softstem bullrush

They sit on their mats during a healing ceremony, put on by the medicine men and women, to instill belief in their powers among the young ("Ils ont aussi une maniere Extraordinaire et ridicule pour faire croire leurs remedes Infaillibles qui ne laisse pas de faire sur l'esprit de la Jeunesse L'Effet qu'ils demandent. Deux out trois fois dans L'Ete, dans la plus belle place de leur Village, ils font planter des perches en terre, d'un demy arpent en quarre en maniere d'enclos, Laquelle ils garnissent de nattes au tour").

Mats made from softstem bullrush are part of a funeral ceremony dance for the warrior who loved the dance. "A large number of mats are spread outside around these forks [forked pieces of wood, with cross pieces, from which are hung gifts to the deceased warrior who has loved the dance], the drummer is there near by and the Chichichoirs. They seat themselves round about, usually stark naked, and tie the skin of the virile member, sometimes fastening it at the belt. One of them begins his role with war whoops, and they represent in dancing the tableaux presented when they discover the enemy, when they kills him, and when they take his scalp, or when they take him prisoner, and they do all this without losing the cadence. They call this dance the discovery. The women during this time are weeping in his cabin. When the dance is over, the nearest relative of the dead for whom they dance, pointing with a wand [to the gifts handing on the wooden rack] says: This is for you, Peoria, this is for you, Coiracoentanon, and so on" ("Quantites de nattes sont estendues dehors autour de ces fourches, Le tombeau est la tout press Et les chichicoir, ils s'assisent autour ordinairement tous nuds se Lient la peau du membre Viril Et quelquefois se l'attachent au col ou a la Ceinture Et un d'eux commence son entrée, par des cris de guerre et representent en dansant les figures qu'on fait quand on decouvre L'ennemy, qu'on le tue et qu'on luy leve la Chevelure, ou qu'on le fait prisonnier, Et tout cela sans perdre la Cadance on appelle cette danse la decouverte. Les femmes pendant ce temps la sont a pleurer dans sa Cabane, la danse finie, le plus proche proche parent du mort pour qui ont dance en montrant avec une baguette dit Voila pour vous Peouarias voila pour vous Coueracouitenons ainsi des autres").

Used to make a bed mat that is the length and width of settlers beds circa 1909, and is laid bare on the ground.

Mats made to serve as coverings and floorings for dwellings. "Their cabins are very large, they are made, cover'd, and pav'd with mats of marish [marsh]-rushes".

Women are in charge of making the mats.

Mat made of softstem bullrush used as a bundle for carrying herbal medicines to cure those wounded in war. . "the commander carries his mat, into which all his men have put their birds, along with a good stock of herbs for healing the wounded" ("Le Commandant porte sa Natte dans laquelle tout son monde a mis ses oyseaux, ou il y a bonne provision d'herbes pour panser Les Blessez").

"they invite them to a feast and tell them that the time is approaching to go in search of men, so it is well to pay homage, according to their custom, to their birds so that these may be favorable. They all answer with a loud Ho! And after eating with great appetite they all go get their mats and spread out their birds on a skin stretched in the midle of the cabin and with the chichicoyas they sing a whole night . . . " ("ils les invitent dans un festin Et leur disent comme Voila Le temps qui approche pour aller chercher des hommes il est bon de rendre les devoirs selon leur Coutume a leurs oyseaux afin qu'ils leurs soient favorables, Ils repondent tous par un grand ho, Et apres avoir mange d'un grand appetit, ils Vont querir chacun Leur nattes etendent tous Leurs oyseaux dessus une peau qui est estendue au milieu de la Cabane Et avec des Chichicoya chante une nuit entiere").

This plant was used to make mats for sitting on. " Every young man has a little mat made of the round reeds I have mentioned which grow in the marshes. The women dye them black, yellow and red and make them three feet long and two feet wide. They fold over one end about a foot in the form of a comb case and in which they put some of these birds of which I have spoken [i.e. war bundles]" ("Chaque Jeune homme a une petite natte qui est faite des plus Joncs ronds dont J'ay parle qui Viennent dans les marais, Les femmes les teignent en noir, Jaune, et Rouge Et les font de trois pieds de Long et deux de Lage, ils en plient au bout d'un pied de Long en forme d'une trousse a mettre des peignes, c'est dans quoy ils mettent quelques uns de ces oyseaux don’t Je viens de parler").

Mats made from rushes. "At night most of the men, seated like dogs on mats of round reeds, play with straws" ("et la nuit comme des Chiens la plus part assis sur des nattes de joncs ronds jouent avec des pailles").

The word mizanikani means fabric, straw, or any other rushes Scirpus spp. [now Schoenoplectus] that were used for the purposes listed.

. ". . . one of them went off three or four arpents into a hollow, which in spring is nothing but a sort of marsh and brought back a bundle of round reeds as thick as one fingers." ("un d'eux fut a 3. ou 4. arpents dans un fond ou le printemps ce n'est qu'une maniere de marais, et apporterent une botte de Roseaux ronds qui sont gros comme les doigts").

Rush mats were used for dancing upon during peace-making ceremony.

Used to make long mats or smaller mats which are used as bed mats, approximately the size of settlers beds circa 1895. When to be used as a bed mat, it is our size of beds and laid on the ground.

During the summer months of cultivation, April through October, permanent villages were inhabited, and during this time women gathered wild foods and mat materials as well.

Finely woven mats made. "Their [the Illinois] Cabins are cover'd with Mats of flat Rushes, so closely woven together, that no Wind, Rain, or Snow can go thro' it." ". . .the Illinois, make their Cabins of flat Rushes, which they sew together, and line them with the same. . ."

Guests are given their finest mats on which to rest. "A stranger as soon as he arrives [at a cabin--Blair's brackets] is made to sit down on a mat, of the handsomeest, in order to rest from his fatigue . . ."

The Peorias made a long mat, "lasuni" from scirpus growing in these parts. One of these is a flat scirpus [probably cattail], pakwayaki.

The Peorias made a long mat, lasuni, from scirpus growing in these parts. One of these is a flat scirpus [probably cattail], pakwayaki "used for roofs, thatching, the other round scirpus, lasonaki. This is a bed mat and is just the length and width of our beds, laid bare on the ground".

Occurs in marshes.

Occurs in marshes and muddy shores of lakes and streams throughout eastern and western Myaamia lands.

Upon the death of a mans brother Algonquians, neighbors to the surviving brother offer the deceased two gifts in order to remove the tears of his relatives, a mat to lie on and a piece of bark to shelter the corpse from the weather. "In the speech which they [neighbors] accompany this gift they declare that it is made in order to wipe away the tears of his relatives, and that the mat which they give him is for him to lie on, or [that they give--Blair's note] a piece of bark to shelter his corpse from the injurious effects of the weather".

Algonquian women, in general, made the mats for roofing or flooring of dwellings. They also carried these mats when they traveled by foot. "The obligations of women are to . . .make . . . mats of rushes (either flat or round, or long) to serve as roofing for the cabins or as mattresses. . . . When they are traveling, the women carry the roofing for the cabin, if there is no canoe".

There is a coiled basket that is possibly made of softstem bullrush, housed at the National Museum of the American Indian, in Washington D.C.

The Miami-Illinois term "keentowasiki" is used generally for rush, or bulrush. Gatschet notes that it is probably an adjective word, meaning "sharp-cutting".