﻿492 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  2 
  9 
  

  

  FOOD 
  RESOURCES, 
  AGRICULTURE, 
  HUNTING, 
  AND 
  FISHING 
  

  

  Food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  varied 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  food- 
  

   collecting 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  groups. 
  Investigations 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  

   of 
  this 
  article 
  established 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  food 
  resources 
  for 
  the 
  several 
  

   sites 
  explored 
  and 
  kitchen 
  middens 
  excavated. 
  The 
  former 
  occupants 
  

   of 
  the 
  caves 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  of 
  Samana 
  Bay 
  were 
  primarily 
  collect- 
  

   ors 
  of 
  shellfish, 
  snakes, 
  rodents, 
  fish, 
  bats, 
  worms, 
  birds, 
  or 
  whatever 
  

   natural 
  produce 
  came 
  to 
  hand, 
  while 
  kitchen 
  middens 
  at 
  the 
  sites 
  of 
  

   former 
  open 
  villages 
  revealed 
  a 
  greater 
  abundance 
  of 
  bird, 
  fish, 
  and 
  

   animal 
  bones. 
  The 
  small 
  variety 
  of 
  conch 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Strombus 
  

   pugilis 
  Linnaeus 
  and 
  the 
  mandibles 
  of 
  several 
  varieties 
  of 
  crabs 
  were 
  

   most 
  frequent 
  in 
  the 
  cave 
  deposits, 
  which 
  in 
  several 
  instances 
  reach 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  9 
  feet 
  in 
  those 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  caves, 
  usually 
  near 
  the 
  en- 
  

   trances, 
  which 
  were 
  obviously 
  devoted 
  to 
  culinary 
  purposes. 
  Small 
  

   mammal 
  and 
  turtle 
  bones 
  along 
  with 
  much 
  other 
  fragmentary 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  food 
  resources, 
  such 
  as 
  shellfish, 
  predominate 
  in 
  

   the 
  middens 
  near 
  the 
  sites 
  of 
  former 
  habitations. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Abbott 
  found 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  small 
  mammal, 
  a 
  jutia 
  

   (Plagiodontia 
  hylaeum) 
  still 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  forested 
  lowlands 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   shore 
  of 
  Samana 
  Bay, 
  near 
  Jovero, 
  although 
  the 
  several 
  forms 
  of 
  

   small 
  mammal 
  life 
  still 
  in 
  existence 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  in 
  

   Haiti 
  and 
  in 
  Santo 
  Domingo 
  soon 
  became 
  practically 
  extinct 
  after 
  

   the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish, 
  the 
  disruption 
  of 
  native 
  culture, 
  and 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  slavery. 
  

  

  In 
  general, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  asserted 
  that 
  fishing 
  rather 
  than 
  hunting 
  was 
  

   the 
  chief 
  ally 
  of 
  native 
  agriculture 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  

   agriculture 
  alone 
  supplied 
  the 
  staple 
  food 
  resources. 
  Large 
  planta- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  food 
  crops 
  were 
  observed 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  in 
  the 
  

   drier 
  areas 
  where 
  irrigation 
  was 
  utilized. 
  Planting 
  of 
  calabash 
  and 
  

   fruit 
  trees 
  was 
  extensive. 
  

  

  Benzoni 
  in 
  his 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  says 
  that 
  bread 
  was 
  made 
  

   from 
  maize 
  and 
  from 
  cassava 
  (yucca). 
  Women 
  wet 
  the 
  grain 
  in 
  the 
  

   evening 
  with 
  cold 
  water. 
  The 
  following 
  morning 
  the 
  grain 
  was 
  

   triturated 
  between 
  two 
  stones. 
  The 
  resulting 
  meal 
  was 
  mixed 
  or 
  

   kneaded 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  then 
  shaped 
  into 
  round 
  or 
  oblong 
  loaves. 
  

   The 
  loaves 
  were 
  then 
  placed 
  on 
  flat 
  or 
  concave 
  earthenware 
  griddles 
  

   and 
  baked. 
  This 
  bread 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  eaten 
  while 
  fresh. 
  

   Another 
  form 
  of 
  bread 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  cooking 
  finely 
  triturated 
  corn 
  

   meal, 
  shaped 
  into 
  small 
  loaves, 
  in 
  a 
  pipkin 
  over 
  a 
  slow 
  fire. 
  The 
  

   Spanish 
  loathed 
  cassava 
  bread 
  but 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  eat 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  maize 
  was 
  limited. 
  

  

  Benzoni's 
  statements 
  relative 
  to 
  maize 
  culture 
  in 
  Haiti 
  are 
  explicit. 
  

   The 
  ground 
  was 
  not 
  otherwise 
  prepared 
  for 
  planting 
  except 
  by 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  off 
  the 
  forest 
  growth 
  and 
  then 
  planting 
  corn 
  in 
  the 
  ashes. 
  A 
  

   small 
  hole 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  soil, 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  grains 
  inserted, 
  and 
  

  

  