A Pleasant Day's Work

     The making of a seine net illustrates one of the many skills needed by an eighteenth century native woman to provide for her family.
     This seine net, typically made of hemp, will be about five to six feet in length, two to three foot wide and will be woven using a loose finger weaving technique.  The cross bar is not tied in place, but is secured by gravity and slight downward pressure as the woman weaves.  The net will be rolled periodically on the cross bar to keep it at a reasonable working height.  The crossbar will be retained in this type of net to keep the edge in the proper shape.
     Much can be learned about the woman by close observation: The dark dot under the eye signifies a tear of mourning.  The string of dots from eye level around the outside of her face enhances her smile and expresses her happiness when teaching her craft to others.  Three dots on her forehead denotes the number of children she has; girls on the top row, because theirs was a matriarchal society, and boys on the bottom row.  The small red dot on her cheek indicates that she is married (a large dot would mean that she is available). Red down the part in her hair also indicates that she is married (if it was extended along the hair line and on the tops of the ears, we would know that she was single).  The turtle earring is her personal totem, and the silver pins on her clothing indicate that her husband is prosperous enough to be able to afford expensive luxuries for her.

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