 Though it has its distinctive features (a gun barrel-like "roof" made from bark), it shares the basics with its European and Asian cousins.Ordinary bow lashed to the tiller, a flight groove in the front half of the tiller, a simpler thumb-lever trigger without the need of a crossbow nut, a "threshold" element on the stock to hold the bowstring spanned until you raise the lever (it replaces the function of the nut).The similarities between these European and African crossbows also include performance characteristics.