TEXTILE FABRICS
It would be comparatively easy for one to write a lengthy chapter upon
textile fabrics. But because of the limited space now at my disposal and
for the further reason that “The Stone Age” is purposely restricted
chiefly to descriptions of art in stone rather than in fabrics, this
chapter must necessarily be brief.
It is unfortunate that almost none of the fabrics of prehistoric times,
made use of by the natives of that period, are in existence to-day, and
aside from pieces of mats and here and there a bit of cloth from the dry
caves of Kentucky and the Ozark Mountains, there is nothing in our
museums to give a clue as to the nature and material of the garments,
robes, blankets, etc. We are dependent chiefly on history for our
knowledge of the use of textile fabrics.
But in the Southwest the aridity of the climate, together with the fact
that the walls of the cliff-houses kept out the occasional rains, and
that the sands of the desert drifting over the ruined pueblos, worked in
harmony to preserve a goodly number of fragments of textile fabrics.
Some of these are in the American Museum, New York City, others in
Washington, Denver, and Philadelphia museums. All are of great interest
and were made use of by stone-age man.
The copper plates found in the mounds of the Mississippi Valley
sometimes contain impressions of cloth and other fabrics. There are
occasionally bits of charred cloth, found in altars or ash-pits or
between copper plates. Professors Holmes, Mills, Putnam, and others have
described these in various reports.
An inspection of the material illustrated in this chapter will acquaint
readers with the fact that the natives of Kentucky made use of various
plants, the favorite of which is the ordinary flag, for the manufacture
of baskets, sandals, etc.
In the Southwest, desert plants, such as the yucca, possessing
elasticity and strength, were employed for a multitude of purposes.
Could we have preserved for our inspection the textile fabrics made use
of in the Mississippi Valley, we doubtless should observe that primitive
man in this great region employed utensils, garments, weapons, tools,
and other things made of perishable material.
[Illustration:
FIG. 625. (S. 1–4 to 1–5.) Sandals from Salts Cave, made of bark and
wild hemp. Collection of Bennett H. Young, Louisville, Kentucky.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 626. (S. about 1–3.) Andover collection. Three sandals and an
unfinished object from Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Group, New Mexico. Found
by W. K. Moorehead.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 627. (S. 2–5.) Moccasin worn through at toe and heel, from Salts
Cave. Material, leaves of cat-tail. Collection of Bennett H. Young,
Louisville, Kentucky.
]
Salts Cave, near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, has been recently explored by
Colonel Young, and I am indebted to him for proof-sheets of his work,
“Discoveries in Kentucky Caves.” Colonel Young states that the cave has
been known for a hundred years and is an extremely interesting place.
Upon examination he ascertained that many holes had been dug in the cave
floor (for it is covered with debris and cave earth), apparently by the
ancient people who had at some time lived there. Contrary to the caverns
in the Ozarks, this cave has been visited and explored in prehistoric
times, and the remains of man are not confined to the openings, where it
is light, but extend for several miles through the various labyrinths.
Colonel Young writes:—
“Along the main cavern for several miles are numerous fireplaces and
ash-heaps; small piles of stone, evidently placed to hold fagots used in
lighting; innumerable partly burned torches of cane-reed, and even the
footprints of the men who, hundreds of years ago, walked along these
majestic avenues. The cave contains a large amount of saltpeter, and has
a mean temperature of fifty-four degrees. The atmosphere of the interior
is dry and pure, and this, together with the nitrous matter in the
earth, has produced conditions favorable to the preservation of all
kinds of materials. About the hearths and fireplaces were found hundreds
of fragments of gourds, and also some shells of the aboriginal squash,
both of which were in an excellent state of preservation. Torches of
reed, to be counted by the thousands, which had been filled with grease
or soaked in oil, traces of which may still be seen on some specimens,
appeared as if they had been cast aside but yesterday. Along the main
avenues and the second or lower layer of caves, as well as in many side
avenues, these torches were found. Those who have spent much time in
this cavern say that they have discovered no places where these and
other traces of aboriginal man are absent.
[Illustration:
FIG. 628. (S. 1–4.) Collection of Bennett H. Young, Louisville,
Kentucky. Moccasins and pieces of cloth from Salts Cave.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 629. (S. 1–4.) Flags, wild hemp, and other materials used in
making cloth. From Salts Cave. Collection of Bennett H. Young,
Louisville, Kentucky.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 630. (S. varying.) Collection of Bennett H. Young, Louisville,
Kentucky. Bag of woven cloth from Salts Cave—nine by seven inches;
plaited rope; fragments of cloth.
]
“Among the most interesting discoveries were a number of neatly braided
slippers or sandals, and fragments of textile art. Several materials
seem to have been used in the manufacture of these. Some were made of
the fibre of the cat-tail, or _Typha_, a plant which grows abundantly in
the ponds in the southern part of the state. Others were woven of the
inner bark of trees, probably the pawpaw and linn. Still others were
made of what appears to be the fibre of wild hemp, and yet others from a
species of grass which grew in great abundance on the Barrens of
Kentucky.
[Illustration:
FIG. 631. (S. 1–4.) Pair of leggings, with the bone needles used in
making them. From cave-house ruins in eastern Utah, 1895. Collection
of Henry Montgomery.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 632. (S. 1–5.) Wooden pail or tub from cave-house ruins, San Juan
County, Utah, 1894. H. Montgomery’s collection.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 633. (S. reduced 2–3.) Vase, turkey form. Feathers are indicated
by marks made with black paint. Collection of B. H. Young,
Louisville, Kentucky.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 634. (S. 1–3.) Birch bark from a burial-pit in North Dakota.
Henry Montgomery’s collection, Toronto.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 635. (S. 1–7.) Old wicker and twined baskets from the Pueblo of
Zuñi, New Mexico. This figure shows some old so-called Zuñi-ware,
collected for the Bureau of American Ethnology by James Stevenson,
in New Mexico, long ago.
]
“The sandals show several distinct forms of braiding; the material of
the more delicate and graceful appears to be the wild hemp, and the
plait on the outer side exhibits a beautiful triangular figure. They
have raised sides from the heel to the toe, the braids being worked
forward, uniting in a seam in the middle line above the toes. Over the
instep many were laced with cords, the lacing still being preserved in
some of the specimens. Frequently long ornamental tassels were placed
above the instep. These slippers are found in the crevices of the rock
and on the ledges in out-of-the-way places where they evidently had been
cast aside by these people. All show signs of wear at toe and heel.
Several display a more or less skillful attempt on the part of the owner
at mending or darning. This was done sometimes with cord, but frequently
with bark. In size they vary from small ones, made for children, to
specimens corresponding to a number seven shoe.”
[Illustration:
FIG. 636. (S. 1–4.) Coiled bowl-tray of the ancient basket-makers,
cliffs of southeastern Utah. Ornamented by two sinuous rings in
black. Collection of American Museum of Natural History, New York.
]
While we have some numbers of textiles preserved for our inspection, yet
our study of the subject is somewhat narrowed. As has been previously
stated, the bulk of prehistoric artifacts are composed of more lasting
materials. It is unfortunate that we have so few of the garments, robes,
head-dresses, baskets, wooden and other things once in use in America.
Thorough exploration of the caves and caverns, the cliff-houses and
ruined pueblos may bring to light quantities of this textile and wooden
material, and I would urge that such investigations be carried on. Many
of the caverns are ransacked by curiosity-seekers, and soon all the
objects buried therein will have disappeared.