The grass family was the most commonly and widely used of any of the
monocotyledonous families.
Big blue stem grass (_Andropogon furcatus_, Muhl.) was one of the
major fibrous plants used by the cave and rock-shelter peoples of Ohio
in the construction of coarsely woven articles, such as rope and
moccasins. It was commonly used without preliminary treatment, but was
simply twisted or braided into strands. The specimens examined were
from the Ohio State Historical and Archaeological Museum. A typical
example of the use of this fiber is in a woven moccasin (OSHAM 898-1).
Sweet grass (_Hierochloe odorata_, L.), to be distinguished from sweet
vernal grass, was encountered only once in a bag made by the Michigan
Ottawa Indians (MAIHF 19-7125).
Canebrake (_Arundinaria tecta_, Muhl.) was a common source of fiber
for moccasins and rope. It seems to have been utilized by most of the
prehistoric cave and rock-shelter peoples within its range (OSHAM
332-27).