The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-10-18
DIGGER INDIAN FARE.

Butter Made from the Larvae of Bugs,
Gnats and Grasshoppers.
'NO acOrns, no Indiansr' senten-
tiously said Chief Bonnell, the Gap
lain of the remnant of the Yosemite
tribe. In his rude and imperfect form
Of speech the chief without following
substantially said:
The acorn crop of this valley has
been failure for the past five years.
Whenever the crop is failure in this
ralley the crop is bOuntiful on the
coast range, and when it is large there
it is sparse here" No explanation can
De given of this seeming popularity.
only that it ''just happens So" The
Mono and other Indians that frequented
this valley to gather the acorn crop
come no more, and have abandoned
this lovely vale to bowling tourists and
professional sight-seers. Through the
kindness of the chief l was shown
through his small camp of a few huts
and perhaps twenty-five or thirty fol-
lowers of tribe that a few years ago
numbered more than one thousand.
Though the acOrns have disappeared,
the teaches" or store baskets remain.
These baskets are queerly, if not won
derfully made, being twelve and half
by three feet, and placed on a
platform four feet from the
ground. The sides are formed of
bushes interlaced with pine boughs in-
verified, the needles of which prevent
squirrels from climbing up, and also
conduct the rain downward on the out
side. The top is rooted with pine bark
and made water-tight. The acOrns
are stored here and preserved during
winter for future use, just as the wood
pecker drives the acorn in the holes
he drills in the pine trees. 1t is both
interesting and amusing to see the
squaws prepare the frugal meal of
gather the acorns in small baskets
the more worms in the acOrns the bet
ter they are relished. Each acorn is
placed on its particular end and hit on
the head with pebble, which opens
it, separating the bark from the kernel;
then the acorn is spread on rock to
dry. after which the women grind the
acorns into meal by means of mortar
and pestle, something like druggists
mix compounds for the disOrganization
of the stomach of the pale face. In
the meantime the bucks have built a
fire surrounded ~ rocks. which are
made a white heat" The meal is
poured in water-tight basket, and
the white-heated rocks are dropped in.
The water is not permitted to boil, but
is hot enough to cook the meal. The
stuff is stirred like Cruel until it as
sumes thickness like paste. A hole
is ''scooped" into the bed of a stream
and water permitted to run over it.
This removes the tannin, or bitter
taste. and although a little sand ad-
heres to the cake it does not seem to
make much difference.
The butter used for this bread is
also very primitive, and is. perhaps,
the origin of the manufacture of our
oleomargarine. W hen foam forms on
the margin of Mirror Lake it is COW
cred with flies and other insects, which
make it thick with larvae and pupae.
The women and children-always the
women and children-skim off this
scum of living and dead insects, wash
away the foam in fresh water, and
thus they have good, fresh butter.
Butter is also made of gnats and grass
hoppers. The grasshoppers are caught,
threaded on strings and filed away for
future use until they become a little
mellow. as in green state they are
considered too rich for the red man 9
blood. The grasshoppers are caught
by forming a line of women and chill
dred and driving them into a ditch dug
by the women and children. Some
times, when an impromptu meal is
wanted. the grass is set on fire, and
the jumping grasshopper is not only
caught, but is cooked at the same time.
Cor. Los Angeles (Cal.) Times.