Tendons

In textile crafts and industry, tendons from large mammals were used for the production of strong threads, cords, reinforcements, and decorative elements, especially from:cattle (cows and bulls),horses, deer, and other large hoofed animals. These tendons were valued for their high strength, elasticity, and toughness. After cleaning and splitting into fine fibres, they were made into so-called “tendon threads” or “raw threads”, which were used for sewing leather, reinforcing traditional textiles, making bows, cords, straps, and for strengthening footwear and clothing. In some cultures, tendons were also used for musical strings and fishing lines. The most commonly used were tendons from the legs and back of cattle and horses, as these were the longest and strongest. In traditional societies (e.g. Native Americans, Siberian, northern, and steppe peoples), tendon threads were an essential part of textile and clothing production before the spread of modern fibres.