192 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



This hut was called a "hothouse" and it was sometimes used to 

 steam a sick person in this is the way it was done, — The hot-house 

 being made ready, the invalid was given as much cold water as he 

 could drink, then taken in and left upon the ground until he was in a 

 profuse perspiration, when he was taken out and plunged into a cold 

 water bath.p^] 



In their intercourse with all, except most intimate friends, the 

 Cherokees were reserved and independant, though very hospitable 

 and often generous; they preferred to give favors rather than to ask 

 them. 



All Indians were called by them, "Yuh-wi-yah-i" which means, 

 "The real People," others were designated by their color, as white 

 people, were, "Yuh-wi-na-kah" and black people, "Yuh-wi-kuh- 

 hna-ka." P«] 



As before mentioned the Cherokees were given to hospitality; 

 On rude side-boards, in their camps or cabins, prepared food was 

 always kept, and any persons coming in, were at liberty to help 

 themselves, food was always offered to visitors or strangers stopping, 

 and a refusal to partake of it was considered an insult. 



The women made bowls and cooking vessels of clay, and the men 

 made spoons and bowls of wood, and spoons of buffalo horn, which were 

 really pretty, as they were capable of being highly pohshed. 



The women and girls prepared the food as is customary with other 

 nations. The principal dish, "Con-nau-ha-nah," PH was made of 

 Corn, Cuh-whe-si-ta P^] was meal made of parched corn, and was 

 used when on a journey, the hungry and weary traveler on arriving 

 at a spring of water, alights and taking his bag of Cuh-whe-si-ta, 

 puts a few spoonfuls into a cup which he carries for the purpose, 

 mixes it with water and drinks it down, the requirements of Nature 

 are satisfied — and the traveler goes on his way as much refreshed as 

 when he began his journey in the early morning. The Cherokees 

 also used a drink called "Con-nau-su-kah," P^] it was made of grapes 

 which were boiled, strained and sweetened with maple sugar or honey. 

 Corn was beaten in a mortar to make meal for bread, walnuts, chest- 

 nuts and hickory-nuts were often used in cooking, so were different 

 kinds of berries, of which the huckle-berry was the favorite. 



« Although the o:si, or 'hot-house,' is mentioned in Adair (1930) and Timberlake (1929) , the brief descrip- 

 tion in Mooney (1900, p. 462) is probably the clearest to be found in the standard Cherokee bibliography. 



" In every case Wahnenauhi presents here the designation for an individual who is a member of a specific 

 race: yvwtya (,'peTSon,entiiQlj');yvwine:ga,nsna.]ls contracted to y one: ga ('person, white'); yv:ioigv:hnage. 

 ('person, black'). 



3' Ghvno:he:na, a hominy prepared with lye leached from green hardwood ash. 



53 Ohvhwisvda. 



3« Ohvnv:su:ga. Before contact with the Whites, the sweeting was probably obtamed from honeylocust 

 pods. 



