Self-bows were traditionally used in the Arctic, and while they could theoretically be made from a single piece of wood, the resource was typically scarce, therefore they were often made from numerous pieces of wood and horn held together by elaborate tangles of sinew.

Shorter and more sophisticated sinew-backed bows, including recurve and decurve designs, were developed in the southern portions of North America using indigenous woods such as hickory, ash, Osage, and black locust.

When the horse was imported to North America in the 1500s, a tradition of mounted archery arose, and it became a totemic icon of the continent until firearms became commonplace.