Native American Horn Bow

I am 78.5 years old and this film was one of the most amazing things of patience and craftsmanship I have ever witnessed.I just by accident happened upon this and it was a blessing.

I’m 59 years old, and a Blackfoot Indian. My dad taught me a lot, but this is great. Such patience and artistry.

This is by far the best bow making video on the internet. It's awesome to see someone make something exactly the way it was made hundreds of years ago. Good job dude 🤙

I have been friends with Tom Lucas, a local artist that has researched the Horn bows of the local Native Americans, here in Wyoming, USA, for many years. He is the first, as far as I know to really successfully make a Horn Bow as they did thousands of years ago. Although, he uses modern tools. It is good to see that you used no modern tools to complete the bow ans arrows! Your video is a realistic representation of how it was done, without any modern tools when these bows were so prized for their accuracy and strength! I applaud your efforts and am glad to see the wonderful outcome from all your work! Best wishes for continued success!

Best ancient craft video I’ve ever seen. Not just informational, but shows nature in a way that makes us feel like we’re there with you. Great job, molodets

That `s by far the best documentation of making a native american horn bow the primitive way on the entire internet. You really have done a awesome job.

This is incredibly cool. It really gives you an appreciation for the ingenuity, care, and craftsmanship that goes into making a bow the way people once did. Respect for keeping the craft alive and sharing it with this excellent video.

Fascinating story told without a single word or a tone of music that captures the spirit of ancient bow making technology with a depth no standard documentary can hope to match. I love the background of the changing seasons.

I vote for best ancient technologies documentary series award. Bulgaria should be proud of ya!!! that free spirit of you is absolutely seductive.

Never seen anything like it. That was an incredible education. The most stressful part watching was when strapping in for final bending for recurve after days or weeks of working on it. What an amazing piece of work.

Dear Stiliyan...As many here have praised you for this wonderful film, I am no different, and offer the same gratitude for your fine efforts. I am so pleased that others are keeping these old ways alive and you Sir, have honored them well. I imagine that many watching this video thought you had hidden yourself away someplace in the South Western parts of North America to make this marvelous film, but when I saw the small bird in the tree that looked like a Carpathian Nuthatch and then the Horned Viper, I knew you had found your own special spot someplace near you own home in Bulgaria...You have done a wonderful job with this film Stiliyan...!!! Blessings to you for that...

Вот это работа🤦‍♂️сколько же труда и сил вложено в этот лук💪уважение вам🙏здоровья терпения и сил🙏🇷🇺🤞

That bow is essentially priceless. This film belongs in an archive.

Beautiful and no hurrying this process. Thank you.

This is genius! Just amazing what the ancients knew! Such wisdom must not be lost!

No intro, no music, no blabla. Love it. Thumb up.

The BEST video I have ever seen! I used to start fires in the dark inside my various tipis with my bow and drill kit. Later I switched to quartz and iron. When he began to spin the drill I actually seemed to smell that smoke. Super happy not to have loud music and constant chatter. Thank you so much. And your cinematography was fantastic! You are a genius! I have done archery since I was 5 yrs old (65yrs). I knap blades and make self bows and choke cherry shoot arrows in the same way, but I never knew you could make a horn bow without laminating it to wood. Thanks again and my hat is off to you! Awesome and inspiring!

Totally incredible sir. Your skill and love for the ancient craft and the outdoors is unrivaled. This could be the best video ive ever seen on the youtube, peace brother.

wow that is so cool i didnt know you could make a bow out of ram horns thats awesome !

I keep coming back to watch this again and again. Amazing bow skill.

Man that was probably one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen. Thank you for taking the time to build this. Absolutely amazing!! Great work.

I loved this with everything. Thank you for all the time and work you put in. I’ve made several wood bows but never horn and this was an inspiration. Thank you again.

This is amazing, the amount of patience just to make the fire alone must be gargantuan...

I have watched this video and all others countless times. It never ceases to draw me in and give me more knowledge on how to create one of these fine pieces of history. Stiliyan my dear friend, thank you ever so much.. keep it up, you are such an inspiration.😊🍃🍂

I always knew there would be a lot of work involved in making a bow and arrow by hand but my gods, that's a ludicrous amount of time and effort to make a bow and arrow. I'd shed a tear if i ever had to shoot the arrow just in case it got lost/broken.....

Stiliyan, your knowledge and skills are outstanding. Thank you.

And this is how was made a huge improvement in the bow making process, and was for sure the beginning for a compound bow. Excellent job and dedication.!!

You, sir, are an artist and a craftsman. Your eye behind the camera is evident, too. Thank you for sharing these pieces of work with us...and I got the shooting the arrow to the sun reference, at the end! From New England, USA.

