The meals Indigenous
Americans ate in the past were often as much
about the ceremony as they were about sustenance. The Native Americans
brought ingredients from their surroundings
together in creative ways, using the most from what
the environment offered. And many of those
recipes are still part of their culture
and life in modern times. So today, we're
going to take a look at what Native American tribes
in the old west were eating. But before we get started,
be sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel. After that, would you be so
kind as to leave a comment and let us know what other
historical culinary topics you would like to hear about? OK, we hope you brought your
appetite for Weird History. [MUSIC PLAYING] In general, Native American
groups of the old west thrived on staple foods like
corn, beans, and squash. When available, meat,
fruit, and other vegetables were mixed into their diets,
which could also include things like roots and greens. Many foods Native Americans
ate were high in fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Their recipes were often
intentionally loaded with nutrients in
order to combat many of the potential
hardships and struggles that were endemic to
living in the old west. On the other hand, it
wasn't all about hardships. Food was also used for
celebrating and bringing people together. Like in many other
cultures, a good meal was seen as a social
tool that could strengthen communal bonds. [MUSIC PLAYING] Navajo kneel-down bread,
traditionally called Ntsidigo'i', was named for how
it looks after preparation. The bread was made
of corn, which was a staple of the Navajo diet. That corn would be ground down
before being wrapped in corn husks and then boiled or baked. Because the ends of the husk
were tucked in or folded, the whole thing looked
something vaguely like the legs of a kneeling person. Kneel-down bread was
soft once it was cooked, but it also often came
with a crispy outer layer. Kneel-down bread was
sometimes give it to medicine men in payment for
services or for a blessing. And it could be offered
to tribal elders as well. In some places, kneel-down
bread is alternatively known as a Navajo tamale. But this isn't a universally
accepted identifier. Pashofa was a dish that included
a mixture of pork, corn, and water, and required numerous
hours of work to prepare. Pashofa, which could be
kept for over a month, took the form of a soup
that was almost always made in large quantities
because it was typically served to bring members of the
Chickasaw community together. To make pashofa, corn
was cracked and then put into boiling water. The mixture would then be
stirred for hours and hours allowing the corn to soften. When the corn was halfway
cooked, pieces of pork were then added in. It was important
to keep the corn from sticking to the pot,
something that necessitated paddles just for that purpose. Paddles made of hickory
or oak would often be passed down for generations,
specifically for the purpose of stirring pots of pashofa. The Chickasaw and Choctaw
also sometimes engaged in a healing ritual known
as the pashofa dance. During the ritual,
a medicine man would say a formula
over a sick person in order to drive
out the affliction, while others danced outside. In the afternoon, pashofa would
be served to all the dancers before a second round
of dancing ensued. [MUSIC PLAYING] Atoo' isn't so much a
particular meal as it is a general term for
stew, soup, and mush. That being said, atoo' often
included meat from wild game like rabbits. Stews, soups, and
mushes typically incorporated vegetables such as
celery, onion, and wild spinach with squash, corn,
and potatoes as well. As Native American tribes
transitioned from hunting to animal husbandry,
meat from goats, cows, and sheep also eventually
found their way into atoo'. Mutton atoo' was made by
sauteing the meat before adding it to a pot of boiling water. Once vegetables were
added, the mixture was cooked for a short
time, after which seasoning and more water were added. More cooking time then followed. And when it was
finally served, it was often accompanied by some
sort of bread or tortilla. [MUSIC PLAYING] As another commonly found
item among Navajo groups, fry bread found many uses,
making dah diniilgaazh was relatively simple. It mostly just involved
mixing flour, milk, water, and shortening, which is to
say Navajo fry bread was really just unleavened
dough fried in a pan. Once the mixture was
fried on both sides, it could be topped with a number
of things, including cheese, tomatoes, beans, or vegetables. In many ways, Navajo fry
bread served in this fashion resembled a taco. The fry bread was often served
with atoo', the aforementioned soup and stews. But it could be drizzled with
honey to sweeten it as well. Once Native American
tribes were relocated to low quality farmland
on reservations, they became
increasingly dependent upon rations provided by the
United States government. Fry bread, however, was one of
the few Indigenous foods that could be made using
the lard, flour, and other supplies to which
Native Americans had access. [MUSIC PLAYING] Wasna roughly translates
to anything mixed together. And the Sioux people, made up of
the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota believed in both its nutritional
and spiritual importance. According to
legend, wasna, which consists of a mixture of
dried meat, fruit, and fat was the lifeblood
of the Sioux people. Due to its high
caloric value, wasna, which is sometimes
also known as pemmican, was highly valued because it
could keep warriors and hunters going for days on end. It's like the old west
equivalent of Red Bull. To make wasna, Native Americans
took dried meat, most often beef, buffalo, or venison, and
