Replica Cheyenne Arrow (SOLD)

Here's a stunning replica Cheyenne arrow that's an exact copy of one I examined in the Smithsonian this past summer. This is one of a set of 15 and it's as close as you can get to the real thing.  The shape of the nocks, the way the sinew wrappings are done, how the feathers are trimmed, the style of the point....it's all EXACTLY like the original.  Imagine a dozen warriors galloping on horseback straight at you, each one with a quiver of 20 of these arrows being launched at you from 50-lb bows.  It must have been a terrifying sight to those who witnessed such a scene and knew their last moments on earth would be them impaled by arrows identical to this one.    

This arrow is made from a dogwood shoot and it's perfectly straight.  The fletch is a mix of turkey wing and tail feathers, just like the original.  There are subtle details in this arrow that most wouldn't even notice...that's why looking at the original artifacts is so important.  For example, the front web of the feathers weren't trimmed to where the forward sinew wrappings started. Instead, the web of the feathers were left longer and the sinew wrapped over the excess feather and folded it down.  The rear of the feathers were left long, creating pretty "tails" that extended all the way to the nock.  Another detail is that the nocks weren't flared or raised like many Sioux arrows.  The very ends of the nocks were diamond shaped, and these are all details that I paid special attention to when making this arrow.  The point was made from a circular saw blade (which matched the original in thickness) that I carefully ground and shaped to match the long, lean profile of the original. The shaft has three slightly wavy straightening grooves, and it's finished with brownish orange paint under the feathers, on the forward fletch wraps, and the wraps securing the point.  All wrappings are real deer sinew and the fletch is glued to the shaft with hide glue, just like the one I examined.  I worked on this arrow until it was completed at 3 a.m.  Call me crazy, but it's a labor of love.  Once I had the momentum going I wasn't about to go to bed until this one was done...and done right.  The results were well worth it. Give this arrow 100 years and you wouldn't be able to tell it from the originals I copied.   

Honestly I don't think the photos do this arrow justice.  When you see it in person it just looks MEAN. But as you scroll though the pictures you may wonder just how deadly this arrow might have been.  The last picture is a grim reminder of what these arrows are capable of.  But be prepared, it's graphic.  It's a photo of a U.S. cavalryman, Fredrick Wyllyams, who was killed in June, 1867 in a battle with Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux warriors.  His body was stripped naked, his body was mutilated with deep slashes to his thighs, abdomen, and throat, and five arrows are left stuck in his body.  Many Plains tribes mutilated the bodies of their enemies after killing them because they believed that's how they would enter the afterlife, and would be unable to harm them again.  The arrows stuck in the soldier's body are strikingly similar to the one offered here. How's that for owning a piece of history?      

Arrow length: 25 1/4 inches.

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