The Pemmican Manual

You can substitute other meats and dried fruits that are available in your area.

http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1377

The Pemmican Manual PDF : http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTIVITY OF WILLIAM BIGGS. Part 3.

It is a law with the Indians when they go to war, if an Indian will

not obey the counsels and commands of his captain or chief, to kill

them. When their meat was cooked, they ate very hearty, and when they

were done eating, three of the Indians got up, put on their budgets and

started, this young Indian was one of them. I also got up to show a

willingness to be ready. The old chief told me to sit down, and the

three Indians started off. In about three or four minutes after we

started, but varied a little in our course. We had not traveled more

than one hundred yards when we heard the report of a gun. The old chief

then told me that they had killed the Indian that wanted to kill me. The

other two Indians fell in company with us before night. We then traveled

till about 10 o'clock in the night, when we encamped at a large grove of

timber in a prairie, about four miles from the edge of the woods; made

no fire that night. We traveled about forty miles that day. After they

rested a while they sat down to eat their jirk. They gave me some but I

could not eat any. After they were done eating, one of the Indians was

sitting with his back against a tree, with his knife between his legs. I

was sitting facing him with my feet nearly touching his. He began to

inquire of me of what nation I belonged to. I was determined to pretend

that I was ignorant and could not understand him. I did not wish them to

know that I could speak some Indian language, and understand them better

than I could speak. He first asked me in Indian if I was a Matocush,

(that is a Frenchman in English). I told him no. He asked me if I was a

Sagenash, (an Englishman). I told him no. He again asked if I was a

Shemolsea, (that is a long knife or a Virginian). I told him no. He then

asked me if I was a Bostonely, (that is American). I told him no. About

one minute afterwards, he asked me the same questions over again. I then

answered him yes; he then spoke English and caught up his knife in his

hand, and said "you are one dam son of a bitch." I really thought he

intended stabbing me with his knife. I knew it would not do to show

cowardice, I being pretty well acquainted with their manner and ways. I

then jumped upon my feet and spoke in Indian and said manetway, kien,

depaway, in English it is no, I am very good, and clapped my hand on my

breast when I spoke and looked very bold; the other Indians all set up

such ha! ha! and laugh that it made the other Indian look very foolish.

He sat still and looked very sulky. After they had rested a while, they

began to prepare to lay down. They spread down a deer-skin and blanket

for me to lay on. They had tied a rope around my arms above my elbows,

and tied that rope across my back, and a rope around my neck; they then

tied the end of another rope behind to the neck rope, then down my back

to the pinion rope; then they drew my hands forward across my stomach

and crossed my wrists; then tied my wrists very tight; then tied my legs

together, just below my knees; then tied my feet together with a rope

round my ankles; then took a small cord and tied in between my wrists,

and also between my ankles very tight, in order to prevent me from

drawing out my hands or feet; they then took another cord and tied one

end to the neck rope; then to the hand rope; then from the hand rope to

the knee rope; they then took a rope about six feet long and tied one

end to the wrist rope, and the other end to a stake about six feet from

me stretched very tight, and an Indian laid on that rope all night; then

they took another rope about the same length, and tied one end to the

knee rope and the other end to a stake, and another Indian laid on that

all night; then they tied a large half-dressed elk rope, one end to the

back part of the neck rope which made a knot as big as my fist, the

other end they tied to a stake about six feet from my head. When they

finished their tying me, they covered me with a blanket. They tied me in

the aforegoing way nine nights in succession; they had me stretched and

tied so tight, that I could not move one inch to turn or rest myself;

that large knot was on the back of my neck, so that I was obliged to lay

on it all night, and it hurt my neck very much. I never suffered as much

in the same length of time in all my life; I could hardly walk when we

got out to their town. They never made me carry anything except a

blanket they gave me to keep myself warm, when they took all my clothes

from me. The Indians carried a deer-skin and blanket all the way for me

to lodge upon. When my hands and feet became sore with the tying the

Indians would always pull off my moccasins at night and put them on in

the morning, and patch them when they would require it.

Trail Food.

