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dyed bulrush mat

Copyright Minnesota Historical Society Collections

Description:
This rectangular bulrush floor mat is probably Ojibwe, and has a basswood twine warp and bulrush weft. Some bulrushes are dyed gold, green or purple, creating eight bands of geometric designs which span the mat width. Most rushes are their natural golden-brown color. Bulrush floor mat has a basswood twine warp and bulrush weft. The bulrushes are used in their natural color and also dyed gold, green or purple. Mats like this had many purposes. They were used in construction of wigwams, as interior partitions, as door and floor coverings, on sleeping platforms, and for drying food.
1834

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

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Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.