Although it is unknown what the Snuneymuxw mat creaser at the Burke Museum is made of, we know that they were commonly carved from Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) or Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum). Both trees were, and still are, commonly found in the Nanaimo area. Western Redcedar has been favoured by carvers on the west coast for thousands of years. It is a softwood, rot-resistant and easy to work with. Like Western Redcedar, Bigleaf Maple also has many uses. It is known as the "paddle tree" in many First Nations languages because it was the preferred tree for making canoe paddles. It was also used to make spindle whorls.

Tule and cattail grow at the edges of lakes, streams and in marshy or swampy ground. They are both commonly known as bulrush, but are from different botanical families. Tule (Schoenoplectus acutus) is a sedge and cattail (Typha latifolia) is in the cattail family.

Both cattails and tule are harvested in the late summer, when they are easiest to pick. They are tied in thick bundles and then laid out to dry in the sun. The mats are light, because the tule stems are light, but they are also insulating because of the spongy pithy centre of tule stems.

Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) provide the important raw material for the cordage to twine or sew together tule and cattail mats, as well as an all round excellent cord. In the fall the plants were harvested and dried, their leaves were removed, and their outer layers were pounded and labouriously worked into long fibres. These fibers were not only used in mat making, and blanket weaving, but for fish nets and many other purposes.