IROOUOIS USES OF MAIZE 71 



blazing fire, with short dry split wood on the hearth. When it is 

 burnt down to coals they carefully rake them off to each side, and 

 sweep away the remaining ashes; then they put their well kneaded 

 broad loaf, first steeped in hot water, over the hearth, and an earthen 

 basin above it, with the embers of coals atop. This method of baking 

 is as clean and efficacious as could possibly be done in any oven ; when 

 they take it off they wash the loaf with warm water, and it soon 

 becomes firm and verv white. It is likewise very wholesome, and 

 well tasted to any except the palate of an epicure. 



Lafitau ha<J no such pleasant impressions of the bread which 

 would seem to bring him under the class of epicures. As a matter 

 of fact white people of today regard the Iroquois boiled bread as a 

 " well tasted " food, though a trifle heavy. The writer during his 

 school days on the reservation often " swapped " his lunch of civil- 

 ized viands with other Indian boys who were lucky enough to have 

 half a loaf of boiled bread and a chunk of maple sugar or perhaps 

 a leaf cake. 



Beverly 1 describes the baking of corn bread in his History of 

 Virginia and says that the Indians first covered the loaf with leaves 

 and then with warm ashes over which were heaped the hot coals. 

 The ash baked corn bread of the Indians has survived in the 'South 

 as hoe cake, ash cake and "old fashioned " journey or Johnny cake. 



Corn soup liquor, O'niyustagf. The liquor in which the corn 

 bread was boiled was carefully drained off and kept in jars or pots 

 as a drink. It is said that the Indians were not fond of drinking 

 water and preferred various beverages prepared from herbs or corn. 

 One writer 2 in discussing this subject says: "Though in most of 

 the Indian nations the water is good, because of their high situa- 

 tion, yet the traders very seldom drink any of it at home-; for the 

 women beat in mortars their flinty corn till all the husks are taken 

 off, which having well sifted and fanned, they boil in large earthen 

 pots ; then straining off the thinnest part into a pot they mix it with 

 cold water till it is sufficiently liquid for drinking; and when cold 

 it is both pleasant and very nourishing; and is much liked even by 

 genteel strangers." 



Wedding bread, Go n nia"ta' oa'kwa. Corn was prepared in the 

 same manner as for bread but was wrapped in two balls with a 

 short connecting neck like a handleless dumbbell wrapped in corn 



1 Beverly. Virginia, p. 151. 



2 Adair, p. 416. 



