564 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1956 



so processes were used that held them in check. Also a small amount 

 of salt (1 to 2 percent) was added to increase the appeal to the average 

 consumer. In spite of the most superior techniques, the dehydrated 

 meat never became popular. In the military service, helicopters, air- 

 planes, and parachutes made possible the delivery of canned meats to 

 which the military personnel in isolated posts was accustomed. At 

 such posts as radar stations along and over the Himalayan hump, well 

 within the enemy lines, delivery by air was almost regular. 



An early discovery of prehistoric days was that dried meat was so 

 difficult to swallow that it could not be eaten in a hurry, and dipping 

 it in water made it even more tasteless than before. However, when 

 the dried meat was dipped in melted fat, or even in oils that were 

 liquid at ordinary temperatures, the ease of swallowing was greatly 

 improved. Where the fats were too hard at normal temperatures, 

 melting was often impossible during the chase or in the proximity of 

 enemies, so that hunter or warrior introduced pieces of fat into his 

 mouth at the same time that he bit off a chunk of jerky. This practice 

 may have led to the manufacture of pemmican. 



Hodge states that the word "pemmican" means more than the simple 

 thought of fat — it also implies its manufacture. 11 He translates the 

 Cree Indian word pimiy as meaning "he makes grease." The Indians 

 boiled the crude fat in water and skimmed off the supernatant oil. 

 However, it may be going wide of the mark to derive the word pem- 

 mican from the Cree language. 



Catlin and other early travelers report the collection and cracking 

 of buffalo bones, which were broken and boiled to extract the marrow 

 fat which the tribes prized highly. 12 The marrow from the long bones, 

 when cracked, could be easily extracted by physical methods, but the 

 fat from the cell cavities at the end of the bones (or any other bones 

 that had a spongy structure) was usually obtained by crushing and 

 boiling. Furthermore, Catlin states that the fat was put into bison 

 bladders, which had been distended, for storage and later consumption. 

 He says that marrow fat after cooling became quite hard "like tallow," 

 and possessed the appearance and very nearly the flavor of richest 

 yellow butter. A second motive in keeping the marrow fat separate 

 was that it required more careful handling to prevent rancidity — it 

 would not keep as well as ordinary tallow. At feasts, chunks of the 

 marrow fat were cut off and placed in a tray or bowl with the jerky, 

 so both could be eaten together. He suggests that this was a good 

 substitute for bread and butter, and might even be considered the 

 dietary equivalent of that food for the tribesmen. 



11 Frederick W. Hodge, ed., Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico, 

 Pt. 2, p. 223, Washington, 1910. 



12 George Catlin, The manners, customs and condition of the North American 

 Indians, p. 116, London, 1841. 