“I was Left behind at ye Camps, where they
was killing of Cattle and Laying in a Stock of Provissions,
for our Voyage, there manner of Curing
meate that they Design to keep any Considerable
time, is to Cut it in Large fletches, and Lay it over ye

fire, till it is So Smoakedryed, and Rosted, yt one
Cannot perceive any manner of moister in it, more
then in a Chip, this is ye Custom of both french. and
Indians, when they Design to Carrey their provisions
any Considerable Distance”.
The Pote Journal 1745.

Jerky or Jerk.

“I was Left behind at ye Camps, where they

was killing of Cattle and Laying in a Stock of Provissions,

for our Voyage, there manner of Curing

meate that they Design to keep any Considerable

time, is to Cut it in Large fletches, and Lay it over ye

fire, till it is So Smoakedryed, and Rosted, yt one

Cannot perceive any manner of moister in it, more

then in a Chip, this is ye Custom of both french. and

Indians, when they Design to Carrey their provisions

any Considerable Distance”.

The Pote Journal 1745.

Actually you should not "Roast" or cook it, just dry it.
Keith.

Pioneer life or 30 years a hunter. By Philip Tome.

Pioneer Life.

Or 30 years a hunter.
By Philip Tome.


“Taking salt and flour with us we pushed up our canoe to a place called Round Island”.
“We now brought our venison together, and built a scaffold on which we placed it to dry. It may well here to describe the manner of preserving Elk’s meat in the summer. It is first cut into thin slices and salted down in the skin. We always carried a bag of salt with us for that purpose. Two large poles are laid across crotches about five feet high, and a number of smaller ones are laid across these. After the meat has lain a sufficient length of time in the skin, it is spread upon this scaffold, and a slow fire built under it. The fire is gradually increased and the meat turned until it is dried through. In this state it is called jerk”.
“My father commenced mending his moccasins”.
“They came up pine creek with a keel boat loaded with flour, pork, sugar, chocolate, tea, and all kinds of clothing for the men”.
“We all had fishing lines”.
“I called to Strawbridge to throw the axe at the snake”.
“During the winter when the river was covered with ice, the deer would fall into the air holes and become an easy prey (to the wolves). We took off the skin and if the deer did not prove to be very good, we would leave half of it to the wolves, but if it was good, we left the refuse parts to encourage them in pursuing the deer”.
“On leaving the house we always put on a pair of woollen socks and leggings over our shoes to protect our legs from the snakes”.

Image added by Le Loup.

The means by which they cook and dry their meat.

