows to be the harder part of the job!
@@johnhalverson2849 I believe Ishi was quoted saying something along the lines of any bow will do but arrows are what kill deer.
Lovely to see Sir, we shouldn't lose our historical crafts & traditions, they should be passed on to younger people's, so that the skills don't die out.
Great video
✌🏻🇬🇧
I suppose a good idea would be to encourage more Elders/Craftsmen to use UA-cam (and such) to post their knowledge, before it disappears!
That method doesn't work well for dying traditions and skills. The best thing to do is keep it well documented and explained in good detail, so that any one interested in the future can replicate the art. But definitely keep teaching to people who are willing to listen, I'm not discouraging that.
Love it! Keep that knowledge alive, never to be lost to history!!
Never forget !! Listen to Johnny Cash .. to these talking leaves..This world would have been defferent
If all natives worked fight together .Still doing the same thing today.WORK TOGETHER
Wow. What an incredible treasure of skill and knowledge this man is. Fascinating insights of a fascinating culture. Keeping it alive. God bless him and 'his people'.
The bow making is fascinating but there isn’t much that is admirable about what the Comanche did to innocent civilians and others. Facts.
@@jadeddragon4254 whites did just as horrendous things, just sneakily in a systematic manner whereas warriors did it in a face to face manner
je réponds quel bois il utilise l'indien pour faire son arc et ses flèches ?
@@johnpages4627 Osage orange wood was used by comanches, kiowas and southern plains indian natives
@@nisurasamfitness115 je réponds vous me dites le bois d'oranger des osages et l'orangé je connais mais osages je ne connais pas qu'est que ça veut dire l osages !
Willie, I loved your video. My name is Jim Grubb, I got my Uncle an old Scotts Irishman to help my make my first bow in 1956 when I was 7. My favorite arrows were dried hemp weeds or muliflora rose tipped with .38 cal brass.Still in love with the rose shafts. He made it out of green apple limbs cut at an angle & taped in the handle. I don't get to far from home, but, its great here in the S/W corner of Iowa. I live close to the Loes Hills where Chief Waubonsie is Laied to rest. I too love short Hedge Apple wood for bows. I found over the years I can get very close to deer & a short draw with no anchor Will hit anything I can look at. As long as you never make eye contact, if you do they will know whats in your mind just like the tall man does. Too much about me. I would truly like to see more bow making from your perspective. I like all kinds of bows, but, I'm in love at this time with Hoopa & Modock paddle bows.
I'm 120 years old and a swedish longbow man. Our bows are two inches long and our arrows are one inch. As you can imagine it comes in very handy when you are getting teabagged by the polarbears.
what a true craftsman looks like, awesome that he keeping his peoples traditions alive
I really enjoyed this! Please thank Mr. Pekah for the time. Fascinating.
I love the way he explains the ballistics of trajectory of Comanche archery. A true warrior should know like how a modern soldier should know about battle sight zero in modern combat. The feel of a warrior's weapon to be accurate in battle or hunting is his skill to survive in all situations..
That's great. The Commanche were called the finest light cavalry in the world. Here in Indiana the hickory tree is plentiful for the bow. Thank you.
Very interesting. I was always interested in how the Indians made the arrows. I saw a very informative video on how flint was shaped. I always wondered where they got the metal for arrow heads, and now I know. Thank you for this video.
great video, Willie looks like my brother just a little heavier, My grandmother was Comanche she was born in 1910, and growing up she talked about her dad and grandfather, They were great stories, and learned a lot from her growing up she even taught my brothers and me how to cook. My uncle taught us how to shoot the bow as well. Thanks for this video brought back some great memories of my youth.
I live near Comanche Peak, Granbury Texas,,,,, I find the Comanche culture enriching and fascinating. Actually across the street from the Brazos river. So the history of the Comanche runs deep in my area. Any other sources would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much sharing your video.
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This is some awesome oral history and nice craftsmanship! I'd love to see some of this knowledge shown in historical movies, to educate the laymen.
Awesome work its amazing to see the way the Comanche held their bow and arrows, Lars Anderson tried to recreate the method comanche used to shoot and ride and did so as true to life as could and in doing so proved just how quick and effective the Comanche could shoot there bows. A trained Comanche could fire an arrow at 100 meters and by the time it landed have 3 or more arrows already in the air on there way. As kids Comanche could shoot bugs and coin out of the air trained from birth with instinctive shooting a interesting thing to note is that alot of Comanche had a harder time shooting stationary targets that we're use to in archery today. Absolutely Mint
That's badass my warrior brother love the history
This is the most useful, and best presentation I have seen on Comanche archery.
So nice to see a culture kept alive. The history is important to know where you came from. When you don’t know that you know nothing!
I have been shooting traditional bow since the age of 8 , and am a proud Comanche descendent of Quanah Parker.....
