Rushes (Tule or Cattail) once grew in the swampy lowlands along a creek that ran past St Ann’s Academy and into James Bay, just to the north of Thunderbird Park. Songhees and Esquimalt women used these rushes to make mats that served many purposes, such as bedding, food steamers, house dividers, and covers to protect canoes from drying out and splitting.

This rush mat was collected on the Old Songhees Reserve in 1898. RBCM: 326

To make mats, Tule stems were laid side by side, alternating from top to bottom. Using thread made from Stinging Nettles, they were either twined or sewn together with a long needle made from spirea wood. RBCM: 10291 c

A mat creaser with a grooved bottom was run along the edge of the needle while it was piercing the Tule. It creased the area around the hole made by the needle, thus preventing it from splitting further. RBCM: 2908

This mat creaser is in the form of a duck. RBCM: 7092