22 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY f bull. 64 



and carcasses of birds may sometimes be seen hanging from the 

 rafters over the fire in the kitchen so desiccated, hard, and black- 

 ened that it would appear impossible to eat them; but after months 

 of drying this meat, when soaked in warm water for 24 hours, is 

 not unpalatable. The Indians wash their hands before and after 

 eating, a very necessary practice, as they eat exclusively with their 

 fingers, using the tortillas to scoop up gravy, beans, and other 

 mushy foodstuffs. They eat at small round tables about 16 inches 

 high, sitting, or rather squatting, aroimd them on little blocks of 

 wood 4 to 5 inches high. They are very fond of salt, which among 

 the coast Indians is obtained by evaporating sea water, among the 

 inland villages by trade fjom Yucatan and Guatemala. Since this 

 supply has been almost cut off, owing to the troubles with Mexico, the 

 Indians frequently use for salt the ashes obtained by burning botan 

 tops. Men and women do not eat together, as the women are pre- 

 paring relays of hot tortillas for the men while the meal lasts. Their 

 food and mode of eating is well described by Landa (chap, xxi, 

 p. 120) : 



Que por la mafiana toman la bebida caUente con piinienta, como esta dicho y 

 entre dia las otras frias, y a la noche los guisados. Y que si no ay came bazen sus 

 salsas de la pimienta y legumbres. Que no acostumbravan comer los bomb res con 

 las mugeres, y que ellos comian por si en el suelo, o quando mucho sobre una serilla 

 por mesa: y que comen bien quando lo tienen, y quando no, sufren muy bien la 

 hambre y passan con muy poco. Y que se lavan las manos y la boca despues de 

 comer. 



Indeed, the foregoing description would apply almost as well to 

 Indians of the more remote villages of the present day as to those 

 of the time immediately after the conquest. In localities where 

 they have come in contact with more civilized communities their 

 menu has been considerably enlarged by the introduction of im- 

 ported foodstuffs, while their methods of eatmg have been changed 

 by the introduction of knives, forks, and spoons. The native 

 methods of cooking are very primitive. Three large flat stones 

 so placed as to form an equilateral triangle, known as Jcohen, form 

 the only fireplace; in this is kindled the fire of sticks or split logs, 

 over which is placed the earthenware or iron cooking pots or plaque 

 for baking tortillas, restmg on the stones. Fire (kaak) is usually 

 obtained tlirough the use of matches among the Indians of British 

 Honduras. Hunters and others who spend a great part of their 

 time in the bush employ flmt and steel. Among the Indians in the 

 remote villages fire is stiU made by swiftly rotating a sharp-pointed 

 shaft of some hardwood (usually dogwood) m a hole made in a 

 small slab of very light dry wood (commonly gumbo lunbo) . There 

 is no chunney to the kitchen, the smoke finding its way out as best 

 it can through the doors and crevices in the walls; consequently 



