Editing Composite bow (section)

==Analogous New World bows, modern replicas, alternative materials==

===American sinew-backed bows===
When Europeans first contacted Native Americans, some bows, especially in the area that became California, already had sinew backing. After the introduction of domesticated horses, newly mounted groups rapidly developed shorter bows, which were often given sinew backing. The full three-layer composite bow with horn, wood, and sinew does not seem to be recorded in the Americas, and horn bows with sinew backing are not recorded before European contact.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Indian Archery |last=Laubin |first=Reginald |author2=Gladys Laubin |year=1980 |publisher=University of Oklahoma |isbn=978-0-8061-1467-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/americanindianar00regi }}</ref>

===Replicas made with modern materials===
Modern replicas of traditional composite bows are commercially available; they are usually made with fibreglass or carbon on both belly and back, easier to mass-produce and easier to take care of than traditional composite bows.

Other less satisfactory materials than horn have been used for the belly of the bow (the part facing the archer when shooting), including bone, antler, or compression-resistant woods such as [[Osage-orange|osage orange]], [[hornbeam]], or [[Taxus|yew]]. Materials that are strong under tension, such as [[silk]], or tough wood, like [[hickory]], have been used on the back of the bow (the part facing away from the archer when shooting).<ref name=TBB/>