| Title | Artificial Matts |
| Origtitle | Indian Charnel House |
| Caption | Detail of White drawing of "artificial matts" used in dwelling construction. |
| Source | 1964 John White Edition |
| Date | 1585-86 |
| Creator | John White |
| Type | Watercolor |
| Origin | Scan of 1964 UNC Edition of drawings |
| Notes | Harriot describes the houses as "in most townes couered with barkes, and in some with artificial matts made of long rushes, from the tops of the houses downe to the ground". White's inscription on the plate "Indian Village of Pomeiooc" describes houses, "couered and enclosed some with matts, and some with barcks of trees. All compassed about with small poles stock thick together instedd of a wall." |
Artificiall matts – This phrase occurs on pg. 759 in the section on the “natural inhabitants” of the New World. The word “artificiall” at this time carries only the meaning of “man-made,” perhaps with overtones of “made with art or skill” (see OED def. I. 1. a. and III. 8.). The OED cites Hariot’s use of this phrase in its entry on “artificial.” The mats Hariot refers to were actually a form of roofing for the Native American homes he encountered on Roanoke. See pg. 759 of the Hakluyt text. - Matt