Could bean vines have been humanity's first textile plant?

Fibers and 2-plyed yarn

We have just returned from a winter in northern Laos, a country blessed with minority peoples like Khmu and Akha who still use the ancient technique of making textiles from bean vines. A species in the legume family Fabaceae which have in common that they develop fruits which are colloquially called pods, legume, peas or beans. The family consists of about 20,000 species and the distribution is worldwide. Perhaps the most common in Europe is the kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) which also contains strong and tough fibers. Within genus Pueraria are P. phaseoloides and P. lobata both wild perennials native to Eastern Asia with several common names like tropical kudzu, and in Laos pied, piet or simply jungle vine. One of the earliest archaeological textile finds in China from 4,000 BCE is reportedly made from P. lobata and if this is the case, Pueraria is among humanity's first used fiber plants. Economically and culturally important since prehistoric times, its textiles became part of taxation in China, and as such there were specified standard measurements for both length and weight.

Akhas in Laos selling cloths and bags of jungle vin

Jungle vine fibers have a high ability to absorb dyes and since the vines are free of natural adhesives, it is easier to free them from woody stem tissue than in hemp, flax or nettle. Since the vines do not branch much and grow up to several meters, they produce long and continuous fibers that are free from breaking points. However, like banana fibers they have no real binding ability, so the yarn is formed in the same way by rolling or twisting the fiber ribbons against the thigh into a thread, a new fiber ribbon attached, and twisted together to create long strands. Finally, the two strands are twisted together into a strong and even 2-ply yarn. If it is to be used as weaving yarn, it should be more loosely twisted, or the fiber ribbons are simply left untwisted.

Dyed jungle vine yarn

Today, wild plants are uncommon in textile production, but here we have an ancient genus that is still used in considerable quantities for the manufacture of strong and elastic knotted bags, the shoulder straps are woven. The jungle vine tradition is much alive in Laos today, and many different vines likely served as fiber sources in Europe long ago.

This net-bag is made 1990s by the Akha-people in Yunnan, China. See following page: https://www.skoglundclarke.com/product-page/striped-satchel-of-djungel-vine-piet