The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-30

cid hereditary disincllnation stu oliBgB 10.
many OF them In this day.
The Pawnees and Otoes and Piegans.
the great tribes Of tho plains, grew corn
Of three or four varieties, the most popular
being a long blue cared variety that does
not appeal TO the expaTtB. II was most
priced when roasted. They did not despiee
the suooulent buffalo meat. and often cooked
it with 0QuABhes and beans OF q Bemi-Niid
variety. The pumpkin and the watermelon
were not unknown to these Indians. Tine
trepsin. or prairie tuTnip, was another
dellcaoy that the reds ate both cooked
and raw. Choke cherries, pounded up and
dried and carried in sacks, was another
favorite trave food. Mi0ed with pemfntoan
as q substitute for the melted fat, it Savo 2
delicaoy Of equal nutritive value and ufahoh
pleasRnter to the taste.
The popular idea Of the Indian a. q most
improvident fellow. one week feeRting
and tho next on the verge Of famine. 10
did take much stock in the simple life idea.
and his nomadic habits prevented him from
becoming the tiller of the soil and tlle storer
Of it's products, but in a rude, uneysternati0
way he did his best to take advantage Of tho
lessons Of experienoo in the matter Of food
supply.
raised beans, corn n squashes n dried
them for winter use. Among the others
berries and roots were dried in season and
q ~ va NN1SH Is bA0ah 1@N
out the lair of the camas. a blue Powered
plant of the tulip variety, and with sharp
three pointed sticks turned up andEpeared
the bulbs that form it's -oot. They would
also search out the WILD berTiee, tear of
the bearing shrubs and heat them over q
buffalo hide, which they used 10 catch the
dropping berries. These they dried in the
sun, sewed up in woven grass bashels and
cached.
To cache the food was not to hide il from
the GiUht If unnanf in fhpae HnvS m tplnHN
the basket or skins up in tho treetops in
plain sight. Here the insect0 and animals
could not reach the contents and the men
IND wome who travelled past never would
steal them. IL was the III writtep law OF
the Indian Country that only when a mar
was besat with hunger that he was unable
otherwise - dsauaKr niioiiid fv hziF himself
to cached food. aud then he was always
welcome 10 do SO.
The Apachcs ana otner southern tribes
had the roofs OF the cactus n the mesoul
plant 10 draw upon. and other roots grew
in different parts of the West. Th9 nj
tain tribes invaded the comnon hunting
grounds OF the plains at the season when the
buffalo was fat and the skiilg in the best
condition for their rude tanning. In their
own hunting grounds they hsh dssr, clk.
bears, wild sheep and goats as a supply TO
draw from for their dried goods: The
tribes that lived along the lakes and coast
were fishers. Cr'in the Northwest wEere
NhO DlAAIOAA bhAlN tAA AAsbh " 6ONN1 III
Of food, the Indians we're on hand when the
llsh were running. These they caught
and dried in tho sun. The boys added to
the supply by trapping small animals
In Nevada and Utah the jackrabbit was
not a despised article of food supply. In
the mountains sweet acorns and pine nuts
were gathered.
Most Indian cooking utensils were OF
earthenware. pottery being a trade followed
in most Of the tribes. Save among the
Puehlos and a few others this pottery
was Of q very rude and upgraceful type,
but it was useful Plates we're made of
buffalo horn sewcd together: Ladies.
spoons and bowls were either Of wood or
horn, the wild sheep and goats furnishing
most Of the latter. Water was carried In
tight basketwore. while cups and buckets
were sometimes made OF the paunch Of the
buffalo.
The compact character Of pemmicap, OF
sofkey and ahpuskey and the other grain
foods that the Indians evolved made II
possible for them TO carry a long supply
on their canoe journeys also. Birch bark,
cedar and other woods were employed
for canoes by the Indians of mountain
and stream, but on the plains the sbull
This was made of buffalo hides and willow
branches. and while speed in them was not
possible they were safe and capable OF
carrying good sized loads.
Few Of these old foods can now be found.
The younger generations of Indians prefer
the white mans more varied cooking, but
the older ones cling TO the sofkey bowl
and the meat messes OF their youth.
Up till ten years ago these old customs
Of cookery were adhered to as strictly as
were matters of dress and ann They
are disappearing very rapidly, and 1t Is
even now a difficult task to get a taste
OF the old foods-by those who want them