Primitive Tule Sleeping Mat

The tule plant (Schoenoplectus acutus) is native to freshwater wetlands of North America and can be eaten and used for many handicrafts and construction projects. Primitive and native cultures used and still use this versatile plant for food and making tule boats, homes, mats, baskets, clothing and much more. In the fall the tule leaves begin to die and this is the perfect time to collect the leaves for projects. In this video I use dry tule leaves to weave a simple but comfortable roll-up sleeping mat.

First I cut the leaves in sections about one meter long. I then bundled four together and used cordage I made from yucca whipplei leaves to do a simple over / under weave to bind the bundles together. The first weave was in the middle of the leaves until I had formed a mat over 1.5 meters long. I then did a weave near the ends for a total of three weaves. The finished mat can easily be rolled up and stored against the wall when not in use.

At the end of the video you see me eating a seed pod. That is the edible pod of the mesquite tree which I collected nearby. Then you see me putting new adobe bricks on the rocket stove to fix the damage caused by vandals. This time I made it stronger!

Thank you for watching! I really appreciate you all!

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Camera: Nikon D7200
Sound: Zoom H4N
Editing: Final Cut Pro X on MacBook Air
Location: California, USA

Music credits:

Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400021
Artist: http://incompetech.com/