As someone that is of mixed race but raised in the traditional arts, I love seeing videos like this...and those still left like myself that try to keep the traditions alive...The only aspect of the video's details that got shared that was not an accurate description was the reason wood was collected often in Winter...sap does not go into the roots in the winter at all...that is a modern myth and the Elder's knew this as I was taught as a boy...In fact, with many species of trees, we see an actual increase in moisture content of the wood above ground in the wintertime. The difference between summer and winter is whether the sap is flowing (aka moving) or not moving...
Very interesting! It's so cool that this conversation exists.
I can't quote an authoriative source on this but my reason for getting wood for arrows and also for bows in the winter is that the plant isn't growing. The outermost yearring is fully developed and stronger.
@@andreasgoebel1269 This is very true, however, in winter or summer those outer layers of xylem and cambium are typically removed anyway...What is often missed (or misunderstood) by most modern Bowyers is this craft spans a global culture...and within biome types where "growing" or a "winter season" really is not nearly the same...dormant perhaps, but still active...Thus...winter to summer harvesting is not really an issue...or a...can and can't happenstance, as either season will work, and storage (best underwater) if done at should be a method that keeps the wood supple...Most (virtually all) traditional bows were worked "green" and then fire hardened...
@@JayCWhiteCloud I'd be interested to learn more about the fire hardening process you mentioned.
This is the most informative video on Native Bows and Arrows ive ever seen. It makes a huge difference when u have an expert like Willie teaching it.
This Elder is a NATIONAL TREASURE" The History Channel needs to do an episode with him" awesome info share & preservation of History "
And now here on the internet and UA-cam, you have preserved your tradition forever.
I haven't made a bow and arrows in years. I might have to make a new set after watching this. Great content, thank you.
This was GREAT! There’s so much info about the weapons the TX Rangers used between 1833-1890 but so little about what Comanche ppl used. I’d love love love to see something about their lances
Thanks for this interview! Really enjoyed it as I start to learn more about my heritage. I'm glad to see Comanche archery making a comeback. I live near Comanche Peak, and work at the Nuclear Plant that bears its name, so all of it is rather special to me.
The knowledge you have and share is invaluable.
True that what you share is being lost, what would we do if we lost the old ways and were forced into the old ways of living, I'm sure most who don't appreciate the true value of native indiginous knowledge will be left wanting of this elders gift.thank you from another elder.
A few years ago, with no bow making experience at all I decided I would make one just for the fun of it. I’m sure my choice of material was all wrong, sumac sapling… and all I used was a camping hatchet, a Buck hunting knife, watched a few videos and went by instinct. It actually turned out really well and is even better now that the wood has cured. Surprisingly powerful! I would recommend to anyone making their own bow, and arrows, just for the experience. For the arrows, simple dowels from the hardware store with some duct tape fletching will work fine.
We Made bows similar when we were nippers .
I didn't want this film clip to end as it was so interesting. Thanks for the insight.
Thank You for documenting this amazing art form of Americana. As a historian, I greatly appreciate the detail and articulation that you have provided.
For my arrows. I use "fatlighter" which is from old pine trees. I like using the ones from old fence post. You shave them down until orange, heat treat with a fire and as soon as it starts oozing out the pine liquid you take another piece of the same wood and basically sand it down with that piece, it comes out beautiful and is very strong, I've been having trouble trying to get them to fly straight though
I dearly wish we taught kids in school the traditional way of making and using hand tools and weapons. Thanks so much for this video.
Not a bowyer but I do hunt primitive and have for 25years and I still consider myself a “noob”. I still lean things about the art and craft every day. That being said I enjoyed your video very much. Thanks for taking the time making it.
So many crafts that hover near the edge of extinction these days...glad to see you uploaded this video to UA-cam!
Please keep up with your tradition, don’t want to lose this past knowledge! Awesome.😎🏕🦅🦌
Always loved the concept of color coading between tribes. Through that was awesome. Greetings, blessings from Apache native.
With the right amount of promotion many Indian youths would or should want to learn from this man he is a natural teacher
Thank you for sharing your skills, your history and your heritage!
I am a Cherokee passing as white and it was very interesting to see archery from your perspective.We must keep our traditions alive, not because it's cool but because it is us ,we don't want to die as a culture. Love you Brother.
Much respect to the indigenous more so to the connection to mother.
Beautiful, I've been a flintknapper, bow builder and arrow maker for 40 years, I did learned from your video! Thank you, I could learn much more from you!
Great video. You touched on a few things that I figured out when I made and shot my very first bows. Draw and posture. As a kid it made perfect sense that style of shooting. Almost 50 years later I still shoot the same way.
This is wonderful to keep the tradition alive.
I rewatch this time and again not just for the information but it is just like visiting home, when I find that background country you see here when Willie Pekah is talking. There are some other videos that show the high "plain" plains I visit for the same reason. Love that country! It has my allegiance over all other.
Thanks Willie from a First Nations New Zealander.
