Mat Needle Item Number: Nbz849 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Cattail-mat needle. Long, bowed, wooden mat needle, flat on one side, rounded on the other. Has one pointed end, other end has the eye, and is flared, flattened and shaped.
Mat needles are used for sewing together, and crimping, mats made from cat-tail and tule reeds.
domestic; plant technology
According to Dr. Michael Kew, Coast Salish mat needles were normally made from the wood of a plant called ocean spray or ironwood. They were made by splitting the vertical stalk to create two needles, flat on one side and rounded on the other.