Of their Cookery and Food.
14. Their Cookery has nothing commendable in it, but that it is perform'd with little trouble. They have no other Sauce but a good Stomach, which they seldom want. They boil, broil, or tost all the Meat they eat, and it is very common with them to boil Fish as well as Flesh with their Homony; This is Indian Corn soaked, broken in a Mortar, husked, and then boil'd in Water over a gentle Fire, for ten or twelve hours, to the consistence of Furmity: The thin of this is, what my Lord Bacon calls Cream of Maize, and highly commends for an excellent sort of nutriment.
They have two ways of Broyling, viz. one by laying the Meat itself upon the Coals, the other by laying it upon Sticks rais'd upon Forks at some distance above the live Coals, which heats more gently, and drys up the Gravy; this they, and we also from them, call Barbacueing.
They skin and paunch all sorts of Quadrupeds; they draw, and pluck their Fowl; but their Fish they dress with their Scales on, without gutting; but in eating they leave the Scales, Entrails and Bones to be thrown away.
They never serve up different sorts of Victuals in one Dish; as Roast and Boyl'd, Fish and Flesh; but always serve them up in several Vessels.
They bake their Bread either in Cakes before the Fire, or in Loaves on a warm Hearth, covering the Loaf first with Leaves, then with warm Ashes, and afterwards with Coals over all.
Tab. 9. Represents the manner of their Roasting and Barbacueing, with the form of their Baskets for common uses, and carrying Fish.
15. Their Food is Fish and Flesh of all sorts, and that which participates of both; as the Beavor, a small kind of Turtle, or Tarapins, (as we call them) and several Species of Snakes. They likewise eat Grubs, the Nymphæ of Wasps, some kinds of Scarabæi, Cicadæi, &c. These last are such as are sold in the Markets of Fess, and such as the Arabians, Lybians, Parthians and Æthiopians commonly eat; so that these are not a new Dyet, tho a very slender one; and we are inform'd, that St John was dyeted upon Locusts, and Wild Honey.
They make excellent Broth, of the Head and Umbles of a Deer, which they put into the Pot all bloody. This seems to resemble the jus nigrum of the Spartans, made with the Blood and Bowels of a Hare. They eat not the Brains with the Head, but dry, and reserve them to dress their Leather with.
They eat all sorts of Peas, Beans, and other Pulse, both parched and boiled. They make their Bread of the Indian Corn, Wild Oats, or the Seed of the Sunflower. But when they eat their Bread, they eat it alone, and not with their Meat. They have no Salt among them, but for seasoning, use the Ashes of Hiccory, Stickweed, or some other Wood or Plant, affording a Salt ash.
They delight much to feed on Roasting-ears; that is, the Indian Corn, gathered green and milky, before it is grown to its full bigness, and roasted before the Fire, in the Ear. For the sake of this Dyet, which they love exceedingly, they are very careful to procure all the several sorts of Indian Corn before mentioned, by which means they contrive to prolong their Season. And indeed this is a very sweet and pleasing Food.
They have growing near their Towns, Peaches, Strawberries, Cushawes, Melons, Pompions, Macocks, &c. The Cushaws and Pompions they lay by, which will keep several months good after they are gather'd; the Peaches they save, by drying them in the Sun; they have likewise several sorts of the Phaseoli.
In the Woods, they gather Chincapins, Chesnuts, Hiccories, and Walnuts. The Kernels of the Hiccories they beat in a Mortar with Water, and make a White Liquor like Milk, from whence they call our Milk Hickory. Hazlenuts they will not meddle with, tho they make a shift with Acorns sometimes, and eat all the other Fruits mentioned before, but they never eat any sort of Herbs or Leaves.
They make Food of another Fruit call'd Cuttanimmons, the Fruit of a kind of Arum, growing in the Marshes: They are like Boyl'd Peas, or Capers to look on, but of an insipid earthy taste. Captain Smith in his History of Virginia calls them Ocoughtanamnis, and Theod de Bry in his Translation, Sacquenummener.
Out of the Ground they dig Trubbs, Earth nuts, Wild Onions, and a Tuberous Root they call Tuckahoe, which while crude is of a very hot and virulent quality: but they can manage it so as in case of necessity, to make Bread of it, just as the East Indians and those of Egypt, are said to do of Colocassia. It grows like a Flagg in the miry Marshes, having Roots of the magnitude and taste of Irish Potatoes, which are easy to be dug up.
16. They accustom themselves to no set Meals, but eat night and day, when they have plenty of Provisions, or if they have got any thing that is a rarity. They are very patient of Hunger, when by any accident they happen to have nothing to eat; which they make more easy to them by girding up their Bellies, just as the wild Arabs are said to do, in their long marches; by which means they are less sensible of the impressions of Hunger.
17. Among all this variety of Food, Nature hath not taught them the use of any other Drink than Water; which tho they have in cool and pleasant Springs every where, yet they will not drink that, if they can get Pond Water, or such as has been warm'd by the Sun and Weather. Baron Lahontan tells of a sweet juice of Maple, which the Indians to the Northward gave him, mingl'd with Water; but our Indians use no such Drink. For their Strong drink, they are altogether beholding to us, and are so greedy of it, that most of them will be drunk as often as they find an opportunity; notwithstanding which, it is a prevailing humour among them, not to taste any Strong drink at all, unless they can get enough to make them quite drunk, and then they go as solemnly about it, as if it were part of their Religion.
18. Their fashion of sitting at Meals, is on a Mat spread on the ground, with their Legs lying out at length before them, and the Dish between.

Beverley, Robert, ca. 1673-1722.

The same means as in table 9 (top of page) is used to dry meat but with the fire less intense and if in summer, smoke to keep the flies off.