Greetings from me , Yvo,i live in Kaiserslautern (American called the Town Ktown) Germany...Respect&Honor Sir!!!!
This was really interesting! I'm a beginning bowyer so I love stuff like this!
I love watching these youtube videos of actual real native American people demonstrating their skills and etc, really fascinating to learn how these people lived, and their culture, these people need to be treated much better than they currently are.
What a very gifted and humble man. This is the kind of knowledge , I have been searching for for quite awhile. Thank you kind sir for sharing your craft.
Thanks for the enjoyable video, i appreciate the knowledge. One trick I've found for making bark removal a breeze is to gently use a potato peeler to strip the shaft.
What a great video. Thank you so much for keeping your culture alive!
Fine craftsmanship, I've been looking at videos of different kinds of traditional archery from cultures all over the world, and it's amazing how to bow making can be similar but different at the same time.
thank you for making this video. Ive messed around with this stuff since I was a kid, always wondering what wood to use.
Thank heavens the old ways are still remembered - great insight.
Archery in all its forms Rock. Keep the tradition alive. Cannot wait for your next vid.
Thank you grandfather
I could listen to you speak all day .
When the next class is, I will be there! Thanks for sharing!
More please! 😀 Thank you so much for this video.
Thank you for sharing your Wisdom. God Bless you, and First Nation!
I make bows and arrows as a hobby and it is a passion of patience!
Thank you for sharing the tradition of your ancestors and Elders.
This is awesome! And this fella is an amazing explainer 🙂🏹
So glad I stumbled upon this video. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with bows and arrows. I have a few that I have found along with way, but it is really hard to find authentic hand made arrows anymore.
Thanks to Willie Pekah for reviving the tradition, collecting all the information required for that and for sharing his knowlegde and thanks to you for passing it on...
Bravo! Very interesting
It’s actually amazing you can hear there’s some power in those shots when it hits that target but it barely looks like you touched the string. Neat video.
The Comanche were amazing people. They were the first to get horses after the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 released thousands (estimated 10,000) onto the southern plains. As a comparison, when Lewis and Clark crossed the northern plains in 1804-1806, the northern tribes had still not adopted the horse. In that 120 years the Comanche had not only adopted the horse but were selectively breeding them, something the northern tribes never really learned. The Comanche also created simple saddles of their own design. The Spanish and American saddles were too heavy and cumbersome for their liking, so they designed simple saddles of rawhide which is again something the northern tribes never used in any numbers. Saddles, and particularly stirrups, are monumentally important in hunting and warfare. You need to brace your feet/legs to shoot well in various directions from horseback, and without a saddle/stirrups your marksmanship suffers. This is why the Comanche were the Lords of the Plains.
Had often wondered how arrows could be made straight. Whoever came up with this method so long ago deserved credit.
Several years ago, I met someone who made bows in the traditional way. His method (unsure where it came from) involved three pieces of wood, gluing, sinew strings; with multiple steps of construction and several weeks of curing between each step. His bows could take as long as a year to make, which did not sound consistent with the Comanche lifestyle.
Admiration to both that guy and Mr. Pekah for preserving the old ways for the benefit of the rest of us. Bravo!
Thank you sir for your time and your knowledge
Im 20 and from canada this is so informative and cool. Ive been practicing with flintknapping and creating things from my ancestors thank you for so much information
Outstanding! Thanks for sharing our Native American history. I learned a lot. This should be shown in schools today..
I really like the old lore he shares like how the Comanche hold their arrows point up, I find that kind of information extremely interesting. Thank you Sir.
Love the video. Would love to have a traditional bow in this style
That's some great historic information! Thank you very much for sharing it!
Happy to see such details documented. Thanks for sharing these traditions and the craft.
Thanks, Willie. Great insight and video.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your heritage with others.
thank you Willie for sharing your knowledge of the old ways.
Thank you for sharing 😊
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I love that quiver and those arrows; form and function at their best
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! I love to listen and learn from other people...
Mr Willie Pekah i thoroughly enjoyed this episode and look forward to seeing many more i was into bow and arrows for a number of years and only ever did instinctive shooting im from Australia and have had a real interest life and times of native Americans. I love how you talk straight i read that there was a practice of putting lose heads so if the arrow was removed the head stayed in thank you
The best video I have seen in a long time, old information like this is so extremely rare.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge it’s now on the record of our lives
Great work engaging with your elders to keep this knowledge alive! Thank you for sharing your knowledge here.
Thank you Sir for sharing this with us. Highly informative, and useful to a craftsman! Also loved telling us and showing us how they’re used traditionally!
BEAUTIFUL SKILLS!!
Loved this video and seeing the old ways. To have a Time Machine and really see the old days!
This is one of the best videos.
Comanche made arrows from oak barrel stays. The barrel hoops were easy to cut and sharpen. I still make them using barrel hoops that I find in the desert. sharp as razors.