NELSON] MATS, BASKETS, AND BAGS 203 
these mats and watched the process she employed. A set of three or 
four straws were twisted and the ends turned in, forming a strand, a 
number of which were arranged side by side with their ends fastened 
along a stick, forming one end-of the mat and hanging down for the 
warp. Another strand was then used as a woof. By a deft twist of 
the fingers it was carried from one side to the other, passing above and 
below the strands of the warp; then the woof strand was passed 
around the outer strand of the warp and turned to repeat the operation. 
The strands were made continuous by adding straws as necessary, and 
with each motion the strands were twisted a little so as to keep them 
firmly together. By this simple method a variety of patterns are 
produced. 
Tigure 15, plate Lxxrv, illustrates a common sleeping mat of the 
kind used by the Eskimo from Kotzebue sound to the Kuskokwim. It 
was obtained on Norton sound. The size of these mats varies; the 
example shown is 4 feet long by 33 wide, but they are sometimes made 
twice this size. 
A toy grass mat, made for use with a doll (figure 8, plate Lxxrv), is 
also from Norton sound. It is woven in the same way as the larger 
mats, except that the warp is twisted at intervals and the strands 
are crossed, thus producing small quadrate openings in the pattern. 
In making grass bags, they are started from a point at the bottom, 
where the strands of the warp, consisting of two or more grass stems, 
are fastened together and extend vertically downward. The woof is 
formed by a double strand of grass which is twisted about itself with 
the strands of the warp inclosed in the turns; both are continually 
twisted as the weaving progresses. In coarsely made bags, the strands 
of the woof are spaced from an inch to two inches apart, and those of 
the warp at intervals of from a quarter to half an inch. These bags 
have a conical bottom, which slopes from the center to the sides. At 
the mouth the ends of the warp are braided to form a continuous edge, 
Figure 14, piate Lxxrv, represents one of these loosely woven bags 
from Norton sound. These bags, when used for storing fish, sometimes 
contain from 50 to 100 pounds, which is frozen into a solid mass and 
packed away in storehouses for use during the months when fresh food 
can not be obtained. The contents become so thoroughly frozen by the 
intense cold of winter that when required for use the mass has to be 
separated by use of wedges and mauls. 
Another bag from Norton sound (figure 11, plate LXx1v) is similar to 
the preceding, except that the bottom has a long, narrow base instead 
of ending in a point. Along the mouth the strands of the warp are 
brought together in little braids about an inch and a half in length, 
Spaced at intervals of about half an inch and merged into a thick, 
braided border, which forms the rim. The weaving is done as in the 
Specimen last described, except that the warp consists of two grass 
stems, extending down the sides to the bottom, without being twisted. 
