SwANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 371 



liquor, adding thereto purslain and squashes, and thicken it with the tender 

 grain of Maiz, this is a delicious soup. (Catesby, 1731^43, vol. 2, p. x.) 



Nevertheless, there were taboos against certain mixtures, as Byrd 

 was made aware of by his Saponi Indian hunter, who admonished him 

 and his companions "with a face full of concern, that if we continued 

 to boil Venison and Turkey together, we Shou'd for the future kill 

 nothing, because the Spirit that presided over the Woods would 

 drive all the Game out of our Sight," it being improper to cook "the 

 Beasts of the Field and the Birds of the Air together in one vessel" 

 (Bassett, 1901, pp. 178, 194). 



The following experience, reported by Lawson, informs us how it 

 was usual to treat previously dried meat on short notice. He and his 

 companions were treated 



with a fat barbecued venison, which the woman of the cabin took and tore in 

 pieces with her teeth, so put it into a mortar, beating it to rags, afterwards 

 stews it with water, and other ingredients, which makes a very savoury dish. 

 (Lawson, 1860, p. 37.) 



Romans (1T75, pp. 68, 94) speaks of dried deer tongues among the 

 Creeks and of dried deer and bison meat among this and neighboring 

 tribes, but he considers them tasteless. 



Strachey (1849, p. 113) mentions "deare's suet made up handsomely 

 in cakes" to be melted later, presumably, and mixed with their other 

 food. There is mention also of fish grease employed to take the place 

 of butter by the Florida Indians (Gaffarel, 1875, p. 462; Swanton, 

 1922, p. 359), and the oil of passenger pigeons for the same purpose 

 in Carolina (Lawson, 1860, p. 79) and probably elsewhere; it was 

 used with breadstuffs and sometimes with meats as well. 



To quote Catesby again, 



The pigeons . . . afford them some years great plenty of oil, which they 

 preserve for winter use ; this and sometimes bears fat they eat with bread, with 

 it they also supply the want of fat in wild turkeys, which in some winters 

 become very lean by being deprived of their food, by the numerous flights of the 

 migratory pigeons devouring the acorns, and other mast. (Catesby, 1731-43, 

 p. X.) 



The Creeks, after pounding up their dried venison, dipped it in 

 salty "moss obtained from the stream beds in their country after the 

 moss had been dissolved in water." (Hawkins, 1916, pp. 31, 37) . 



The most important "sauce," or rather gravy, was made from bear 

 fat. Incidental mention of this has already been made. The bear 

 was, in fact, valued for its fat rather than for its flesh. Dumont de 

 Montigny says that a bear must be thin for the Louisiana Indians to 

 use its flesh. 



In any other condition only the four feet can be eaten. The rest is nothing but 

 fat. (Dumont, 1753, vol. 1, p. 76; Swanton, 1911, p. 69.) 



