Spinning is the twisting process by which short fibrous materials are combined into longer, stronger structures such as string or yarn. Thigh-spinning and spindle-spinning are two ethnographically documented methods used to create yarns in eastern North America. Despite the existence of fine yarns 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 yarns to determine a set of yarn properties that distinguish them from one another.
Yarns were produced for the study by experienced thigh-spinners and spindle-spinners. To ensure that the yarns studied would represent yarns made with materials available in eastern North America, bast fibers were collected from common milkweed and Indian hemp, both indigenous fiber plants. Yarns were also made with commercially available flax fibers. Production of experimental yarns afforded opportunities to explore additional areas of inquiry, including fiber production rate, yarn production rate, and yarn quality.
Twist angle, surface fiber arrangement, and cross-sectional fiber arrangement were properties used to characterize yarns made by the two spinning methods. These properties were chosen because they can be measured in a minimally destructive manner. Yarn twist, expressed as singles yarn twist angles, proved to be the most promising yarn feature for differentiating thigh- and spindle-spun yarns. The surface fiber arrangements were useful for visual identification of spinning method, and the cross-sections showed differences in yarn structure. These 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 yarn formation. Although developed with the Mississippian textiles from 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 yarn production rate as well as quality-related properties such as tensile strength and yarn irregularity provided insight into the roles of the two spinning technologies in the broader contexts of time use and textile manufacture.