SWANTON] INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 373 



It is well known that corn was preserved in granaries by most, if 

 not all, of the tribes in the section, and it was, in fact, these granaries 

 or corncribs, called by the Spaniards from a Haitian Arawak word 

 '*barbacoas," which made the De Soto expedition possible. Without 

 condoning the actions of the explorers in appropriating as of patent 

 right the products of the Indians' labor, we may nevertheless be thank- 

 ful for the knowledge of these Indians which the use of that corn has 

 enabled us to obtain. We learn from them that corn was not only 

 put away dried as it came from the field, but quantities were ground 

 and preserved in that manner. The Spaniards called this pinol or 

 pinole. As we have seen, this was the "cold meal" of later French and 

 English settlers, and was used particularly when the Indians were on 

 war expeditions or traveling for more peaceful purposes. Besides 

 dried corn, the Spaniards found the well-known cakes made of dried 

 persimmons (which the chroniclers call ameixas),^^ The notices are 

 most numerous in towns along the Mississippi River. Elvas notes 

 also dried plums in Apalachee (Bourne, 1904, vol. 1., p. 47) , and Gar- 

 cilaso (1902, pp. 49, 82, 221) speaks of dried plums and also of grapes 

 and other dried fruits. In his case the plums may have been persim- 

 mons, but we know that plums were also dried. In the case of grapes, 

 however, our evidence is not so good. Unless grapes are included in 

 the general statements of some writers that they dried all kinds of 

 fruits that would bear it (Lawson, 1860, p. 290; Adair, 1775, p. 439), 

 there is no other reference to the treatment of them in this way. As 

 soon as peaches were introduced they were dried and put away like 

 plums and persimmons. Lawson was served dried peaches by the 

 Congaree and bought "a large peach loaf" from the Saponi, and he 

 says the Indians dried huckleberries on mats (Lawson, 1860, pp. 53, 85, 

 173). One of the De Soto chroniclers also mentions finding dried 

 chinquapins (Bourne, 1904, vol. 2, pp. 70-71) and nuts, and the 

 oil from them was stored throughout the region. Speaking mainly of 

 the inland Siouan tribes, Lawson (1860, pp. 337-338) says that during 

 their winter hunts 



the wild fruits which are dried in the summer, over fires, on hurdles and in 

 the sun, are now brought into the field ; as are likewise the cakes and quiddonies 

 of peaches, and that fruit and bilberries dried, of which they stew and make fruit 

 bread and cakes. 



The way in which persimmon bread was prepared and stored has 

 been described above (p. 363). 



Adair speaks thus regarding the artificial drying of corn, potatoes, 

 and pumpkins : 



When the pompions are ripe, they cut them into long circling slices, which they 

 barbecue, or dry with a slow heat. And when they have half boiled the larger 



" Bourne, 1904, vol. 1, pp. 47, 114, 143, 145, 149, 152 ; Robertson, 1933, translates the 

 word "plums." 



