560 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1956 



the seasonal runs have been well described by explorers and anthropol- 

 ogists. But not many are familiar with methods used by the tribal 

 hunters of the Mississippi Valley before the horse age, who dwelt on 

 the borders of the bison range. They hunted the bison afoot, a diffi- 

 cult and dangerous procedure. 



Back in 1700 Nicholas Perrot, French commandant of the North- 

 west, described an even earlier buffalo limit among the Illinois tribe. 7 

 Long before daylight a hunting party of young braves started out in 

 three groups. One section went to the right, another to the left, and 

 the third served as gap closers, dividing into two parts — able to sup- 

 port the right or left groups as they needed re-enforcement. The bison 

 was more than a match for single hunters who approached on foot. 



A long section or file was formed on each side, and after traveling 

 about a league toward the bed grounds of the herd, some of the party 

 remained to await daylight. After another league had been covered, 

 a second party was detached, while the rest marched another half 

 league and waited there. When the dew had dried, they closed the 

 opening between the right and left groups and encircled the entire 

 area, setting fire to the dried herbage. At this moment, the old men 

 and boys from the tribal village joined them, and the completed fires 

 on four sides surrounded the game. A few of the bison would try to 

 break through the burning barriers, but the hunters could usually turn 

 single animals back to their companions in the fiery enclosure. Perrot 

 reports that sometimes a single village would obtain as many as 1,500 

 animals. 



Bison killed during the summer when the animals were fat and their 

 coats thin proved the best. The flesh was then of the finest quality and 

 the pelts were easiest to remove and dress. The meat was cut along 

 the muscle fibers instead of across them as we commonly do, so the 

 flavors inherent in the juice could be preserved while dehydrating. 

 However, the slices were cut into as thin strips as stone knives would 

 permit. Our American Indians were Stone Age men when Europeans 

 first reached here, except for a limited number of tribes which had 

 access to impure natural lead or copper ores. These metals were 

 beaten into knives with hammers and then ground along the edges. 



The flesh was dried as rapidly as possible in the sun and wind or, if 

 too humid, in the smoke of the fire inside the lodge. This process ac- 

 tually mummified the meat and made it quite tough. Meat dry enough 

 to last in damp, warm climates was difficult to chew. Hence it was 

 usually pounded into small fragments and placed in skin bags 



7 Emma Helen Blair, ed., The Indian tribes of the upper Mississippi Valley, 

 pp. 121-122, Cleveland, 1911, contains translation of Nicholas Perrot's "Memoirs 

 of the Manners, Customs and Religion of the Savages of North America," origi- 

 nally published by Jules Tailham, Leipzig and Paris, 1864. 



