A wild guess here, but I think it may be a stretcher or trailer to haul heavy or bulky items by hand or to be pulled by a mule or goat. For instance, a battlefield medic would need to have a lightweight item to help haul the wounded to safety that was easy to pack. I don't have measurements to go on and it doesn't look very big, but in a pinch it could help drag a soldier or warrior to safety. This would not be used over long distances but for short distances in the field. In the alternative it could be used to haul harvested grasses, herbs, and foodstuffs over a leafy forest floor where it would not encounter as much wear as one might think.

Primitives are usually made on the spot for a particular purpose or need. There is no catalog to tell you what it is by model number, so you must try to get into the head of the maker/user. A particular feature is the slatting or stringing. Why was it done this way? Slats are lighter in weight than a solid board and allow for air to circulate. What other reasons can you think of for this feature? Was there simply a shortage of wood planks? Beyond that, what kind of toolmarks are there on it and how was it made?

If the end piece is in a slot that is obviously for removal (rather than tenoned) it may be something to do with drying herbs, grasses, or hides with the end piece of wood being used as a clamp of sorts to hold material. The 2 end sticks(handles in the prior scenario above) might be set into matching holes vertically or horizontally to make a rack to dry and shape textile materials, herbs, or even hides perhaps. It could be a washboard, drying rack or strainer for some purpose, such as a still for moonshining or to gather material from water like a net (ie cranberry harvesting, etc.)

When evaluating primitives care must be taken to not make assumptions without attributable knowledge. What is the context- found in a wall in a pre Civil war era house? Verify the age of the house, then try to determine when the items were holed up in the wall, using the latest datable material as the absolute earliest date of last use (a lost penny perhaps.) The object in question could be of the period made by the inhabitants, or could have been made or acquired much earlier. What was the object found with and is the object whole as presented? Do the objects appear to have any relation to each other or do they seem randomly put away? Are they made of the same materials? What activites took place at that house? Old city or county directories or Census tracts could help here. Sanborn maps might also provide useful data.

Look at the species of wood and they type of string. Are the species indigenous to the immediate area at the time in question? Earlier? If not indigenous then what is the nearest area and time frame where it was indigenous? Would that be in the same place and time that prior inhabitants of the house came from before? What is the string made of? Wool? Cotton? Vines & grasses? Bark fibres? Animal hide, sinew or guts? Who would have the skills or materials to make it and a need for it?

My gut tells me your object is not Native American, but made by a settler anytime up to the 1930s. And I may be utterly wrong. I am no expert by any stretch, I just paid attention in anthropology class. It is likely that someone in the area has seen one of those before and knows what it is for. Likewise a similar object in another area may be used for an entirely different purpose. However, experts conclusions are only as good as the data available to them at the time. As new information becomes available and knowledge is shared old "knowledge" is updated to accomodate new findings.

I would start at the local library or museum that may have something to offer on local primitive culture and lifeways.
If that yields nothing I would contact some of the dealers in primitives who have experts on material cultures to draw from. Skinner auctions at www.skinnerinc.com handles primitive and tribal items. Pook & Pook auctions deals in early Americana and colonial items. Someone at either auction house would surely be able to help if you send them photos. Good luck and let us know what you find out. I love a good mystery.

A Moser