582 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [bth. ann. 46 



pally the former, and always rare in either way, not overdone. 

 They have no salt for seasoning, but are fond of a little in the 

 bouillon. In former times meat was boiled in the rawhide, in holes 

 in the ground smeared Avith mud, and heated stones dropped in, or 

 in pots made of clay and soft stone, but metallic cooking utensils, 

 consisting of kettles of every size and description, have entirely re- 

 placed these. Tin cups and pans, with some frying pans, wooden 

 bowls, and horn spoons, are yet common. 



The tongues of buffalo sent to market are salted by the traders, 

 who secure them from the Indians during the winter in the hunting 

 season, and when frozen, salting them before the spring thaw comes 

 on. None of these tribes preserves meat in any other way than above 

 mentioned, some of which when dried is pounded and mixed with 

 berries and marrowfat. It is then called pemmican, or in Cree 

 pim-e-tai'-gan. Dried meat will keep but one year if free of wet, 

 as afterwards the fat turns rancid and the lean tasteless. 



The tail of the beaver is first turned in the blaze of a fire, the out- 

 side skin scraped off, then incisions are made each side lengthwise 

 along the bone, and it is held in boiling water for a few min- 

 utes to extract the blood. It is then hung up in the lodge or in the 

 sun and left to dry. 



All inquiries regarding fish are inapplicable to these Indians, as 

 they take none in quantity. The few catfish that are hooked by the 

 Gros Ventres and Arikara are boiled in water, no salt added, and a 

 horrid mess of bones and fish mixed together is produced, which 

 no one but an Indian could eat. They eat but do not relish them. 



All the hunter tribes rely greatly on the spontaneous roots and 

 fruits found in the country and collect, dry, and pack them away, 

 to be used in times of scarcity of animal food. We have known hun- 

 dreds of Indians to subsist for one or two months on the buds of the 

 wild rose boiled with the scrapings of rawhides. At all times the 

 different kinds of roots and berries are a great resource, are used in 

 their principal feasts and medicine ceremonies, are of great assist- 

 ance when game is not to be found, are easily packed, and contain 

 considerable nourishment. The following is a catalogue of those 

 found among all the nations of which we treat, though there are 

 several others whose names in English are unknown to us, and some 

 of these now named peculiar to the most northern latitudes. 



