Knots and twists, weaving hands at rest
The knot, so simple to do, so common, how did you learn to tie your first? We are going to offer here some of most important advances in man's history. That's right the skill, the development of tying a knot. Yes there are displays of man's many forms of weaving. The Pecos was very fortunate to find excellent samples of each of the crafts related to this new skill of man. But, as with any body of material being discussed, there are going to be a few items that seem to be left out. Not the big important ones, we squeeze them in, but the "ho hum" so what kind of items are these. I must remind myself that this is a museum of the results of man being human. And regardless of what other museums or staffs at great universities may display or write, the random thoughts of man are either overlooked or never recovered. At the Zueberbueler shelter, we encountered them constantly. Doodles, I have referred to them in the past, the proof of man the human hearing the inner self at work. The subconscious. No TV, no internet chat, no homework. Even the local cantina was a long time into the future. True the hunter spent many of this daylight hours feeding his family. The mother had her own responsibilities, as children were no less a duty then as now. But we need to keep in mind the day of early man was, then as now, 24 hours long. Those fortunate families today that are not enslaved to the TV, find many ways to employ their extra hours. The kids may entertain themself with games and crafts. With Dad it may be his tools and a new chair he longs to build. And Mothers just seem to naturally relax with their knitting. And man in the shelter? Well we have shown in the display on sandals there were crafts to be learned by the young. New points need to be shaped by the father, and mom, well kids were then as today, work. But even then as today the time not used was as now, "time on your hands". A what to do time? And as man often demonstrates today, man of yesterday doodled. We think little of doodling, some would say it's just idle hands finding something to do. Now, it can be shown at the shelter, it is the brain of man, hard at work. Over and over those that wish to demonstrate the feature that makes man, man human, is the brain of man. As the Pecos has argued in other papers in the library, it is not only the size of man's new brain, but his putting it to use. Today man can express the power of his brain in his writings, his skills expressed by his patents, and finally the final product of his thinking by the craft he creates. But early man had not the luxury of the book, the recorded data of his thinking, the power to save and express thoughts. Not unless he did it with his hands. His hands were the instrument of his brain's power. Not before the discovery of the Zueberbueler shelter have we had such a volume of material that tells us what man is thinking. For it is this thinking that has now identified man as man human. From the scores of small items recovered, I have selected several that clearly demonstrate man is looking for something that will express the subconscious thoughts of his brain. Along with these items there will be included a few artifacts that show how these little ideas were put to work. You may be in for a surprise, see if you recognize any of these from your subconscious. A word of warning, the majority of the items in this display are almost frivolous, at least when compared to the full weavings of mats, belts and sandals. The chance of ever finding them displayed in a world class museum is nil. Most would be overlooked, the desire to present you with million dollar discoveries is their number one priority. But for the Pecos, it's only a picture of man being human, not so unlike you and me. So let's get started with the "brain at work". After adding item after item to this display, the need was there to make the offer of a "Knot's at work and play". folds, twists, plus a few odds.
What about a display of the knots man used in his shelter?
Or if you would like to get back to the page on weaving
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