Middle Earth Ranger Forum

I'm currently reading the 'Discovery of Glacier Bay' an essay by John Muir and came across this line which I found interesting regarding the bedding and food of the local people.

His wife got ready his blanket and a piece of cedar matting for his bed, and some provisions - mostly dried salmon, and seal sausage made of strips of lean meat plaited around a core of fat

I was intrigued - what exactly is cedar matting? Bark? Roll out duckboard? Also has anyone come across a method of sausage making like the one he describes?


Then there was this throwaway line from the absolute madman heading north to 58° latitude in the middle of Autumn in a canoe

I was familiar with storms, and enjoyed them, knowing well that in right relations with them they are ever kindly

Interesting!

I'm gonna bet the cedar matting he describes is woven bark, something like these:
https://www.cherylstradingpost.com/nati ... k-weaving/
https://www.alaskafloatsmyboat.com/beac ... alaska-ma/

I can't say I recall seeing something exactly like what he describes when I was in Alaska (maybe caedmon has?) but that's a common crafting technique both in AK Native material culture and also I think Northeast Woodland cultures.

(Likewise I don't recall seeing that kind of provision, but I wasn't close to much subsistence-level native culture up there. What I did see was mostly a whole lot of smoked salmon, but I suspect that's regional / seasonal)

Elleth wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:37 am Interesting!

I'm gonna bet the cedar matting he describes is woven bark, something like these:

As his departure point is Wrangell and it's the local tribes he recruits I think you may be right on the mark there. Very interesting considering the fellow in question took just the mat and a blanket it must insulate reasonably well.

https://www.alaskafloatsmyboat.com/beac ... alaska-ma/

Potentially waterproof if woven tightly enough too.

Elleth wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:37 am
I can't say I recall seeing something exactly like what he describes when I was in Alaska (maybe caedmon has?) but that's a common crafting technique both in AK Native material culture and also I think Northeast Woodland cultures.

I live to far north for cedar, but I have some Tlingit friends, I'll check with them. Most basketry/weaving in this area was made from plaited spruce roots.

The sausage described is also nothing that I've heard of in local cultures. Though I'm rather interested, I'll investigate that as well.

caedmon wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 5:30 pm I live to far north for cedar, but I have some Tlingit friends, I'll check with them. Most basketry/weaving in this area was made from plaited spruce roots.

The sausage described is also nothing that I've heard of in local cultures. Though I'm rather interested, I'll investigate that as well.

If it's of any assistance at all the tribe Muir encounters who share the aforementioned items are the Hoona.
Quite interested to hear what you find.