Lauren Bussiere, head of collections at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL) at UT-Austin, is studying more than 800 fiber artifacts collected in West Texas almost a century ago. The items were excavated in the 1930s from five caves in the Rustler Hills, about 70 miles northeast of Van Horn in Culberson County. The collection includes sandals, nets and bits of cordage.
Bussiere is measuring the items and noting details of how they were woven. She is also working to identify the plants used to make the fibers. She said the project is also opening new connections between TARL and the descendants of the people who made the artifacts.
The collection includes a child's sandal about 6 inches long. Bussiere said she wants to learn whether signs of a beginner's work appear in the small sandals. The nets, which were probably used to catch rabbits, are tied with a knot that archeologists have also found around the world. TARL holds more than 50 million artifacts.