Prehistoric Textile Art of Eastern United States by William H. Holmes description:
Government Printing Office, Washington, 1896pages 3-46
nature was the construction of biers described by Butel-Dumont. Speaking of the Mobilians, he says:
When their chief is dead they proceed as follows: At 15 or 20 feet from his cabin they erect a kind of platform raised about 4½ feet from the ground. This is composed of four large forked poles of oak wood planted in the earth, with others placed across; this is covered with canes bound and interlaced so as to resemble greatly the bed used by the natives.
According to John Lawson, similarly constructed "hurdles" were in use among the Carolina Indians.
[Illustration: 1.–Fish weir of the Virginia Indiana (after Hariot).]
The tide-water tribes of the Atlantic coast region made very frequent use of fish weirs, which were essentially textile in character. John Smith mentions their use in Virginia, and Hariot gives a number of plates in which the weirs are delineated. The cut here given (figure 1) is from Hariot's plate XIII. It represents a very elaborate trap; much simpler fo