Native American Culture: Food Modified Through Generations

Food brings community members together, builds on the existing bond between neighbors and family, and presents a understanding of a person's own heritage. In each area of the world, one will see food change into exoctic and diverse dishes of admiration, however, is the normal to the people of the foods origin. In “Ethnic Hash”, by Patricia J. Williams, she details how food can be changed ever so slightly through the use of seasonings, preparation style, and become a essential part of a culture. She comments, “Throw in as many spices and mysterious roots as you can lay your hands on” (Williams 12). Having a valid understanding of the origins of different aspects of culture allows for altering and imputing personal characteristics for generations to

Like the Oneida, the Cherokee men were the hunters and the women were the farmers. Although the women did most of the farming, the entire Cherokee community would come together to plant and harvest the big fields of corn, pumpkins, beans, gourds, and potatoes. The women would keep personal gardens outside their homes to have fast growing corn and other produce that they could quickly use to make a meal. The Cherokee were famous for the many dishes that they made with corn. They made breads, soups, used corn as a side dish, and used it in stew. Corn was a necessity in the Cherokee community.

These native peoples had to then change recipes and use other technologies so their bodies would be healthy and survive. One method that was used, that Pilcher describes, is the combination of the protein and amino acids from corn and beans as eating corn alone does not supply a balanced diet, but both corn and beans do.

Obtain Food: They grew crops of corn, beans, pumpkins, and squash. The rainfall made the land very potent for growing crops and keeping up with a farm. During the winter they hunted buffalo, although they are mainly agricultural. Animals in the area included Bison, deer, elk, bear, porcupine, antelope, prairie dogs, eagles, and wolves.

Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them

Grains such as wheat, rye, barley, oats and rice were shared. Citrus fruits, grapes, onions, cabbage, turnips, cotton, coffee, sugarcane, as well as spices and herbs, were among the many other foods and plants introduced to Native American culture. Also introduced were European religion and culture, new tools for agriculture, and new weaponry such as knives and firearms.

Have you ever been in a place of green with forests and animals everywhere? Well, where some of the Native Americans lived, there were such things. Native American tribes such as the Crow lived in the Great Plains. The Crow tribe of the Great Plains were nomadic and followed the buffalo migrations which provided their food. This tribe spent a good part of the year living in camps that could easily be dismantled and moved to follow the buffalo migrations. Other tribes of the plains were more sedentary. These tribes lived in permanent villages year round.

When the Native Americans were forced onto reservations they stopped hunting and preparing their own food. Instead the United States government gave them food that their bodies were not used to digesting. Indians were not used to eating flour, lard, canned meats and poultry that are swimming in fat, and canned fruits and vegetables packed in sugary syrup.

The native americans also made diffrent houses depending on the weather, for instance the mojave and cahuilla made their houses out of brush if the weather was hot. If the weather was cold they would make there houses out of oak planks and have slanted roofs.fun fact: did you know the cahuilla also ate beans,corn and squash?anyway, the cahuilla and the mojave lived close together and probably traded lots of things with each other too.fun fact:all tribes sing or yell special ceremonies to honor there tribe or land or there people as well as food or crops.the cahuilla lived in the foot hills of the san bernadino mountains and lived there for hundreads

Conquest and disease are often the primary negative factors analyzed when discussing European interaction with Native Americans in the Americas. However, with the use of bioarcheology, Historians particularly Clark Spencer Larsen, have been able to learn more about the lifestyle and diet of mission Native Americans in Florida from remains which paint a broader picture than traditional European sources. The mass introduction of corn and hard labor into the diets and lives of Plains Native Americans had a detrimental effect upon the wellbeing and health of those living under Spanish rule. These effects become much more pronounced when compared to the distant ancestors of the Native Americans.

Agriculture, especially corn growing, was important for the size and sophistication of the Native Americans.

Agriculture is the main reason we have civilization today, for without food surplus people would spend their days finding food and water constantly. Native Americans started like all other people in the world, doing just that, until over time they turned food production into an art. Without the elaborate specialization of crops over time, people would not have reached the point that they had before the Europeans had arrived. The allowance of food surplus led to the ability to advance culturally, scientifically, and economically.

Native American culture originated in some parts North America. These countries are known as the United States of America and some parts of Canada. In the United States, there are 6.6 million Native Americans, which form about 2.0 percent of the population (Bureau, 2016). Europe had realized there were about 50 million people already living the “new world” and these people were called Native Americans. Native Americans were originally called Indians, but later through history they formed a new name. These people were called this because of them being native to the “new world” and the American part came after the colonist named the United States. Throughout history, Native Americans believed that using raw material in nature was the best way to provide for their people. Their culture thought no part of an animal should go to waste. They would eat the meat, use the skin for clothing, and make jewelry from the bones. Over the years a lot of their culture and customs were lost due to conforming with society. Their languages were referred to as “Indigenous Languages” because of them being extremely complicated and diverse. Some important factors that help understand the foundation of Native American culture are their rituals/practices, death ceremonies, holidays, family, and stereotypes.

Butcher's meat was a luxury. However food greatly improved in the By the late 19th century the railways and steamships made it possible to import cheap grain from North America so bread became cheaper. Refrigeration made it possible to move cheap meat. Buffalo meat was the main food of the Sioux people and they made use of every part of its body. With the buffalo skin they made clothing, bedding, tents, carrying bags, harnesses and boats for crossing rivers. In the winter, when buffalo were hard to hunt, the Sioux ate dried buffalo meat. They would make jerky by drying buffalo meat. It was portable and was good for hunters because they had something to eat when they are hunting. The Sioux also ate other meats like bear, deer, antelope, and wild turkey and hens. Wild fruits like cherries, berries, and plums were also eaten. Also wild vegetables like potatoes, spinach, and prairie turnips. The most important crop was called the Three Sisters they were maize, squash, and beans. Food was often traded between the various tribes. They thought their future was secure bit as the "white man" came more of what they hold dear was disappearing. For example, their land, food, and

The Sioux ate what they found in the homelands. Buffalo was an important food, it was mostly hunted in the fall. None of the buffalo was wasted. It was eaten and made into clothing, tipi coverings, shields, and weapons. The Sioux also made pemmican from dried meats, dried berries, dried fruits, nuts, and melted buffalo fat. The meat, berries, fruits, and nuts were crushed. Then they poured melted buffalo fat over the mixture. The pemmican was stored in animal intestines and bladders. The containers were lightweight, watertight, and safe from insects.