I'm really very impressed with what can be done without using metal tools. Congratulations

Simply undeniably and expertly incredible!

If you consider how much time, work, know-how and dedication went into this bow, it's beyond price. Very nice, hypnotic video, great shots and an even nicer end result.

Wonderful. This is much better than reading all the books offered to make horn bows. I´ve chosen you to be my teacher 🙂

Not only is the methodology clearly delineated, the product impressive, but I love your Capote, truly a work of art!!

Respect Stiliyan Stefanov for your life choices and thank ou for the amazing video!

The content of this video is so amazing you almost forget how absurdly well done is the acting, directing and filming.

Makes you have a whole new appreciation for our ancient ancestors, doesn't it?

This was an amazing documentation of making a horn bow. I loved every minute of it! Man that would be awesome to make. I am still in awe on how well you did. Great job man.

Something to sit the children down with for a quiet time of introspection, wonder and curiosity.

I loved your video. Sat in the sunshine outside and watched the entire thing. It was a welcome change of pace and very educational. I’m amazed at the amount of effort that went into crafting weapons back then. They must have been highly treasured items.

This shouldd be a full length film, no music, just nature. THis is phenomenal

the whole length of this video is captivating, very good job indeed, and an impressive skill set to carry this out, congrats!

Thank you very much for going through the pains to recreate this work of art. Amazing how you can educate and entertain without saying a word! I very much appreciate your efforts and love for the details in this craft. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Germany.

This was one off the best bow making videos I have watched it was so peaceful the whole thing was set against the change of the seasons even being set in your mountains was wonderful I would love to be able too make this bow . Long life you stilliyan

He made it look so easy, but we all agree it isn't. Also, the quality of the focus, no interruprion when at task, no distraction...no texting, just focus on the task in hand. Fabulous!

Fantastic, and the result is more than just a tool, it's a tool with its own spirit, priceless.

WONDERFUL journal of your creation. You've done far far more than merely "make a video" - you've made history. Well done you.

Great job sir! The whole video was a real treat to watch. Thank you for sharing it!

The first man that had the idea to make bow outta horns is a genius!

Amazing skills sir. A great pleasure to watch you work in such a traditional way. Thank you.

Absolutely fantastic, the best bow making I've ever seen

dude what a video..... got nothing but pure admiration for your craft. this might be the best bowmaking video I´ve seen...

Incredible! Speechless! I’ve wanted a bow like that my whole life

Simply amazing, it was a true look back in time.

This is the best documentary on traditional bow making I've ever seen!

knowing how they made sinew backed horn bows does not give you ANY idea of the time, skill, effort, and spirit needed to make one ... there is good reason the horn bow was regarded as a sacred thing ... thank you for showing us the skill and respect needed to make one , truly remarkable

Second time I have watched this now , never gets boring.... great skills and thank you for sharing this with us 🤙🇦🇺

EXCELLENT !!! Absolute BEST I've ever seen with Primitive Tools Only!

This is just mesmerising to observe! Your people have my outmost respect! There is so much knowledge lost in the mist of time....

A great video making. I appreciate you setting your tripod for every scene, making a sharp, shake-free recording, and choosing great scenery. It's great that there's no pointless narration or music. Great ambience sounds. Your skill, knowledge of ancient art, your determination is commendable. Using tools that Nature provides. Rose-hip tea...

Absolutely brilliant. Thank You for the time I was watching this amazing piece of Your life You shared with us... Perfectly done...

ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING! You Sir are truly a Master Bowyer! I tip my hat to you! Magnificent accomplishment with primitive tools no less! BRAVO BROVO BROVO!

Beauty, I won't doubt it really launched that shaft. Your attention to detail is magnificent, well done.

It's wonderful thinking of the decades/centuries of experimenting, "prototypes", and trial and error that went into the developing of this, and other bow types around the world based upon whatever natural resources a "craftsman" had available. Great video

what an amazing talent, and patience.. most don't stop and realize just how made we have it nowadays, thanks for the great video

Amazing! It’s my goal to make one of these sheep horn bows some day! Well done!

What a video - I echo so many comments below, one of the best examples of primitive tools at work and possibly the best bow creation video ever.

Incredible craftsmanship of this bow and arrows! Stepped accidentally over this wonderfully filmed documentary and didn't feel bored for a second. Actually only now realized that it was almost an hour 👏👏👏👌😎🙏!!!

A wonderful movie. Good to see patience can still be mediated by camera. Minute 52 had me on edge!

I’ve been looking at many bow making vids, I want to make my own, but THIS.......I’m speechless

Great video as always, hope to see more video in the future. Like Bulgarian horn bow part 2, in case this is not the continuation ? Great work on the bow by the way 👍

With your work, the work of the Stone Age has been perfectly reproduced, which is really wonderful.

