358 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY I Bull. 137 



adds : "so far as smoke-dried little grain is concerned it pleases us as 

 well as them." (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, pp. 3-6; Swanton, 

 1911, pp. 74-75.) 



The other two styles are called ground meal (farine grolee) and 

 cold meal (farine froide) by the French, but only Komans throws any 

 light on the distinction between them. After speaking of boiled meal 

 as used among the Chickasaw, he continues : 



. . . they also parch it, and then pound it; thus taking it on their journey, 

 they mix it with cold water, and will travel a great way without any other 

 food . . . they have also a way of drying and pounding their corn, before it 

 comes to maturity ; this they call Boota Copassa [i. e., cold flour] ; this, in small 

 quantities, thrown into cold water, boils and swells as much as common meal 

 boiled over a fire ; it is hearty food, and being sweet, they are fond of it ; but 

 as the process of making it is troublesome, their laziness seldom allows them 

 to have it. (Romans, 1775, pp. 67-68.) 



The latter is the bota kapassa of Byington. The former is prob- 

 ably what he calls bota la^shpa, meaning literally "heated corn" 

 (Byington,, 1915, p. 95). Mention of one or more of these dishes is 

 made by the De Soto chroniclers under the term "pinole," by Hariot, 

 San Miguel (Garcia, 1902, p. 197), Lawson, Romans, Adair, by writ- 

 ers on the Cusabo, by Laudonniere, by Dumont de Montigny, and by 

 Du Pratz. The last of these gives us the best account, but before con- 

 sidering it it will be well to hear what Dumont de Montigny says 

 about the use of corn in general in the Mississippi region, since Indian 

 culture in the Southeast reached one of its highest levels there. 

 After speaking of the three kinds of corn mentioned above he 

 continues, 



They can be prepared in 42 styles, each of which has its special name. It is 

 useless for me to enter here in detail all the different ways in which maize may 

 be treated. It is sufficient to inform the reader that there is made of it bread, 

 porridge (bomllie), cold meal (farine froide), ground corn (farine grolcc), 

 smoked-dried meal or meal dried in the fire and smoke, which when cooked 

 has the same taste as our small peas and is as sugary. That is also made 

 which is called gruel (gmt) , that is to say that having beaten and iwunded it 

 for some time in a wooden mortar, along witli a little water, the skin or 

 envelope with which it is covered is removed. The grain thus beaten and 

 dried is transported to great distances and keeps perfectly. The finest of that 

 left behind is used in making hominy (sagamite), which is a kind of porridge 

 cooked with oil or meat. It is a very good and nourishing aliment. (Dumont, 

 1753, vol. 1, pp. 32^34, Swanton, 1911, pp. 74-75.) 



Most of these have been discussed. It will be noticed that he calls 

 the cold meal gruel (grut). And now for Du Pratz's description. 



First, this grain is half cooked in water, then drained and well dried. When 

 it is well dried, it is ground or scorched in a dish made expressly for the 

 purpose, being mixed with ashes to keep it from burning, and it is moved 

 incessantly in order to give it the red color which is proper. When it has 

 assumed this color all the ashes are removed, it is rubbed well acd placed in 