mixed it with dried berries. It was coated in melted
kidney fat or lard and then eaten with
a spoon or by hand. Wasna was also put into
pouches or bladders but is now often shaped into
balls, patties, or squares for easy travel. [MUSIC PLAYING] Common among California's
payomkawichum, or Luisenos, as they're
called by the Spanish, wiiwish was also
traditionally associated with Miwok peoples, native to
the northern part of the state. Wiiwish was a stew
that was made out of acorns, which as
you probably know, are the highly nutritious
nuts that fall from oak trees. Well, maybe you didn't know
they were highly nutritious. With more than 10
kinds of acorns prevalent in
northern California, wiiwish blended several
different types of flavors while giving its eaters
essential fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and protein. The first step in making wiiwish
involved collecting acorns each autumn. Once gathered, acorns were
dried and stored until needed. In preparation for
making wiiwish, the acorn would be broken
open and the kernels were removed from the shelves. Their skin was then peeled
and the acorn kernels were ground into flour. The flour was mixed with water,
leached to remove bitterness, and then cooked into a
mush, bread, or stew. When botanist and author
Charles F Saunders traveled to the American west
during the early 20th century, he ate some wiiwish and
commented on the experience in his writings. According to
Saunders, "in taste, it is rather flat but with
a suggestion of nuttiness that becomes
distinctly agreeable." Saunders continued
on to say that based on his own experience
with wiiwish, he would, "pronounce it about as good
as an average breakfast food mush." Nonetheless, it
was his observation that, "cream and sugar
and a pinch of salt are considered
needful concomitants" by non-Indigenous
consumers of the dish. Wiiwish was just one of several
Native American dishes that used acorns, which
were also eaten by members of tribes including
the Apache and the Yavapai. [MUSIC PLAYING] According to
archaeological findings, members of the Pueblo tribes
in the American southwest were drinking a corn based
beer some 800 years ago. Today however,
tiswin is more often associated with
the Apache, which is a separate group that had
extensive contact with Pueblo groups. Dahteste, a member of the Apache
who was with Geronimo when he surrendered in 1886,
claimed that tiswin was relatively easy to make. According to her, you
simply grind corn fine on a grinding stone or matati. Then build a big fire and boil
the cornmeal for 20 minutes. Once cooked, you take it
out and squeeze the mash, separating out the grounds. Then you throw the grounds
away, take off what's left, put it in a jar, and let
it ferment with yeast for 24 hours. Dahteste indicated the
fermentation process took longer without yeast. Often weeds and
roots were added. And the grinding process
could be done several times. Another type of
tiswin involved using the mezcal plant or other
cacti, a process that took days or weeks of crushing,
boiling, and fermenting. Much of the literature
on the Apache tribe refers to tiswin drunks. However, the role of this
alcohol in Apache society has been dismissed by
members of the tribe as mostly being a myth. The reason for this is that
tiswin had a relatively low alcohol content. Victor Randall of
the Mezcalero Apache once commented to
historian Eve Ball that it takes a lot of drinking
to get drunk on tiswin. According to Randall, most of
the so-called tiswin drunks were really drunk on tequila
or other hard liquors. Piki, a thin cornbread
made by the Hopi, was similar to
Navajo paper bread. Piki was made using
blue or red corn that was mixed with ash and water. While the dough was often
thick, the Piki itself was usually very fine and thin. Women would take
handfuls of piki dough and spread it over
a hot, flat stone. Once cooked, the piki
could be folded, left flat, or rolled and served with
a variety of other foods. The art of making piki was
something women acquired over years of practice. And the piki stone was
located in a small room or house that was often
reserved for making piki. [MUSIC PLAYING] The importance of the hickory
tree for Native Americans can be seen in the
use of hickory nut oil for cooking and medicine. Hickory nuts could be crushed
and made into a drink. But they could also
be boiled, strained, and made into what was
called hickory milk. One recipe that was common
among Cherokee peoples was kanuchi, or
hickory nut soup. During the early autumn, women
gathered fallen hickory nuts and let them dry
for several weeks. The meat from the nuts
was extracted, ground, and formed into balls. After being stored
for a time, the balls were added to a vat
of boiling water. Once the mixture was strained
for any residual shell pieces, Cherokee women added hominy,
and at times, sugar or honey. [MUSIC PLAYING] Wojapi was made using
choke cherries, root flour, and sugar, which were mixed
together, brought to a boil, and thickened as needed. Considered to be a
sweet treat, Wojapi was common among
Sioux populations, most notably the
Dakota and Lakota who lived in South Dakota. Wojapi was sometimes
eaten as pudding, but it could also be
served over fry bread. Despite its sweet taste, Wojapi
was not considered a dessert, but rather it was one of
several traditional meals. It's also stored and
served on special occasions and at ceremonial gatherings. The use of choke
cherries in the recipe was demonstrative of the
importance of wojapi. These same berries
were common in wasna and were prized for their
medicinal properties. So what do you think? Which of these dishes
would you like to try? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
