Native American thread and needle?

[phoenix511]

How was a needle made in those time? Seems like a steel needle had not been invented yet?

 

[rabjr]

I'm sure they used slivers of bone sharpened and used as needles.

 

As long as there were whites in the Americas, there were European notions. Needles, thread, thimbles and cloth were prized trade items, and bought vast amounts furs, hides and land.

Bill

 

[paulvallandigham]

30 years ago, I saw an impressive exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, about the Pacific Indian culture in the area between Seattle and Alaska. The exhibit included all kinds of tools, including needles, made from bones, ivory( walrus tusks) and some of native woods. Thread was woven from plant fibers- its how you make cordage, too----- and of course also including sinew, and lengths cut from animal intestines. Nothing went to waste.

 

[BrownBear]

I've dug about a bazillion of them in archeo digs up here. Along the coast they were typically made from bird wing bone. Tiny little holes for fine sinew. It was a head scratcher for me how they drilled such small holes in small needles. Then we found some unformed "blanks" with the holes already drilled. Looked like they split the bones a little wide, drilled the holes, then finished by carving the needles.

 

[necchi]

As long as there were whites in the Americas, there were European notions. Needles, thread, thimbles and cloth were prized trade items, and bought vast amounts furs, hides and land.

Bill

Yup, as soon as the white man showed up (1600's) there was needles, but they had ta have'm before that.

 

[shortbow]

Around these parts pre-contact Abos used thorns such as those from the hawthorn bush as well as fish bones in some applications. I've tried the thorns and they are very sharp and tough, worked well on buckskin and on heavier leather when an awl was used.

 

[Woods Dweller]

You might find these sites helpfull. :v

Primitive skills http://primitiveways.com/index.html

Making Bone Needles http://www.housebarra.com/EP/ep02/18bone.html

Making a Bone Awl with Stone Tools http://primitiveways.com/bone_awl.html

 

[BillinOregon]

"Thread" was often sinew fibers, or fine cordage made from dogbane or nettle, with dogbane preferred for its strength and ease of processing.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Out here, I've read they used yucca.

 

[Black Hand]

Holes were punched with an awl and sinew pushed through the hole. Backstrap sinew is pulled apart into threads, the end moistened with saliva and "twisted" into a point. When it dries, this end is stiffer and serves as a "needle" to follow the hole made by the awl.

Lots of clothing, beadwork and quillwork was done this way. Apparently this also raises the value of an item when being auctioned/purchased...

 

[crockett]

Blackhand is right, the awl was only used to make a hole. Sinew is sort of like rawhide, you keep one end dry and that becomes the needle. Even a short (12") piece of sinew will let you sew about 4-5" along a sheath edge, etc. Just tuck the "needle" back under the just sewn stitches OR lay it flat along the edge and cover it with the next section of sinew. I started with the fake stuff- terrible- shreds apart, etc. The real sinew- at least for me- is easier to use and you know you have used the real McCoy.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Your mention of the Museum of Natural History in Chicago brings up a hurtful, but relevant memory. BTW: as a child I about half lived in the MNH and the Science and Industry Museum.
OK, we were getting into the primitive side of this muzzle loading madness and made a trip back from southern Indiana to our former home stompings of the Chicago area. We made a planned visit to the MNH. I still had much of my professional photography equipment and took many pics in the museum to use as reference for stuff we planned to make. One item I made several photographs of was a squaw in her buckskin dress. My wife wanted to make as exact a replica of it as possible for herself. And she did. She put a lot of love and work into that dress. The result was very excellent. The sides and most of the seams were made with knotting from small strips of the buckskin. At our very first event, we hadn't been there an hour, a woman came up to my wife, pointed out the knotted seams and said "they didn't do it that way". That woman was both wrong and ignorant of social graces. My wife was deeply hurt by that incident. It was a lesson that self-appointed 'experts' usually aren't.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have been at the receiving end of such comments, and have witnessed them said to others. I could not agree with you more. One of my tracker friends was severely criticized for his gear at a Rendezvous. He knew the experts were wrong, but simply had not anticipated having to prove it in order to participate. The next year he took with him a substantial part of his library, pages marked to substantiate every piece of his gear, and clothing. He confronted the "experts" in front of everyone, and Destroyed them in public. They left, saying nothing more. The "sheeple" who had said nothing the year before all of sudden became my friend's BEST BUDDIES. They didn't have the courage to tell these 2 experts where to get off!

My friend decided that he didn't have to attend that rendezvous any more. He really didn't like being among people who were so cowardly that they would let some Bullies rip into to new people, with out going to the newbie's defense. Bullies- and Tyrants--- exist because good people sit by and do nothing.

 

[Ken Cormier]

My friend decided that he didn't have to attend that rendezvous any more. He really didn't like being among people who were so cowardly that they would let some Bullies rip into to new people, with out going to the newbie's defense. Bullies- and Tyrants--- exist because good people sit by and do nothing


been down that road

 

[crockett]

I've run into the same thing, I really think that's why trekking took off big time. Go by yourself or with a couple of others that have similar interests and be happy.

 

[Woods Dweller]

Many years ago Just to see if I could do it and for the fun of it, I made a hunting bag using just the item that nature supply's. I made a Awl from a hard wood branch.

I found that that the best Sinew is right on the back of the deer between the skin and the back-strap-[loin strips].

Depending on the size of the deer will determine how long and wide the sinew is. Lay this sinew on a flat surface and scrape the flesh off the both sides of the sinew, set it out to dry. After the sinew is dry you can brake it up by rolling it between your hands. The more you roll the sinew between your hands the smaller the thread will get. I made a needle from a splinter of hardwood, tieing the sinew thread to the back of the hardwood needle.

Photo of the needle on the right at the bottom of page is the type of needle I made. http://www.housebarra.com/EP/ep02/18bone.html