20 



PREHISTORIC TEXTILE ART. 



I ETH. ANN. 13 



The use of mats in the mound country in very early times is described 

 by Joutel as follows : 



Their moveables are some bullocks' hides and goat skins well cured, some mats close 

 wove, wherewith they adorn their huts, and some earthen vessels which they are 

 very skilful at making, and wherein they boil their flesh or roots, or sagamis^, 

 which, as has been said, is their pottage. They have also some small baskets made 

 of canes, serving to put in their fruit and other provisions. Their beds are made of 

 canes, raised 2 or 3 feet above the ground, handsomely fitted with mats and bullocks' 

 hides, or goat skins well cured, which serve them for feather beds, or quilts and 

 blankets; and those beds are parted one from another by mats hung up.- 



The mats so much used for beds and carpets and for the covering of 

 shelters, houses, etc., were probably made of pliable materials such as 

 rushes. De la Potherie illustrates their use as beds,' one end of the 

 mat being rolled up for a pillow as shown in figure 3. 



Fig. 3 — Tse of mat in sleeping (after De la Poiliene). 



The sizes of mats were greatly varied; the smallest were sufficient 

 for seating only a single i)erson, but the largest were many yards in 

 length, the width being restricted to a few feet by the conditions of 

 construction. 



Mats were woven in two or more styles. Where the strands or parts 

 were uniform in size and rigidity they were simply Interlaced, but when 

 one strong or rigid series was to be kept in place by a pliable series, the 

 latter were twisted about the former at the intersections as in ordinary 

 twined weaving. The heavy series of strands or parts were held 

 together side by side by the intertwined strands placed far apart, a 

 common practice yet among native mat-makers. Much variety of 

 character and appearance was given to the fabric by varying the order 

 of the strands in intersection. It was a common practice to interweave 

 strands of ditt'ereut size, shape, or color, thus producing borders and 

 patterns of no little beauty. Du Pratz thus mentions the use of dyes 

 by the Louisiana Indians: "The women sometimes add to this furni- 

 ture of the bed mats woven of cane, dyed of 3 colours, which colours in 

 the weaving are formed into various figures."' This is well illustrated 



' Hist, de r Araer. Sei>t.., Bacqueville de la Potherie. Paris, 1722, vol. ill. Plate opj>08ite \t. 24. 

 ^Joutel. in B. F. French's Historical Collections of Louisiana. New York, 1846, p. 149. 

 ^ Hist. Louisiana. Du Pratz. English translation. London. 1763, vol. ll, p. 227. 



