Kiki K. Notecard

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Kiki K.
2015

Native American Lashing
Source: Wilbur, M.D., C. Keith. Indian Handcrafts. Guilford, CT: TGPP, 1990. Print. Pages: 36

Quote:

“Bast was the cord made from the fresh inner bark of basswood, hickory, slippery elm, and walnut. An inch-wide length of bark was stripped toward the top of the tree~the longer the better. The outer bark was peeled off and discarded. One of many lashings-but the crossed saplings-may be positioned and the twine tightened without help. The inner bark was cut into thin strips. They could be used immediately or coild and stored. The strips would then be soaked for several hours before using.”

Paraphrase:

  • The cord the Indians used to tie the frame of wigwams was called bast.
  • Bast was made from the inner bark of a basswood, hickory, slippery elm and walnut.
  • Toward the top of the tree a strip of bark (an inch wide) was stripped. 
  • Because they only used the inner bark, the outer bark was peeled off and thrown away. 
  • The crossed saplings could be positioned and twine tightened without help. 
  • When the inner bark was stripped from the tree, it was cut into even thinner strips.
  • They were either used right away or tied together and stored for later. 
  • Those strips would be soaked before being used again for several hours

My Ideas: I think that this is a very intelligent way of making rope-or something very similar to rope. I wonder if the Europeans or the Africans had the same idea or made rope the same way. I also wonder how they would tie the ropes to the sticks used for the frame of the wigwam. I can infer that the strips that would be stored for later used had to be soaked because they would dry out. They needed the moisture from the water to make sure the sticks could bend so they could use them. Also, it says that bast was made of basswood, hickory, slippery elm and walnut. I wonder if that meant that those were all the kinds of bark they could use to make the bast. I can infer that this was probably the womens job to make the bast because the men were out hunting. Or maybe it was a child’s job because it seems pretty easy and enjoyable.