Archaeologists say the invention of cordage, or string, by primitive people gave human civilization its single most dramatic leap forward.
With cordage we could make shelter by tying materials together, our hunting techniques expanded through the use of bowstrings and snares, we learned to sew hides together and weave cloth and nets, and the list goes on and on.
Viewing plants as possible material for tools changes the way we relate to the natural world, supplying motivation to learn plant identification and investigate growth habits and properties of plants.
Making tools deepens that relationship. The process of making tools is meditative and relaxing and can, in most cases, be done in a social context. The resultant products are elegant and beautiful, a pleasure to handle, as well as useful.
Many primitive tools are difficult to make, but cordage is quite simple, although there is a brief learning period, as the basic concept (twist, wrap, twist, wrap) is mastered. And there is a wonder involved when you take a relatively fragile piece of plant and, by twisting and doubling, make a substance that is, in some cases, almost unbreakable without a sharp instrument.
Impress your friends! When I take students out for plant walks, they are invariably amazed when I cull a twig of basswood, peel it, and start twisting string as I talk. Everyone wants to know how to do it, and within ten minutes, most of them are making their own cordage.
My daughter was nine years old when we were taught cordage wrapping at a primitive skills gathering, and she caught on immediately. One man there had developed a cordage obsession, constructed a small loom, and was weaving a beautiful dogbane fabric out of handwrapped fibers. See the article Cordage Plants for a list of plant sources.
