The Feast Of The Southeast
Introduction
Native Americans were important people. They gave modern people ideas for modern things and ideas. In this paper you will learn about the food the southeast tribes ate, you will learn about hunting, fishing, gathering and about the Green Corn Ceremony. The southeast people lived in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina. So tribes of the southeast lived in the area of the Gulf of Mexico. The southeast is warm all year and gets lots of rain through the warm times. The tribes that lived in southeast area are the Creek, Natchez, Tunica, Caddo, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Pohatan, Yuchi, Calusa, Catawba, and the Seminole. The time you’re going learn about is about five hundred years ago, before European contact.
Hunting and Fishing
Hunting and fishing were really important to Native Americans, because it gave them food skins and furs! Hunting was very interesting because it was more than just killing. There were hunting ceremonies and hunting tools. Fishing was really interesting, too, because there were so many different ways to catch fish. The southeast hunted buffalo, deer, bear, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese, and elk. To kill birds the native people of the southeast used a blow gun (a ten foot long hollow stick, when you blow throw it wooden darts come out). To kill animals people of the southeast used traps. Others used bows and arrows. The fish the native people of the southeast caught were catfish, perch, bass, crappie, sunfish, suckers, mussel and crayfish. The native people of the southeast caught their fish in many different ways. A few ways they caught their fish are using hooks and lines, spears, traps, nets (which would be hand woven), box traps, and bows and arrows. Some people of the southeast used a mixture of green walnuts that made the fish come into shallow water. Before hunters went on a big hunt the Cherokee tribe held a hunting ceremony. The Cherokee did many dances for many animals including beavers, bears, raccoons, and buffalos. The bear dance was a favorite dance. This might have been because the Cherokee believed that bears had once been a human. Before a Cherokee hunter kills an animal it prays to the animal’s spirit to ask permission to kill the animal. As you can see Native Americans got a lot of their food from hunting and fishing. The native Americans didn’t only eat meat and fish they also ate plants, fruits and vegetables.
Gathering
The food that the Native Americans farmed and gathered was very important. They gathered a lot of food. Sometimes the Native Americans seasoned their meat and fish with the food they grew. The women gathered the food but the men farmed the food. The native people of the southeast gathered many things. Here are some of the things the southeast grew: Roots, seeds, nuts, fruits, mushrooms, herbs, bird eggs, corn, beans, squashes, gourds, melons, tobacco, wild onions, peaches, plums, berries, acorns, hickory nuts, wild greens, persimmons, wild potatoes, strawberries, and honey. The Native Americans made a lot of their food from plants. The sassafras root could make a tea. Many plants could make medicines. Some tribes knew a hundred different plants that could make medicines. The Helper of the Creek tribe treated hurt/sick with a leaf and bark mixture. This mixture could be smoked, rubbed on the body or could be made into a drink. The mixture is called kinnikinnick. Some tribes grew wild rice. The wild rice ripened in the fall. The tribes would have wild rice camps. They would arrive at the camps before the wild rice ripened. The night before the wild rice harvest the tribes gave tobacco to the gods. You’re probably wondering how the Native Americans stored their food, the women dried their food by using a fire or the sun. Corn was a big dish. They mashed corn into meal and flavored it with berries and nuts. They made corn dumplings and a corn drink. They liked corn so much they had a whole holiday for corn, the Green Corn Ceremony.
The Green Corn Ceremony
The Green Corn Ceremony was an amazing holiday that involved corn. People came together to eat and play games. The Green Corn Ceremony started when the first corn ripened in the summer. The Green Corn Ceremony lasted a few days long. People forgave one and the other for crimes and fights. The men drank a tea called black drink. It cleaned the men’s body. They danced and played music with drums and rattles. The woman wore turtle shells on their legs and danced around a fire. The Green Corn Ceremony marked the beginning of the New Year. They cleaned the town and fasted. They also play a game of lacrosse. The Green Corn Ceremony was a big holiday. They had lots of fun. This is a great holiday and a fun part of a southeast native person’s life.
Conclusion
Native Americans are so interesting in so many ways. Even though I only studied food of the southeast, I want to study shelter and clothing now that I know how wonderful the southeast Native Americans are. I was so sad to stop reading in books and start writing, but in a few days I thought writing my paragraphs was the most fun thing. I think this the most fun project ever. I really loved that Native Americans have holidays just like us. When I was researching I found out that Native Americans did crimes. I wondered what kind of crimes. I think Native Americans lived a better life than me and this world, because they grow their own food and didn’t use energy and this proves that people could live a life with only things from nature. The Native Americans worked to make their food. They worked to make their own clothing. I think that we should follow Native Americans and make this a respectful peaceful world starting with bringing home our army from Iraq and Afghanistan.
