Traditionally, the webbing for Karuk dip nets was made from the Wild Iris plant. The gathering of the leaves and extraction of two fine silky fibers from each by means of an artificial thumb-nail of mussel shell was the work of women. The string was usually twisted and the nets always knotted by men. Now modern nylon twine is used.
Ernie Spinks taught himself how to weave netting in the traditional manner by examining old fiber nets. Here, he teaches the skill to young people of the Karuk community. The webbing for one net takes approximately 30 hours to complete.
