Moments of Enchantment; Prehistoric Human Hair Net

M -O -E, number 168, human hairnet. Moments of Enchantment brought to you by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs. Archaeologists were working under miserable conditions in a cave in southern New Mexico. Clouds of the blinding dust from ancient Batguano filled with air. But under the weak light of lanterns, the excavators worked on. Soon to find a prize unmatched in the world of archaeology. More in a moment. In 1960, a group of excavators working in a limestone cave in the Alamo Waco mountain south of Lordesburg found the most exceptional artifact of its kind in northern America, a huge hunting net woven entirely of dark brown human hair. The hairnet dates back to at least the year 1200. Its sheer size, together with the man hours that made it, are truly remarkable. More than a mile and a half of finely twisted human hair, twined into cords, went into the net.

When extended, the net covers an area measuring 800 square feet. The workmanship in the prehistoric hairnet is masterful. More than 16 ,000 feet of interwoven strands and some 20 ,000 perfectly spaced knots. The net was found neatly wrapped and folded, never used in a cave long known as a hunting shrine. Its exact age, as well as the people who made it, are unknown. However, pieces of pottery gating from the 1200s were found nearby, and many experts believe the hairnet to be even older. This human hairnet is one of the most dramatic artifacts at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe. To learn more about New Mexico's prehistory, visit the museum soon. Moments of Enchantment, brought to you by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs. For Moments of Enchantment, I'm David Griffin.