bushnell: the chitimacha Indians 303 



house. On the day this work was to be done all the people of 

 the village gathered, and the walls were completed between 

 sunrise and sunset. 2 The structures were either round or square, 

 and one, much larger than the others, is remembered to have 

 served as a meeting place for the men of the village. The fires 

 were made outside the house. Small shelters are said to have 

 been made of skins. 



FOOD 



Much food was smoked and so preserved for future use. The 

 method of smoking was this : Four poles were set up, extending 

 between three and four feet above the surface. These were 

 connected at the top by other poles or cords, and to the latter 

 were attached the pieces of meat, the fish, the ducks, and all 

 else that was to be smoked. The fire was made on the ground 

 between the four stakes and no particular kind of wood was 

 required. Many ducks were prepared in this manner, being 

 first skinned, thoroughly cleaned and opened on the back. 

 Everything was so well smoked as not to require more cooking 

 before being eaten. 



A hole was made in the ground (probably about the size of a 

 bushel basket) and filled with clams or oysters. These were 

 covered with a thin layer of sand or earth and a fire kindled 

 above. After a certain time the covering was scraped away 

 and the clams and oysters removed and eaten. Neither clams 

 nor oysters are known to have been smoked, they being always 

 plentiful and easily obtained. 



Corn was grown and was prepared in various ways. Often 

 it was pounded in a wooden mortar, then passed through a 

 sieve to separate the fine from the coarse particles. The fine 

 meal was mixed with water and allowed to remain over night 

 during which time it would ferment and become sour. The 

 following morning it would be boiled a little, and dried until 

 "it would hold together," then it was eaten. This appears to 



2 This at once suggests a statement made by Adair in reference to the houses 

 of the southern Indians: In one day, they build, daub with their tough mortar 

 mixed with dry grass, and thoroughly finish, a good commodious house. 



