Occasional reports of palm-stem bows surface, especially by the Cahuilla Indians of present Palm Springs, California. For example: 

" The University collections however contain one made of harder wood, perhaps mesquite, and another made from the stem of a palm leaf. "  https://www.sacred- texts.com/nam/ca/eci/eci07.htmProper

bows from palm stems seem unlikely, but worth a try. This bow is 40" long, taken from the straight, clear portion of 7-foot  palm stem. It draws 20lbs at 19". No war bow but it spits light arrows well. With a bird-pointed 300-grain arrow it would keep stomachs full with rabbit-sized game. A half hour with stone tools would buy one.

The stem is stiffer at one end than the other so asymmetrical tiller results. Conventional tiller could be induced by narrowing the bow's stiff end but draw weight would drop. Gripped low, as with the Japanese Yumi, it shoots true.

A crude tree branch, broken free and braced, would have greater cast. But if you're living in a treeless desert, held there by the only water, it surrounded by palms, small varmints always out of reach, you might have an idea one morning.

You really think outside the box Tim, good stuff!

Why did I immediately think "Tim Baker" when I saw the title?

Thanks for another interesting archery story.

I would imagine they used them, I hunted with a 20# when I was a kid and it would kill rabbits.

I have to wonder about that , guess in a pinch but in the class on took on CA. Indians I saw no reference to Palm. Actually the only native Palms to CA. are in the Palm Desert park in Anzio Borego area. Making a bow from Palm would have been a great class project because our teacher was into archery as well. He kept after me about making a bow from Mesquite but I have no experience at it.

The Cahuilla Indians would have used Washingtonia filifers palms, native to their range, including the southern Mojave desert.   It's stems are far longer than those this test bow was made from, one of the forest of LA palms long ago imported from Mexico.  The Cahuilla palm bow would have been heavier than this version. filifera has also been widely planted in the LA area; I'll try to locate a long-stemmed specimen and see what the Cahuilla might have done with it, bow wise.

From google:  Washingtonia filifera... The fronds are up to 4 m (13 ft) long, made up of a petiole up to 2 m (6.6 ft) long, bearing a fan of leaflets 1.5–2.0 m (4.9–6.6 ft) long. ... is the only palm native to the Western United States  ---  Primary populations are found in desert riparian habitats at spring-fed and stream-fed oases ... at a few scattered locations in the Mojave Desert. [12]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_filifera

no idea what kind of a bow it would make-but that is some tough stuff

Tim I love your historical and creative mind and craftsmanship!

Another great story from Tim, thanks for posting.

Video of a cool guy making a palm stem bow. The stem longer and thicker than my above version, his bow seeming to have considerably higher poundage and longer draw.  Wish I knew the location and the palm species.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWBzDV-OfqM

Cool and he’s young!!!!

Interesting.

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