PLANTS USED FOR FIBERS
Only when documentation has been found are specific tribal names
given
Basswood (Tilia americana L.) used by Algonquin, Cherokee, Chippewa/Ojibwe, Lakota,
Menominee, Meskwaki, Potowatomi
inner bark used as cordage, for tying/binding, sewing, weaving, making mats, fishnets,
snowshoes
OJIBWE SNOW SHOES
Bulrush (Scirpus validus (Vahl.) used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi woven into
mats to use on floors or as walls; also woven into baskets
BULRUSH MAT
Cattail (Typha latifolia) used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
Leaves made into mats to cover winter lodges; used to make rope and baskets
Cattail roots and shoots, harvested Spring of 2012
Quiver and Basket made from cattail leaves
Cedar or Arbor-vitae (Thuja
occidentalis L.) used by
Menominee, Ojibwe
bark woven into bags
CEDAR BARK BASKETS
Dogbane ((Apocynum androsaemifolium L.)
used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
fibers used as thread and cordage; fibres
woven into a durable fabric
DOGBANE CORDAGE
Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
Roots used as cordage after boiling and splitting, usually for sewing birch bark canoes
Jack pine
Jack pine cone
PINE ROOT CORDAGE--
Leatherwood or Moosewood (Dirca palustris) used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
bark used as cordage, good substitute for twine
**"Bark is leathery, tough and strong. Twigs
are extremely pliable. Native Americans
used the twigs and bark for a number of
purposes including making bow strings,
baskets, fishing line and rope."
From Missouri Botanical Garden database:
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=287357
Photo from WildwoodSurvival.com
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/cordage/leatherwood/index.html
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) used by
Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
thread, and cords from stems for fishnets
Photo fromWildwoodSurvival.com
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/cordage/leatherwood/index.html
Milkweed stem fiber Milkweed fiber cordage
Milkweed stem cordage Milkweed pod fiber
Nettle (Urticaceae gracilis and Laportea
canadensis) used by Menominee, Ojibwe,
Potawatomi
after retting, fibers made into a twine for making
fiber bags; also used as thread. Can be spun into
yarn
Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva Mx.) used by Menominee, Ojibwe, Potawatomi
bark boiled and uses for fiber for making bags and storage baskets
Slippery elm leaf and seeds
Harvesting slippery elm bark
Slippery elm fibers
Basket made from Slippery elm
Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata)
A sacred smudging herb, it was also used for making baskets.
Sweet grass bundles with seeds
Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata)
Tamarack (Larix laricinia) used by Algonquian, Chippewa/Ojibwe, Cree, Iroquois
Roots used for weaving bags, sewing edges of canoes; wood used for arrow shafts.
Tamarack in summer
Tamarack in fall
Cree Tamarack goose
