Weaving with Cane

Our History 212 class went to a museum called McClung Museum tucked in a corner on the campus of the University of Tennessee.  I wouldn't have known it was there, but they have an impressive collection of artifacts from Cherokee tribes local to Tennessee.  

Evidence of weaving was found in the Woodland Era and continued there after.

On the right are examples of Tennessee River Cane.  

You can hand split more than four straws from a large cane. After the cane is split, the underlying plant tissue must be stripped away from the outer "skin" of the sections, which are afterwards called "straws."  Each straw is trimmed vertically to make the widths even.  After these thin pliable straws are dried, they are ready for use, or storage. 1

Below is a evidence that these tribes weaved mats made of the River Cane and used them in their daily lives.  It was recovered from a dig where they deduced that a house using this material had burned down.  Based on locations of such remains, they determined that these mats were used for comfort and well as some protective aspects; such as rain.  

The picture below is a remake of a cane mat.  The colors were picked for asthetics probably based on the colors that could be retrieved from flowers, plants and berries from the time period, but it is believed, based on details in art from that time period, that they did use dye to enhance the beauty of the weave.

It didn't take much imagination to conclude that rattan in general is probably directly influenced by this era of weaving.  I would assume the factory labor has little knowledge or concern as to the origin of this art form.  I find it fascinating that the appearance doesn't seem to have changed all that much today.




Colleen Trapuzzano - Art History 2121 - Thomas A Colvin - Cane and Palmetto Basketry