In the book "American Indian Archery", the author first goes over the his opinion on the quality of bows based on their location and who made the bows. He notes that Polynesians had wood that could be used for decent bows, but Polynesian warfare was heavily influenced by the gathering of "Mana". Mana is getting honor in warfare through courage, risks, etc. Shooting your enemies from afar with a bow isn't very courageous or risky.