THE MOUNDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. yar 
tory implements. * In all this they did not differ from their neighbors 
to the North; in fact, so similar were their forms of government, their 
customs, and their religious beliefs, that, mutatis mutandis, the accounts 
given of the Hurons and Algonquins might, with but little change, be 
applied to the tribes living south of the Ohio.+ In one or two particu- 
lars, however, there seems to have been some improvement, notably in 
their organized system of relief for the poor and needy, which seems 
to have existed from the earliest period, { and in the provision, made at 
harvest time for the exercise of tribal hospitality, and for defraying, 
what may be justly termed, public expenditures.§ In their method, 
too, of preventing, or rather, punishing laziness, which they did by 
fine,|| they showed an advance in social science that is worthy of all 
commendation. Among them corn was the staple article of food,{ and 
was cultivated in great quantities, their fields not unfrequently being 
measured by miles instead of by acres.** The work was done in com- 
mon, though the fields were divided by proper marks, and the harvest 
was gathered by each family separately.tt The men are said to have 
*See ante, foot-note t, on page 509. 
tLafitan, Moeurs des Sauvages Ameriquains, vol. 1, p. 5380: Paris, 1724. 
t*Caciquess of Cofachiqui had two storehouses for the relief of the needy :” 
Herrera, vol. v, p. 316: London, 1740. Timberlake, who visited the Cherokees, 
A. D. 1761, and accompanied a delegation of them to England, describes their method 
of relieving the poor, which resembles, in some respects, the ‘‘begging dance” of 
the Indians of the Plains: Memoirs, p. 68: London, 1765. 
§ “Previous to their carrying off their crops from the field, there is a large crib 
or granary, erected in the plantation, which is called the King’s crib; and to this 
each family carries and deposits a certain quantity, according to his ability or in- 
clination, or none at all if he so chooses; this in apearance seems a tribute or reve- 
nue te the mico, but in fact is designed for another purpose, i. e., that of a public 
treasury, supplied by a few and voluntary contributions, and to which every citi- 
zen has the right of a free and equal access, when his own private stores are con- 
sumed, to serve as a surplus to fly to for succor, to assist neighboring towns, whose 
crops may have failed, accommodate strangers or travelers, afford provisions or sup- 
plies when they go forth on hostile expeditions, and for all other exigencies of the 
State:” Bartram, Travels through Florida, p. 512: London, 1791. The Huron-Iro- 
quois also had a public treasury, which contained wampum, Indian corn, slaves, 
fresh and dried meat, and, in fact, anything else that might serve to defray the 
public expenses. See Lafitau, vol. 1, p. 508, and vol. 1, p. 273. 
||‘* The delinquent is assessed more or less, according to his neglect, by proper 
officers appointed to collect those assessments, which they strictly fulfill without 
the least interruption or exemption of any able person:” Adair, History of American 
Indians, p. 480: London, 1762. Compare Lawson, Cavolina, p.179: London, 1718. 
q ‘‘Chief produce and main dependence:” Adair, p. 407. ‘‘ Principal subsistence: ” 
Du Pratz, History of Louisiana, vol. 11, p. 239: London, 1763. ‘‘Common food of 
the Creeks is Indian corn:” Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, vol. v, p. 264. “ They sow 
their maize twice a year:” Laudonniére, in Hist. Coll. of Lowisiana, part p. 174. 
** Adair, pp. 225, 353, 411: London, 1763. Bartram, Travels through Florida, pp. 
54, 332, 350, 352, 354: Philadelphia, 1791. Narrative of Joutel, in Margry, vol. 111, 
p. 462: Paris. 
tt Bartram, p. 512. Adair, p. 430. Romans, Hast and West Florida, p. 87, 
