The Tonkawa people used bows and arrows, hide armor, and clubs or knives in battle. Their bows were made of red cedar wood and sinew with arrowheads of shell, flint, or glass. Hide helmets, jackets and shields provided armor. War clubs were used for close combat, made of ironwood, while knives, tomahawks and lances were also close-range weapons for throwing or stabbing. While bows and arrows had long range, clubs and knives were more lethal at close range.

2. BOW AND ARROWS The bow and arrow was a key weapon to Tonkawa hunting, fighting, and warfare. The bow’s string was made from bison sinew and the handle was made from red cedar wood and buffalo hide. The arrow was made from wood, “poisoned” with mistletoe leaf juice with arrow head tips carved to a point from shell, flint, garfish scales, and later glass and metal. The bow and arrow was one of the more dangerous weapons of the Tonkawa's, and gave the advantage of long range.

3. HIDE ARMOUR The Tonkawa's used buffalo hide for several different kinds of defensive armor. Hide helmets, jackets, and shields were worn during combat to provide extra protection to their bodies.

4. WAR CLUBS AND KNIVES The Tonkawa's used different hand-held weapons such as clubs, lances, tomahawks, and long double edged knives during close combat. Clubs were made from ironwood and used to brutally hit the opponent. A lance is a weapon (a lot like a spear) that can be thrown, or used to stab an opponent on the move. A tomahawk is similar to an axe, with a wooden handle and a pointed stone head that is thrown to kill a target. Long double edged knives are used precisely to throw and kill a target. Although these weapons were close range, they were more lethal than the bow and arrow.

5. BIBILIOGRAPHY http://www.bigorrin.org/tonkawa_kids.htm http://www.tonkawatribe.com/culture/habit.htm http://books.google.com/books