Bow & Arrow Workshops

The bow and arrow is a symbol of primal adventure. It is a hunting tool, a weapon of war and protection, and is used for sport in archery competitions. The oldest known bow was found in a cave in Denmark and is carbon-dated to 9,000 BCE. Humans have been using bows and arrows for at least 10,000 years. We are excited to offer classes on this ancient art.


Bow Making Class

Four days over two weekends, July 17, 18, 24, 25|| 9am–5pm
@ Green Anchors || 8940 N. Bradford St. Portland, OR
$550 || 5 student limit

Make a bow with guest instructor Joshua Hood Marvin of Modoc Bows! Modoc Bows harvests wood to produce custom bows, teaching how bows are made from an indigenous perspective. Our attitude is that of gratitude and acknowledging the life force that has been taken to produce a hunting tool. All bows are made with hand tools such as hatchets, draw knives, rasps and lots of sandpaper. This provides a connection to individual pieces of wood as each bow is created at its own pace. Power tools (like electric planers and sand belts) are disconnected from the spirit of the wood. There are no cutting corners here. Most people are looking for community and a shared experience rather than novelty. This is true to the experience you will find when you commit to a class with Josh.

Joshua Hood Marvin has been teaching archery for over 13 years and has led bow making workshops for 6 years for multiple organizations as well as one-on-one. He is a certified level 2 archery coach through USA archery. Currently he is employed through the Native American Youth and Family center in Portland, Oregon as a youth advocate to support and encourage indigenous students to graduate from school. Josh connects them to culture through traditional skills, native gatherings, and healthy life choices. He created Modoc Bows in order to teach bow-making from an indigenous perspective.

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More About Modoc Bows

“MODOC Bows has a vision. The five-year plan is to acquire a large enough vehicle to travel and transport bow making materials and archery equipment to Native American Reservations all over the United States and into South America and Canada. Myself and Grey Cowan, would provide free skills to indigenous communities to reclaim our power through traditional skills. Thus, building awareness and preserving cultures. Every Native person has the right to learn to make a bow. Currently it feels like people must pay a fortune for knowledge that has been taken away from Native communities through assimilation. Funding for Modoc Bows to teach free classes will come through grants, donations, fundraisers, and meeting with the tribes who are willing to provide assistance over the next five years.” – Joshua Hood Marvin

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Intro to Flintknapping

Class on Hold

Flintknapping is the art of chipping stones into arrowheads and other stone tools. This class will focus on making arrowheads, one of the most attractive stone tools. These days, flintknapped arrowheads may be more practical as earrings than they are for hunters who have access to steel. Still, there is something to be said for making the tools yourself. At our class we will learn to knap or “pressure flake” functional arrowheads out of obsidian harvested from Glass Buttes, Oregon.


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Arrow Making

Class on Hold

Learn the art of taking a straight stick and hafting an arrowhead to the front and feather fletching to the back! Also learn a few quick tips for making quickie arrows out of not-so-natural materials. Students take home a finished arrow. Class will take place in North Portland.