1923] 



SMITH, THE RED EARTH INDIANS 



31 



suspending cooking utensils. Large stones support skillets for frying 

 over a wood fire, kept constantly smoldering to save the expense of 

 matches. The old Meskwaki do not use matches even now, save when 

 given some by a white man. They have their own fire drills and flint 

 and start a fire just as we have seen many a boy scout learn to do it. 

 Practically all of the spring, summer and fall is spent in these outdoor 

 wigwams ; cooking and sleeping in them. There may be a very credit- 

 able dinner table in the house, but they prefer to eat at the open table 

 outdoors, sitting on benches built in connection with it. These tables 

 are huge affairs capable of seating two dozen at a time, and the Mes- 



FlG. 15. — Meskwaki bark house, Tama, Iowa. 



kwaki are famous for their hospitality. Altho there were only two 

 members of Charley Keosatok's family, at meal time there would 

 often be over a dozen appearing from various quarters of the woods 

 for a meal. The Meskwaki squaw takes these visitors as a matter of 

 course, adding a couple more gourds of water to the soup and feeding 

 all comers. She always frys enough bread for a crowd. Their fried 

 bread is very light and palatable. White flour pancakes are patted 

 out just the same as the Mexicans fashion a tortilla, but instead of bak- 

 ing this cake on top of a hot iron stove or piece of tin, the Meskwaki 



