Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-02-13
SEEDS FOR HUMAN DIET.
SOME CURIOUS ONES THAT
ARE EATEN BY PEOPLE.
sayRGes Find Sources of Food supply
Where Civilized People WOuld
starve - Mesquite Bread
-seaweed Cakes.


OF human beings.
Acorns form an important article Of
diet among many Of the tribes OF In
dams. They are bruised into meal .
and made into dough for bread. The (.
meal is usually soaked preliminarily
in water TO take away its bitter taste.
Acorns are stored away in trees by
woodpeckers, and in times of scarcity
the natives rob these deposits.
Many kinds OF grass seed arc used
TO make -four for bread and much OF
excellent quality. Along the rivers in
Colorado and Arizona grass seeds are
collected in large quantities. and sup
ply a much valued winter food for the
Indians. They are ground into -four,
mixed with water into a dough, and
cakes of the latter are baked in the
hot sand.
Sunhower seeds OF several species
afford staple article OF diet among
the Indians Of Southern Utah and else
where. They are ground and some
times mixed with greasy marrow from
the bones OF animals for baking in the
ashes.
In Southern California the Indians
make bread from the pods Of a legu-
minous plant called mesquite. A
squaw pounds the pods fine in a
wooden mortar Then she takes from
her head her conical hat and sprinkles
little water inside Of il. Next she
sprinkles little meal in the hat then
little more water, again little more
meal. and so alternately until the hat
is full. This accomplished, she exposes
the hat and its contents TO the sun
until the mixture is baked into a solid
loaf
IN Southern Utah grape seeds are
ground into meal for food and palm
seeds are similarly treated by the In
diaus Of Southern California. The
Quepaw Indians in Arkansas extract
/ the meats OF black walnuts and mix
them with corn for bread. Gourd
seeds are parchod Drowned and made
/ into mush by the Indians of Arizona,
| Pine nuts contribute Importantly to
/ the food OF many tribes OF Indians.
| The diggerS who are the LATEST OF
| savagcs. save themselves trouble in
4 the collecting OF these 'pinions" by
| kindling fires against the trees which
cause the nuts to fall out OF the cones,
while sweet gum eXudes from the
bark. serving their uses for sugar
Sayages find many sources Of food
supply where civilized people would
starve, In Utah the flowers OF the
cat tells. which bloom in the spring
are regarded as deliCacy either raw
or cooked Boiled they make a very
good soup. California Indians make
bread from the pollen OF cat tails,
which they collect in large quantities
~ beating il of from the plants and
catching it on blankets.
Indians of the northwest coast sub
sist largely upon cakes OF seaweed
prepared by pressing and drying in
the sun. They also cut this seaweed
very fine and mix il with the grease
OF the candle fish. thus composing q
repulsivc oily mess which they relish
greatly. Seawced cakes of the sort
described are also made by the Chinese
and shipped in considerable quantitie:
10 China.
Several species of wild clover ar,
eaten by tho Indians of North Americ;
generally. When the blossoms APP
pear whole villages may be seen squat
ted in the clover meadows pluckin2
and eating the flowers 70 safety. Th,
latter are used for cooking also.
Along the Columbia river Il kind o
bread is made from n moss that grow:
on tho spruce-iir tree. This moss i
prepared by placing it in heaps
sprinkling il with water and permit
ting il to torment Then il is rollc'
into balls as big as mans head, ans
these are baked in pits
There is species of scaweed
kind Of kelp. which the Indians o
Alaska are very fond Of chewing. l
is rs tough as leather and one piec
will last man who has good teeth 70
a whole day. These Indians have a,
interesting fashion OF collecting her
ring eggs They weave mattresses o
cedar twigs and sink them with stone
into the water. The fish deposit thei
spawn upon the twigs and it is subse
ouently. collected and dried.
The root Of sort of turnip is use
by the Indians of Tennessee for n yer
curious purpose namely, to cure dog
from the habit of eating eggs. Thi
root has very hot and biting flavor
and d small portion Of ii is put into a
) egg which is placed in the dogs way
7 After swallowing it hastily and with
!. out consideration, the animal neve
,, will touch another egg.
! Indians are fond Of the larvae {
many insects and they do not despis
slugs as an article of food. Roaste
5 crickots are favorite diet with then
particularly in California and Utal
; Grasshoppcrs furnish many tribes wit
Q large part of their subsistence. III
4 usual mode OF preparing them is
! dig pit smaller at the top than b,
low. Some heated stones are put INF
. the pit and quantity of the gras
Peppers thrown upon them. The
some moro hot stones are put in ~
other layer of grasshoppers, and