Hello.  My name is Joe Darnell and I am a bowyer and owner of Tanasi Bows.  I have always been interested in the primitive and traditional way of life.  Over the years, I have enjoyed basically anything that would get me out into the woods to connect with nature.  I enjoy flint knapping points and blades, making cane arrows and quivers, hunting edible mushrooms, harvesting and eating wild foods, etc.  But nothing quieted the call of my Native American ancestory as much as building traditional bows, and this quickly became my passion.

Mastering the art of building traditional bows is a long, learn as you go process, that includes finding out as much about yourself as you do the wood that you are working with.  Every type of wood has its own personality, expectations, and limitations.  Part of the fufillment of building bows is when you learn the personality of the wood, and you learn to work in tune with it to produce a beautiful, functional work of art.

In this fast-paced world, nothing satisfies me more than taking the path that my Cherokee ancestors took years ago - taking my hand-made bow, arrows, and quiver, and retreating to the solitude of the woods.  It's the simplicity of you, the bow, and the arrow, all working as one.

My family