Annual report of the Bureau of ethnology to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution .. . llj The use of mats in the mound country in very early times is describedby Joutel as follows: Their moveables are some bullocks bides and goat skins well cured, some mats closewove, wherewith they adorn their huts, and some earthen vessels which they arevery skilful at making, and wherein they boil their flesh or roots, or sagamis6,which, as has been said, is their pottage. They have also some small baskets madeof caues, serving to put in their fruit and other provisions. Their beds are made ofcanes,
Annual report of the Bureau of ethnology to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution .. . llj The use of mats in the mound country in very early times is describedby Joutel as follows: Their moveables are some bullocks bides and goat skins well cured, some mats closewove, wherewith they adorn their huts, and some earthen vessels which they arevery skilful at making, and wherein they boil their flesh or roots, or sagamis6,which, as has been said, is their pottage. They have also some small baskets madeof caues, serving to put in their fruit and other provisions. Their beds are made ofcanes, raised 2 or 3 feet above the ground, handsomely fitted with mats and bullockshides, or goat skins well cured, which serve them for feather beds, or quilts andblankets; and tliose beds are parted one from another by mats hung The mats so much used for beds and carpets and for the covering ofshelters, houses, etc., were probably made of pliable materials such asrushes. De la Potherie illustrates their use as beds,1 oue end of themat being rolled up for a pillow as shown in figure Fig. 3 —Use of mat in sleeping (after De la Potherie). The sizes of mats were greatly varied; the smallest were sufficientfor seating only a single person, but the largest were many yards inlength, the width being restricted to a few feet by the conditions ofconstructiou. Mats were woven in two or more styles. Where the strands or partswere uniform in size and rigidity they were simply interlaced, but whenone strong or rigid series was to be kept in place by a pliable series, thelatter were twisted about the former at the intersections as in ordinarytwined weaving. The heavy series of strands or parts were heldtogether side by side by the intertwined strands placed far apart, acommon practice yet among native mat-makers. Much variety ofcharacter and appearance was given to the fabric by varying the orderof the strands in intersection. It was a common practice to interweavestrands of different
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherwashi, bookyear1896
