Unfinished Fine Mat
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: FINELY WOVEN PANDANUS MAT IN THE PROCESS OF PLAITING. THE MAT IS UNFINISHED TO SHOW THE WEAVING TECHNIQUE. THE PANDANUS FIBERS ARE TIED IN BUNDLES ALONG THE UNFINISHED WORK EDGE. THE FRINGE CAN BE SEEN ON THE FINISHED END, IT IS APPROXIMATELY 13 CM. LONG. HAS ORIGINAL PEALE TAG. TWO OTHER PRINTED LABELS ARE ATTACHED, ONE READS, "...MATRIMONIAL MAT IN PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE, GRASS MAT 987".
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "FINE DIAGONAL PLAITED WEAVE OF NATURAL COLOR ALONG UPPER BORDER THE LEAVES ARE LEFT PARTLY WIDE AND UNSPLIT, WHILE ALONG THE LOWER BORDER THEY ARE SPLIT INTO FINE GRASSLIKE MEMBERS WHICH ARE GATHERED INTO BUNDLES AND TIED ABOUT 5" FROM THE EDGE OF MAT. REFER TO: CAT. NO. 363,887 FOR A VERY SIMILAR ONE."
label: Notes
content: From Peale catalogue under # 987: ""Ie tana" [probably should be taua]. Fine mat unfinished to show the labor of plaiting them by hand, which sometimes requires a period of several years." The more current general term for the fine mat is 'ie toga.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 30 Jul 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: American Samoa (not certain), Samoa (not certain) / United States (not certain), Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Samoan
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00050
label: USNM Number
content: E3341-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mat
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 90 cm
label: Length - Object
content: 70 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 205 cm