Produced by Carlo Traverso, Turgut Dincer, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr) PREHISTORIC TEXTILE ART OF EASTERN UNITED STATES BY WILLIAM HENRY HOLMES CONTENTS Page Introductory 9 Scope of the work 9 Definition of the art 10 Materials and processes 10 Sources of information 11 Products of the art 13 Wattle work 13 Basketry 15 Types of basketry 15 Baskets 15 Sieves and strainers 17 Cradles 18 Shields 18 Matting 18 Pliable fabrics 21 Development of spinning and weaving 21 Cloths 22 Nets 26 Feather-work 27 Embroidery 28 Fossil fabrics 28 Modes of preservation 28 Fabrics from caves and shelters 29 Charred remains of fabrics from mounds 35 Fabrics preserved by contact with copper 36 Fabrics impressed on pottery 37 INDEX ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE I. Products of the textile art: _a_, Openwork fish baskets of Virginia Indians; _b_, Manner of weaving: _c_, Basket strainer; _d_, Quiver of rushes; _e_, Mat of rushes 18 II. Mat of split cane 28 III. Mantle or skirt of light-colored stuff 30 IV. Fringed skirt 32 V. Frayed bag and skeins of hemp fiber 34 VI. Charred cloth from mounds in Ohio 36 VII. Drawings of charred fabric from mounds 38 VIII. Copper celts with remnants of cloth 40 IX. Bits of fabric-marked pottery, with clay casts of same 44