Tooker] ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 67 



Often the killing of a dog was part of a religious ceremony ( JR 9 : 111 ; 

 17: 195; 21: lGl-163; 23: 173, and passim below). ^ Dogs also were 

 used in hunting, at least in hunting bear (JR 14: 33-35). 



The special relationship between men, animals, and dogs is indi- 

 cated in the Huron belief that while hunting, the bones of deer, 

 moose, and other animals or, while fishing, fishbones, should not be 

 thrown to the dogs or into the fire and that tlie fat of the animals 

 should not drop into the fire. If this happened, the other animals 

 [of the same species] would hear of it and would not let themselves 

 be taken ( JR 10 : 167 ; S 186-187 ; C 91-92) . Animals taken when the 

 hunter was lost were not eaten (C 91-92). 



The Canadian beaver was "the main inducement for many mer- 

 chants of France to cross the great Ocean. . . . Such a quantity of 

 them is brought every year that I cannot think but that the end is in 

 sight" (S 232). Beavers were usually hunted in the winter as during 

 that season they stayed in their houses and their fur was better. When 

 the Indians wished to catch a beaver, they first blocked up all the 

 passages by which it could escape. A hole was then broken through 

 the ice of the lake and one Indian put his arm into it waiting for 

 the beaver to come up, while another walked over the ice striking it 

 with a stick to frighten the beaver back to its lair. When the animal 

 came up, it was seized by the back of the neck, a skillful operation, as 

 it could bite. The Indians also took beaver in the summer: nets 

 with poles were sunk into the water and as the beaver came out of 

 their houses they were caught and killed. Beaver was eaten fresh or 

 smoked. The skin was carefully dressed and bartered to the French 

 or used for clothing. The four large teeth were used to scrape the 

 bowls made out of tree knots (S 233-234) . 



MEALS AND THEIR PREPARATION 



Usually the Huron had two meals a day, one in the morning (at 

 9 o'clock) and the other in the evening (at 5 o'clock), although they 

 would eat at other times (JR 8: 113; 15: 183; C 130).* Corn 

 pounded in a wooden mortar ( JR 8 :111) or ground between two stones 

 (JR 19: 235), figured prominently in the dishes eaten, as did beans 



3 The custom of eating dogs as food is well known among North American Indians. The 

 killing of a dog as a religious sacrifice lasted well into the 19th century as part of the 

 Midwinter Ceremonial, although in these latter years it was not eaten. 



*The early writers on the Iroquoians say that they had two meals a day (Jackson 

 1830 b: 17) ; the later writers say that the Iroquois had only one regular meal (in the 

 morning), although food was eaten at other times during the day (Morgan 1852: 115; 

 1901(1) : 318-319; Parker 1910 b : 61 ; Waugh 1916: 46-47). The preparations for this 

 morning meal are still remembered — older Informants in this century saying that women 

 used to get up early in the morning to pound corn for this meal. 



