SwANroN] INIDIAN'S OF THE SiOUTHE ASTERN UNITED STATES 351 



HOGS, DOMESTIC FOWL, AND CATTLE 



These three were introduced into the Gulf region in about the 

 order given. As is well known, a considerable drove of swine was 

 driven along by the Spaniards under De Soto. The Fidalgo of Elvas 

 says that the Indians of Guachoya, a town on the west bank of the 

 Mississippi, presented the white men, on their return from their 

 unsuccessful attempt to reach Mexico overland, with some of these 

 animals, descended from swine that had escaped from them the year 

 before (Robertson, 1933, p. 269), and it w^ould not be surprising to 

 learn that they were already in the land when the English and 

 French entered it at a much later date. Positive evidence of this is, 

 however, almost lacking. In 1674, it is true, Gabriel Arthur was 

 taken by the Yuchi Indians on a hunting expedition down Tennessee 

 River "to kill hoggs, beares and sturgion" (Alvord, 1912, p. 223), but 

 this stands well nigh alone, and it is possible that the stock intro- 

 duced by De Soto died out. At any rate, by 1761 Timberlake found 

 numbers of hogs among the Cherokee (Timberlake, Williams ed., 

 1927, p. 72). 



When the French ascended the Mississippi in 1699 they found 

 European fowl already among the Indians, said to have been ob- 

 tained from some vessel cast away in the Atakapa country in south- 

 western Louisiana. These birds were of a small breed and came 

 to be known as "creole hens." Much earlier than this, in 1595, San 

 Miguel found an abundance of "Spanish fowl" among the Guale 

 Indians on the Georgia coast (Garcia, 1902, p. 197). 



According to Du Pratz cattle as well as horses were being brought 

 into Louisiana from Mexico through the medium of the southern 

 Plains tribes. (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, pp. 241-242; Swanton, 

 1911, p. 273.) They were adopted rather slowly by the Indians but 

 were taken into the economy of all of the Five Civilized Tribes be- 

 fore their removal west. 



PREPARATION OF VEGETABLE FOODS 

 (Plate 53) 



"Roasting ears" are mentioned by nearly all of our earliest au- 

 thorities. "Their corn they eat in the eares greene, roasted," says 

 Strachey (1849, p. 73), and Smith (1907, p. 96), Beverley (1705, bk. 3, 

 p. 15), and Lawson (1860, p. 290) refer to this use of corn, while most 

 other writers simply take it for granted. In connection with it, 

 Beverley notes something like an aboriginal American succession of 

 crops. 



They delight much to feed on Roa sting-ears ; that is, the Indian Corn, 

 gathered green and milky, before it is grown to its full bigness, and roasted 



