Native American Indian Boy Shooting Fish, 1853
An Indian boy shooting fish, Great Lakes region. Drawing by S. Eastman, engraving by C.K. Burt from The American Aboriginal Portfolio, 1853. Fishing and hunting were important activities for the Native Americans who relied heavily on the meat of wild animals and fowl, and on fish, for their food. The early bow and arrows were made from the wood of various trees like cherry, ash, cedar, oak, hickory and any other wood available at the time. For the string portion of the bows, tendons, stomach lining or rawhide from animals were primarily used. For the arrow tips, there was a wide variety of materials used. Flint was a popular material as was animal bone, wood and stone. Each type of tip was constructed differently based on what was being hunted and killed. There were harpoon-like arrow tips for fishing and large blunted models for small game and birds
