Fingerweaving is a technique used to weave straps and sashes without the aid of a loom. It is a bit of a misnomer; rather than weaving, textile experts such as Noemi Speiser (1983) classify it as 'braiding'. As a term it was coined long ago and is firmly planted in several North American cultures. These include the French population in Quebec, several indigenous groups, and the Metis, who are the descendants of a mixing of French and indigenous peoples. The basic method of fingerweaving also appears around the world. An article published by the Braid Society in Strands (Owen 2006) traces oblique interlaced braids from the Baltics, through Eastern Europe and into Asia. The technique is also in evidence in pre-Columbian North America. According to the seventeenth-century journal of Fr. Jacques Marquette, who was exploring along the Mississippi: 'Everywhere we were presented with belts, garters, and other articles made of the hair of bears and cattle (bison) dyed red, yellow, and gray' (Jesuit Relations, June 17,1673). Chevron patterned sashes have been attributed to several North American Plains groups, if displays at the Chicago Field Museum are to be trusted.
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