Several different materials were used to make ropes and bindings, but one of the most common and wide-spread would have been made from the fibers of Apocynum cannabinum. The early English colonists at Jamestown called the plant "silkgrass," though that name has fallen out of favor. Today it's more commonly known as "dogbane" or "Indian hemp." Its use in the production of hemp-like textiles is how it earned its specific epithet, "cannabinum," despite being unrelated to the true hemps of the Old World.

Hemp has very much always been around in the Americas. I pulled up two excerpts from an email from my father for some date reference points, I can email him to get actual sources if you need them.

-New York State archaeology study I came across a report of a partially cremated Indian burial containing a soft weave hemp fabric. This burial dates to about 900 AD and is from the White site located near the Chenango River in the Southern Tier of New York (near Binghamton}.

-another article that describes two different varieties of hemp used by the ancient Indians that date back to 650 BC. If you are interested I can email the report.