Yahi Archery

While the English were familiar with archery as a sporting event and the bow and arrow as suitable tools for hunting, Native Americans relied on archery for survival possibly since the first tribes were formed, as far as historians can tell. Fashioning arrowheads from stone and bows from bone, horns, wood and animal sinew, the Native Americans killed animals for food and clothing and protected their tribes from attacking enemies with archery. Once the Native Americans gained access to horses, they became extremely adept at archery on horseback. Just as it was for Mongol troops and other Asian armies, this skill was highly effective in wartime situations. Passing the techniques on to young male warriors, archery became a valuable skill in almost every tribe in the Americas and especially amongst the Yahi people. Particularly adept in archery, the Yahi became known for their beautiful bows. Ishi, the last of the Yahi Indians, taught Saxton Pope, a professor, how to make arrows and bows like his tribesmen and how to effectively hunt with them. Pope, having learned from one of the greatest marksmen in history, went on to be considered the “father of modern bow hunting.”