﻿304 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  THE 
  WASHINGTON 
  ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES 
  VOL. 
  12, 
  NO. 
  13 
  

  

  on 
  top 
  and 
  sides 
  with 
  palmetto 
  leaves. 
  Mats 
  made 
  of 
  rushes 
  were 
  

   often 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  elaborate 
  structures. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  which 
  stood 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  west 
  of 
  New 
  

   Orleans, 
  the 
  old 
  woman 
  recalled 
  a 
  camp 
  site 
  on 
  the 
  southeast 
  shore 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Pontchartrain, 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  northeast 
  of 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  at 
  

   Petit 
  Bois, 
  or 
  Little 
  Wqods. 
  It 
  was 
  here 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  stopped 
  

   when 
  preparing 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  lake 
  in 
  their 
  canoes, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  likewise 
  the 
  

   landing 
  place 
  when 
  they 
  arrived 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  shore. 
  Frag- 
  

   mentary 
  pottery, 
  bits 
  of 
  animal 
  bones, 
  etc., 
  discovered 
  in 
  1916 
  and 
  

   1917, 
  indicated 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  this 
  old 
  camp 
  ground. 
  

  

  Food. 
  — 
  ^Strips 
  of 
  venison, 
  ducks, 
  etc., 
  were 
  dried 
  or 
  smoked 
  and 
  so 
  

   preserved 
  for 
  future 
  use. 
  All 
  were 
  first 
  thoroughly 
  cleaned 
  and 
  salted, 
  

   then 
  strung 
  on 
  cords 
  and 
  suspended 
  between 
  two 
  trees 
  or 
  posts, 
  and 
  a 
  

   fire 
  kindled 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  beneath. 
  The 
  warmth 
  and 
  smoke 
  would 
  

   soon 
  dry 
  the 
  meat. 
  vShrimp 
  were 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  after 
  first 
  being 
  

   placed 
  in 
  scalding 
  water 
  to 
  harden 
  the 
  meat. 
  Fish 
  were 
  prepared 
  by 
  

   first 
  being 
  thoroughly 
  cleaned, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  salt 
  was 
  rubbed 
  

   on 
  the 
  flesh 
  they 
  were 
  piled 
  one 
  upon 
  another 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  wooden 
  tray 
  

   and 
  held 
  down 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  weight. 
  In 
  this 
  position 
  they 
  were 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  remain 
  for 
  ten 
  days 
  or 
  two 
  weeks, 
  during 
  which 
  time 
  they 
  would 
  

   become 
  quite 
  dry, 
  the 
  moisture 
  being 
  pressed 
  from 
  them. 
  Next 
  they 
  

   were 
  strung 
  on 
  cords 
  that 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  tails, 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  

   cords 
  were 
  fastened 
  to 
  trees 
  or 
  posts, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  thus 
  suspended 
  were 
  

   more 
  completely 
  dried 
  and 
  cured 
  by 
  the 
  smoke 
  and 
  heat 
  of 
  small 
  

   fires 
  kindled 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  under 
  them. 
  

  

  All 
  vegetables 
  obtainable, 
  such 
  as 
  potatoes 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  pumpkins, 
  

   were 
  boiled 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  pot 
  with 
  rabbits 
  or 
  squirrels, 
  or 
  pieces 
  of 
  meat 
  of 
  

   any 
  sort. 
  

  

  File 
  was 
  prepared 
  by 
  pounding 
  in 
  a 
  wooden 
  mortar 
  the 
  dried 
  leaves 
  

   oi 
  Sassafras 
  variifolium. 
  

  

  Leaves 
  of 
  the 
  yaupon 
  {Ilex 
  vomitoria) 
  were 
  boiled 
  in 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  

   liquid 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  beverage 
  like 
  ordinary 
  tea. 
  The 
  leaves 
  were 
  used 
  

   either 
  green 
  or 
  dried. 
  Milk 
  was 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  drink 
  when 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  

  

  The 
  favorite 
  method 
  of 
  preparing 
  corn 
  was 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  whole 
  grains 
  

   to 
  remain 
  in 
  water 
  overnight, 
  or 
  until 
  they 
  would 
  swell 
  and 
  the 
  husks 
  

   become 
  softened 
  and 
  loosened. 
  The 
  husks 
  were 
  then 
  removed 
  and 
  the 
  

   grains 
  crushed 
  in 
  a 
  wooden 
  mortar 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  thick 
  paste. 
  The 
  paste 
  

   or 
  crushed 
  grain 
  was 
  later 
  boiled 
  in 
  water 
  and 
  so 
  eaten. 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  