374 Mnhlenberg-ia, Volume 2 



the pit, were then carefull}' exhumed and found to be a rich 

 chocolate brown in color and quite palatable even to the neig^h- 

 boring whites, who were frequently invited to the feast which 

 was then held. The bulbs retained their shape fairly well dur- 

 ing the cooking, and such as were not immediately eaten were 

 prepared for future use in various ways. Some, being stripped 

 of the outer coat, were placed in a stone mortar, the kernels from 

 roasted acorns of the western white oak, and frequently the ker- 

 nels of the western hazel nut were added, and the contents of 

 the mortar reduced to a paste which was usually eaten in that 

 condition, but occasionally made into small cakes. This paste 

 was highly nutritions, but the roasted acorns gave it a bitter fla- 

 vor that was rather unpleasant to the Caucasian palate. An- 

 other mode was to add ripe blackberries instead of the roasted 

 acorns, and this made a much more palatable dish. The usual 

 method of prepaiatiou for winter use, however, was to add the 

 various berries, such as blackberries, service berries, oso berries, 

 salal berries and liuckleberYies, and occasionally a little dried 

 salmon or dried venison was added, the whole reduced to a paste 

 and moulded into oblong cakes 4 by 5 or 6 inches or larger and 

 about % inch thick. These cakes were occasionally made into 

 fanciful shapes or stamped with ornamental figures and designs 

 and often perforated and strung on hazel or arrowwood withes 

 (for convenience in carrying on horseback). They were then 

 tire dried and being placed in coarse baskets 2^ feet high by 

 about 18 inches square, were covered with leaves and put away 

 for future use. 



In addition to the above-mentioned method of preparation, 

 when a girl in the tribe had attained 17 years of age, it was cus- 

 tomary for her to collect a sufficient quantity of the bulbs, dig a 

 small pit about 3 feet square, fill it with 2 or 3 layers of bulbs 

 and the necessary layers of ferns and hot stones, cook them as 

 above, and then invite several young men of her acquaintance 

 to partake of the feast. This wa.s her "coming out," and it is 

 safe to say that the most fashionable debutante in any class of 

 modern society was never more successful in attaining the ob- 

 ject in view, for old maids and grass widows alike were unknown 

 !»ocial factors in Indian life. '' 



