@@gustohislop128 I believe they originally came from people that had short straight self bows and when they gained too much string follow, they fixed them by bending the handles back, and it caught on. There's other stuff at play though. The Lakota for example believed that bows were a gift from the Thunder Beings and arrows from another powerful entity. The different shapes of bows held certain significance; straight bows, gullwings, and the rarer 5 bend bows (Cupid's shaped bows). Then we can get into Medicine Bows which held certain powers and meant different things to different tribes, one being they were made from a certain tree that was used as an actual cure for something. Is there an actual advantage mechanically? I believe so; they seem to be more stable to a small degree in having limbs that stay balanced in tiller. I also find, and wow, I've made so many gullwings I can't remember a fraction of them, they're also waaaay more forgiving than straight bows in tillering. Speed wise, I don't see any difference.
That's a good looking bow, John. I think you captured the look and feel of the Native bow.
@@estelpereira5011 Little by little, I'm gaining an understanding. It's like learning a new language.
@@johnjriggsarchery2457 Exactly, well said. And thank you again for the lessons.
Great video !! Thanks John 👍
@@Jimpotts Howdy Jim! Thank you.
John what was the advantage of a gull wing design and why was it used versus having a short straight stave bend through the handle?
@@gustohislop128 I believe they originally came from people that had short straight self bows and when they gained too much string follow, they fixed them by bending the handles back, and it caught on. There's other stuff at play though. The Lakota for example believed that bows were a gift from the Thunder Beings and arrows from another powerful entity. The different shapes of bows held certain significance; straight bows, gullwings, and the rarer 5 bend bows (Cupid's shaped bows). Then we can get into Medicine Bows which held certain powers and meant different things to different tribes, one being they were made from a certain tree that was used as an actual cure for something. Is there an actual advantage mechanically? I believe so; they seem to be more stable to a small degree in having limbs that stay balanced in tiller. I also find, and wow, I've made so many gullwings I can't remember a fraction of them, they're also waaaay more forgiving than straight bows in tillering. Speed wise, I don't see any difference.