That Sir ,,was a privilege to behold! Thanks for the share.

Incredible. Thank you, from Coquitlam, B.C., Canada.

This is a truly amazing video - both art and functionality. I hope it might be an entry to the Banff Festival of Mountain Films. If it is not, it should be. Thank you so much for making this!

this was the shortest 57 minutes ever.. i can watch this all day

Compact. Powerful. Deadly. And Primitive. You should be so proud of yourself, I know without any doubt that the ancients smile watching you build this piece of art. I’ve been building sinew backed bows as well as self bows for 13 years and I always joke with other bowyers that my ultimate goal is to build a true composite bow, just like you did. I have three stone tool made bows under my belt, but not a horn bow. Great job.

Just goes to show .... Your best , and sharpest instrument is your intelligence . To create a thing of awesome beauty , is an awesome thing of beauty itself.

Oh man you did one hell of an awesome job that took a lot of skill and patience your a true master I'd love to have one of those good job

DEFINITELY... A REAL MAN!!! PRICELESS ART WORK!!! I HAVE NO WORDS FOR YOUR PASSION AND PURE DISCIPLINE!!! I AM AMAZED!!! 👏👏👏👏👏

Back in the day my passion was for returning and relearning the old ways of survival and living. I have never made a rams horn bow... Really nice work. But I am looking at a bow I made from Hophornbeam back in the 70's. Thanks for your dedication and for sharing your talents and knowledge. Very highly appreciated.

As an boyer myself (Osage selfbows) I am truly impressed with the authenticity and abo methods. I saw an original such a bow in the Bridger museum and yours is correct and masterfully done. The people of the sheep would be well fed.

I'd love to make one. You have an amazing skill!

This is absolutely brilliant, to watch this video for so long and see the old traditional way of crafting a bow, and what a wonderful bow at the end, what more can I say but Brilliant

This channel is so underrated he did every by hand I would love to buy one of his bow good job buddy ✊🏻✊🏻👍👍👍👍

Good job, i’ve always wanted to make one of those type of corn bows, i’ve only made them out of water buffalo horn, and I didn’t use all traditional methods, but I know how Time consuming it is to put layers of sinew bending tailoring and all the stuff involved, good job on the video too. It’s a lot of work to make them even with modern tools. I’ve never made is a traditional sinew string. That bow turned out really pretty

pretty cool how you showed the steps with stone and primitive tools. imagine doing that back in the day. the amount of time and work that went into this art.

This is one of the unique videos of youtube with none or barely none bad comments in it. (The rest are all buckethead songs). Outstanding work, i love it.

As an arrowhead collector, I finally learned how the grooved stone arrow shaft straighteners were used. Great job and example of self reliance.

Looks identical to some of the old Crow/Shoshone horn bows!

Thank you very much for sharing. Your work is very interesting and precious. I like to work with hand tools in nature. Greetings from Spain

love this slow tv and your filming! (and your skills!!)

I hope this kind of craftmenship can live on in modern times because no 3d printer is gonna make that beauty.

Very, very well done. Inspiring, beautiful colours, camarawork and compositions. Forwarding the patience, knowledge, versatility, experience and perseverance you need to be able to produce tools with ancient techniques. Thank you for sharing and thank you for your huge amount of your time this documentary must have taken.

Truly astounding! I have been searching for some time trying to find some of native methods of the elders but never had any real hope to find the actual secret of the real native bow makers still alive. A truly humbling experiance to see, thank you so very much for sharing.You sir are a master

That was an amazing video. The bow is really impressive all by itself but there was demonstrated many disciplines in addition to the making of the bow including the videography. Not a word spoken and yet a compelling and mesmerizing story was told keeping me engaged for the entirety of the movie.

Good job! I made my first one 6 years ago. I found a piece of of one here in Colorado. That's when I began to look into them. After seeing an original at the Smithsonian and one in pinedale Wyoming at the mountain Man museum that is when I began making mine. It took me 6 months to complete. Think about making a bow saw. The sinew string would be soaked in crushed quartz rock with hide glue. This the first peoples also used. on my bow I did it the way that you tan Shoshone did by drilling out the two limbs at the handle and placing hardwood in the holes as pegs. Then wrapping that with hide glue and sinew wrapped with a brain tan. The backing of the limbs was with sinew and with a snake skin. I would send a picture if I knew how to do that on here. The boat ended up being 38" in length 55lb draw, 23" draw length shooting 28" arrows.

Just so great. Real genius. How did you figure all these steps and procedures out? Gives me respect for the elders. Thank you.

There are so many gaps and no explanation for the some of material? I’m so grateful for the video

This is good stuff! Thanks for making this video, sir!

Zero iron tools.....amazing job!