The bow and arrow in South America

Abstract

The bow and arrow is a crucial component of Homo sapiens’ material culture. In South America, data on the bow and arrow are widely scattered, which motived this comprehensive compilation of archaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic information. For millennia prior to the bow's first appearance, hunters relied on the spearthrower. In the Andes around 1650 BCE (3600 BP), knappers began making much smaller projectile points, but it is unclear whether they were for bows. Later, evidence for bow use is strong and widespread: very small lithic points (∼1 cm wide), preserved bows and arrows, and iconography. This evidence is concentrated in two spans: 1) the Middle Horizon (600–1000 CE or 1350–950 BP) and 2) the Late Intermediate, Inca, and early Colonial Periods, when continental trends in demography and conflict peaked (1200–1620 CE or 750–330 BP). Ethnographers have documented bow-using groups in all ecoregions around the continent. They have shown that the bow is deeply integrated into masculine identities. Finally, the interplay of this information informs a critical review of current issues. We identify promising avenues for future research, for example, how to improve metric comparisons and whether the bow's prevalence derives from continental-scale cultural transmission or independent invention.