The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-03-13
INDIAN
NATIONAL
DISHES
SOFKY BOWL AND All
PUSKY BAG RAPIDLY
DISAPPEARING
NOURISHlNG AND
HEALTH SUSTAINING
4--- ~ ) Risl
White Pioneers Learned the
Value of This Ia
dian Food e
Special to Daily Leader.

opeclhl 20 Dally Leauer.
Muskogse. l. T.. March 13.-Tho
sofky bowl and the ahpusky bag are
rapidly disappearing from the Five
Civilized Tribes. and the national
food OF the household and the Indian
warrior on the trail is passing as The
white man and his mere varied foods
supersede the primitive Indian cns.
tomr.
Even since the Ind,rn was forced
from his home IN the Southwestern
states and came west of the Missis
sippi river. and up 10 less than de
ade ago. no Indian fireside was with
out its sofky pot, and no Indian start
ed Oh journey without his skin has
flllcd with ahpusky Sofky was tn,
Creek indian food; in the Cherokee
nation 1t Is called connoha, and in the
Choctaw and Chiekasaw 1t Is iomf +.
la. II differs slightly i'm the making
In the difrerent nations. iEst as the
same dishes do when prepared by diff
ferent chefs. but the Soflxy of the
Creek nation Is the standard.
Softly is made of select corn. III
tie lye, sprinkiing of clean wooC
ashes. The proper kind of corn re
sembles popcorn in that the ears ar,
long and slender and the grains are
small and fiinty When this corn 1.
not available common maize is used
The corn Is obtained when It Is barrel,
ripe enough to she'll Tho grains arr
soaked in water just long enough Il
make the otter skin peel easily. ]
Is then dried aud pcunded In c NOR
tar, nutil IL resembles coarse grits
Is then placed in a coarsS sitter mad
of cane, and the chaff and broken kei
nels are separated by using turkc,
wing as fan. An Indian woman Il
very deXtrous with one Of these sii
tefs.
| With q peculiar motion she keep.
he sitter moving SO that all the chat
| gathers on one sid and the broker
| kernels on the other Then withou
brealling the motion. she tips the sil
| Ter and the chdff falls to the 9roun,
md the grits remain Tie sofky grit.
sre then placed in large open
! noathed earthern jar and boiled fc
i've or six hugrs. a little lye Is adde,
o prevent fermcn iation and to Civ,
| tcid flavor. Wood ashes are also D.
| n the mixture. Several gallons o
sofky are usually made at one time
depending on the size OF the family
| After the soflSy Is cooked il IS banked
the ashes to kesp IL warm Some
prefer Il cold, however, and there az,
usually two sofky pots, one warm
| md the other cold. Water is adde.
as desired The broth Is drawn OF
rom time to time, and makes a yer.
nolrshing sodp which the Indian
consider an excellent dish,
The soflsy pot is elways ready. an,
whenever a visitor arrives he is IN
yited TO eat. This Is ON the theor,
that whenever an Indian Is travelling
le is hlngry and he usually is. In
lians like soflSy. but II is an acquires
st with The white man. Whit,
persons who have lived long anon
indians learn 10 like sofky. and priz
| { is o food. II is eaten from larg
wooden bowls with wooden spoons
These bowls and spoons are now d,
iomng rare. The Indians have cease
o make them. Neither are the eartl
nware pots made now The art O
pottery making seems TO have bee
ost BY them. and a sofky pot in goo,
ondition is now highly prized Tn
iifters wsre sometimes made of dos
wood when cane could not be secured
For a feast dish the Indians some
lines add ngts to the sofSey when 1
$ making, in stead Of lye. This make
A very rich food. aud Il MIST be eater
Immediately or Il spoils.
4 Ahpaskey is made very similar 4
ofkey- II corresponds with The COZ
lansed milk OF civilization. Com
aiken when il Is not quite hard. shell
ID and placed la a pot where il i
lalV d until brown. II Is then place
mortar and pounded until It :
coarse meal Maple sugar an,
wood asihes are added. The nutritiog.
nalitles of this food are remarkable
yhcn an indian travelled he alway
nried a skin has filled with ahpus
10y The skin kept the moisture out
brave can live GA ahpuskey TO