Twining In twining, you're working with two wefts. Normally you twist these once, between warps. With this basket (actually, here a bag), shown in the process of being made, we're using cattails exclusively as the material. These were cut dead in winter, and allowed to dry (cattails grow where it's wet), and resoaked, then corded for the warps. The cording allows for a stronger basket or bag. (Cording is taught in detail in Chapter 1.) Then a single piece of cattail, wet, was twined in.
This bag, also twined, has been made from a variety of materials. Elm bark was corded for the warps, while the bottom coupla inches was single-strand elm bark, followed by a few inches of western dogbane, followed by several more inches of eastern dogbane (not corded; the fibers only cleaned and then twined in). The whole was finished at the top with several inches of grass—what we call slough grass, since it grows in wet areas, and what others call reed canary grass. The strap is brain-tanned Chapter 10).
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This burden basket, appropriately named, is made mostly from dogwood, with a bit of willow tossed in. Deer rawhide supports the basket, to which is tied a tumpline (pack strap) of braintanned deerskin. The tumpline goes around the shoulders or the head when carrying, leaving the hands free.
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Ultimate Guide to Wilderness Living