The well-known Spiro Mound, clearly prehistoric, furnished some
examples of basketry, matting, cord, and cloth. The samples were sent
to the writer by Mr. H. M. Trowbridge, Bethel, Kansas.
2716-C Twisted fibers covered with feathers Arundinaria tecta
2716-H Twisted fibers covered with feathers Asimina triloba
2717-C Twisted fibers covered with feathers Asimina triloba
2717-G Woody material with feathers attached Asimina triloba
2717-I&E Twisted fiber mass Asimina triloba
2718-E Twisted fiber mass Asimina triloba
2718-K Bristle-like vegetable fiber Nolina georgiana
2719-J Twisted vegetable fiber Asimina triloba
2721-A Mat Arundinaria tecta
2721-S Fragment of basketry Arundinaria tecta
2722-D Twisted fiber Arundinaria tecta
2722-I Twisted fiber covered with feathers Arundinaria tecta
2724-A Twisted fiber covered with feathers Arundinaria tecta
2724-K Fawn colored string Arundinaria tecta
2731 Mat Arundinaria tecta
2782 Copper stained rope Asimina triloba
2781 Charred basket Arundinaria tecta
2783 Fibers adhering to copper sheet Arundinaria tecta
A comparison of materials in prehistoric collections reveals an
excess of animal materials in the artifacts from Spiro Mound. One gets
the impression that in Spiro textiles strings of vegetable fiber are
usually surfaced with hair or other animal materials to increase the
softness of the product. This may account for the almost exclusive
use of canebrake and pawpaw, both relatively coarse fibers used
without preliminary treatment. A striking contrast is between the
slipshod way of making string and the highly precise fine techniques
of covering it with hair and feathers.