Stinging Needles

Roll in a patch of stinging nettle and you’ll think it’s a spelling mistake. Nettle’s stinging needles, as wispy as whiskers, are hollow and filled with formic acid which can cause burning, even blistering. Though aboriginal medicinal uses were various, the principle technological use was as a source of hemp-like fibre for making thread and string. Stalks were picked late in the year when prickles had largely dropped off. Fibres were separated by rubbing or beating and then spun into thin threads. Those in turn could be braided to form thicker, stronger twine for weaving fine cloth, making fish nets and fishing line and, rarely, string bikinis.

Illustration by Manami Kimura

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