36 BULLETIN 139, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



boiled or roasted, though the strong flavor of the pine rendered it 

 disagreeable to our palates." ^^ 



A suggestion of the pit oven is seen in the method of roasting green 

 corn among the Omaha Indians. 



A trench is dug and a fire made in it and left to burn till there are 

 plenty of coals. Corn is stripped down to its thin husks and put on 

 the coals by women sitting at the sides of tliis trench. These women 

 have to work quickly to tend the corn so that it will roast evenly. 

 The ears are handled with the hands only. When roasted the corn 

 is cut off the cobs and dried.*^ 



" The Tlelding of CaUfornia under stress of hunger ate soaproot 

 (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) , the poisonous properties of which they 

 extracted by baking it in large quantities on the ground, covering it 

 over with green leaves and building a fire over it, which was allowed to 

 burn many hours, when the root is said to be sweet and palatable."** 



•WOMEN- 

 , ^v;\i;a!W.//,s\»i/.>i//L>/»\ai)/,,x>/,w ;;■> ;'o^\^ 



•WOHHM- 



Fig. 2.— Corn roasting pit. Winnebago Indians 



Capt. John Smith, speaking of the Powhatan Indians of Virginia, 

 says: 



"The chief root they have for food is called Tockawhoughe. . It 

 groweth like a flagge in Marishes. In one day a Salvage will gather 

 sufficient for a weeke. These roots are much of the greatnesse and 

 taste of Potatoes. They use to cover a great many of them with 

 Oke leaves and Feme, and then cover all with earth in the manner of 

 a Cole-pit; over it, on each side, they continue a great fire 24 houres 

 before they dare eat it. Raw it is no better than poyson, and being 

 rested, except it be tender and the heat abated, or sliced and dryed 

 in the Sunne, mixed with sorrell and meale or such Hkp, it will prickle 

 and torment the throat extreamely, and yet in sommer they use this 

 ordinarily for bread." 



The Pomos of Cahfornia made a fire and put in stones to heat. 

 When they were hot half of them were taken out and the remainder 

 pushed together to form a layer, and were covered with a layer of 



M Elliott Coues. Lewis and Clark Exped., New York, 1893, p. 1012. 



S3 Information by Francis La Flesche, December a, 1921. 



M Stephen Powers. Contrib. North Amer. Ethnol., vol. 3, 1877, p. 89. 



