St. Landry democrat., 1893-01-21

COVllIc, WHO StlFCA do w
| v tanist for the recent Deaf
Valley expedition sent on
by the Department of Agriculture, tell
many interesting things about the In
dians of the great desert region there
about. For, strange as 1t may seem
people do live there, though the casua
observer would not suppose that an.
human being could find means of sub
sistence in such hopeless land of torrit
drought. Those who are not familiar
with such country can imagine an ap
parently unlimited plain, devoid of tree:
| and grass, without streams or springs
but provided with vegetation of cactus
and scattered low shrubs of crossword
and creosote bush. Nor does closer Ill
! spection render the prospect more at
tractive, inasmuch as all the shrubberJ
! is either woody and indIgestible or res
! inous and rank both il smell and taste
There appear to be no ANIMALS but liz
! ards and occasional rattlesnakes anC
sometimes an abundance of hungry look
ing jack rabbits.
In short, the first necessaries of If:
! seem to be wanting, and this state 0
affairs exist not for one mile only, mol
fer ten miles, but for hundreds. The
question Immediately suggests itself, by
what means and from what sources uu-
familiar to civilized human beings dc
the Indians who spar5ely settle this in,
hospitable region find food for their sup
port? As matter of fact, the point
with them is not to determine what viii
furnish the best food, but what will pro-
vide them with any fool. The most
urgent need conpels them to seek s,,s-
tenance from sources which would never
occur to the civilized man as available.
Where he would find himself confronted
with inevitable starvation, they manage
to survive and doubtless to enjoy life in
their own fashion. {
Some Of these people actually live in
Death Valley, OR rather on the mountain
slope which descends to the valley. They
have some small patches of ground I'M
der crude irrigation and cultivation, the
crops they raise beng corn, potatoes,
squashes and watermelens. OF the last
they are particularly fond, aud the des-
crt climate is admirably suited TO their
growth. However, the cultivation of
plants furnishes them neither with sure
nor an adequate food supply. Their ami
NAL food consists rincipally of jack rab
bits, cotton-tail rabbits and ouaiIs, oc.
casional!y mountain sheep OF deer, and
sometimes wood rats, kangaroo rats,
white. footed mice and large lizard
known as the "chucHanara." Unfor
tunately, they are seldom able to OBJ
tain any of these i'll abundance and are
compelled to rely mainly on various in
digenous TODD plants.
Mr.. Coville gives description in the
American Anthropolo3st OF several Gu
rious indigenous vegetable products
which these Indians find useful for food.
One of the most important is the pine
nut The trees grow abuudantly in the
mountains, and in early autumn, after
the seeds have ripened, but before the
cones have let fall the seeds or nuts, the
cones are beaten from the trees, gathered
IN baskets aud spread out on a smooth
piece of ground, exposed to the heat of
the sun. The cones soon become dry
and crack apart, when the seeds are
shaken out by blows from stick or the
more persistent ones ratified out by hand.
The empty cones are then removed from
the ground and the seeds gathered in
baskets. Large quantities of pine nuts
are thus collected, aud most of them are
cached in dry places among the rocks
for use during the year. They are said
to remain fresh and edible for several
years if properly stored.
are put into the basket with some live
Goals and shaken or stirred until
roasted. In this condition
pine nuts are sold in the markets of
California and other Western States, just
like peanuts in the East. The roasted
seeds, after removing them from their
thin shells, may be munchcd entire Or
ground in wooden mortar with stone
pastel and eaten dry or made into soup.
The seeds OF many other plants, indeed
of almost all that arc not poisonous, arc
also used. All Of them are roasted.
With the harder ones the pulverizing is
accomplished by grinding them between !
two stones. The common sand grass of
the desert produces au abundance of
seed and is largely employed. In gather
ing it the sqnaw carries in one hand a
small basket and in the other a paddle
made of wickerwork, somewhat resem-
bling tennis racket. With this she
beats the grass seed punches over the
basket. Finally the seeds are ground,
the chaff being winnowed or sifted out.
A large, round-headed cactus, known
Is the ''devil's pincusbiop," grows in
:ocky soil throughout the desert. The
seeds are we'll protected among the
;pipes and inclosed in white woolly cap
;ules.] These are pried out with sticks,
broken open and emptied of the seeds.
This cactus is specially serviceable to
he Indians, as its seeds remain fresh
md edible until spring, when most
'ther sources of supply have failed, The
eeds of the joint pine are roasted and
ground and the -four is made into Bit
er bread. Berries aud such fruits are
are in the desert, and only one is known
o be edible. 1t looks like minute
omato and is dried for making into a
aush or soup, which does not require
cooking. Prickly pears of one species
urnish food also. In early summer the
lew joints, buds, blossoms and imma-
ure fruit are swollen with sweet sap.
they are broken off with clubs and
objected in large baskets. The barbed
rickles are removed ami the fragments,