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Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMI CHARACTERIZATION OF PREHISTORIC SPINNING TECHNOLOGY; TOWARD THE DETERMINATION OF SPINNING PRACTICES EMPLOYED IN MISSISSIPPIAN TEXTILES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Erica J. Tiedemann, M.S. ***** The Ohio State University 2001 Approved by Dissertation Committee: Professor Kathryn A. Jakes, Adviser Professor Patricia A. Cunningham Adviser Textilermd Clothii iduate Program Professor Kristen J. Gremillion Professor Charles J. Noel UMI Number; 3031274 Copyright 2001 by Tiedemann. Erica J. All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform 3031274 Copyright 2002 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Copyright by Erica J. Tiedemann 2001 ABSTRACT Spinning is the twisting process by which short fibrous materials are combined into longer, stronger structures such as string or yam. Thigh-spinning and spindle- spinning are two ethnographically documented methods used to create yams in eastem North America. Despite the existence of fine yams in Mississippian (ca. A.D. 800 - A.D. 1600) textiles, no directly associated evidence of spinning technology is found in the archaeological record. The objective of this research was to characterize thigh-spun and spindle-spun yams to determine a set of yam properties that distinguish them from one another. Yams were produced for the study by experienced thigh-spinners and spindle- spinners. To ensure that the yams studied would represent yams made with materials available in eastem North America, bast fibers were collected from common milkweed and Indian hemp, both indigenous fiber plants. Yams were also made with commercially available flax fibers. Production of experimental yams afforded opportunities to explore additional areas of inquiry, including fiber production rate, yam production rate, and yam quality. Twist angle, surface fiber arrangement, and cross-sectional fiber arrangement were properties used to characterize yams made by the two spinning methods. These ii properties were chosen because they can be measured in a minimally destructive manner. Yam twist, expressed as singles yam twist angles, proved to be the most promising yam feature for differentiating thigh- and spindle-spun yams. The surface fiber arrangements were useful for visual identification of spinning method, and the cross-sections showed differences in yam structure. Tliese characterization results contributed to development of a Spinning Technology Determination Checklist. The Checklist employs a series of research tasks to gather evidence from the archeological record that will lead to acceptance or rejection of spindle-spinning as the most likely method of yam formation. Although developed with the Mississippian textiles fi-om Etowah Mound, GA (ca. A.D. 1200) as an intended case study, the Checklist is designed to be applicable to textiles from other societies. The testing of yam production rate as well as quality-related properties such as tensile strength and yam irregularity provided insight into the roles of the two spinning technologies in the broader contexts of time use and textile manufacture. m ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Kathym Jakes, my adviser, for her support of this project. She has challenged and encouraged me over the years to my great benefit. I hope this is the beginning of a long and finitful relationship. I wish to thank the members of my dissertation committee. Dr. Patricia Cunningham, Dr. Kristen Gremillion, and Dr. Charles Noel, for their support of this project and their contributions to my education. This work would not have been possible without the participation of several hand spinners. I appreciate the generosity of Mr. Robert Berg, Ms. Joy Cain, Mr. John Leeds, Ms. Danette Pratt, and Mr. John White with their time and knowledge. Mr. David Way provided invaluable statistical counseling. Dr. John Mitchell of the OSU Microscopic and Chemical Analysis Research Center and his staff assisted me patiently with embedding and cross-sectioning of yams. Mr. Emie Gresh and Mr. Michael Skaggs of the OSU Medical Services Shop helped build and fix essential lab equipment. I wish to thank the men of my family: my husband. Bill Way; my father, Cliiford Tiedemann; and my brother, Lance Tiedemann, for their long years of support for my education. I wish to thank the women of my family for actually contributing to this iv research. As worker # 2 in the fiber production study, my mother, Margaret Tiedemann, outdid me in my dissertation research. My sister-in-law, Stefka Andonova assisted with a difficult French translation. My colleagues, Heather Mangine, Sohie Shim, and Amanda Thompson, have been the better part of the productive work environment in which this research was carried out. I thank them for making our lab a good place to go to every day. This research has been funded by a Lucy R. Sibley Research Award, a Graduate School Alumni Research Award, and an Anita McCormick Fellowship. VITA March 30,1967 Bom - Santa Monica, CA 1989 B.A. Art History, University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign. 1995 M.S. Textile Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 1995 Laboratory Assistant, Textile Conservation Laboratory, Chicago Historical Society 1996 -1999 Graduate Teaching and Research Associate, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS “Fiber-safe extraction of red mordant dyes.” Tiedemann, E. J. and Yang, Y. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 34 (1995): 195-206. “Hans Staden: A pious man in the Brazilian wilderness.” Tiedemann, E. J. Chap. in Raw Americans, cooked Europeans: Images o f the “Other" in Sixteenth-century European illustrated books. Urbana, IL; Krannert Art Museum, 1992. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Textiles and Clothing Minor Field: Archaeology VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. iv V ita..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures ............................................................................................................... xii Introduction ........................................................................................................................ I 1.1 Problem Statement and Research Objectives ..................................................8 1.1.1 Preliminary research .......................................................................8 1.1.2 Fiber production study .....................................................................9 1.1.3 Consultation with spinners and yam production study ..................... 9 1.1.4 Yam experimentation .....................................................................10 1.2 Limitations ...................................................................................................14 1.3 Justification .................................................................................................... 16 Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 17 2.1 Spinning Technology ...................................................................................18 2.1.1 Principles of yam formation ....................................................... 18 2.1.2 Yam properties ................................................................................ 29 2.1.3 Summary .......................................................................................35 2.2 Ethnography of Spinning ..............................................................................35