Foodways: Native

AMERICAN INDIANS
Glaciers that once covered Northwest Ohio left behind flat and fertile swampland. Nomadic peoples such as Paleo and Archaic Indians, hunted, fished, and gathered food around the swamps. Adena Indians (1,000 B.C. - 77 A.D.) settled on the land and introduced farming by growing gourds, pumpkins, beans, squash, tobacco, sunflowers, and corn. Centuries later, Woodland cultures (Delaware, Iroquois, Miami, Ottawa, and Wyandot) continued to nurture the same crops.

PIONEER SETTLERS
American Indians had officially been “removed” from Ohio by the 1840s, as settlers introduced their British and German foodways traditions into the region.

The pioneer diet consisted of corn (dried and ground into flour for bread and mush), milk, butter, salted fish and pork, and seasonal garden vegetables. Like the American Indians, early settlers hunted wild game and gathered plants and berries.

"THREE SISTERS"
American Indians utilized a “three sisters garden” where corn, beans, and squash were planted together in a mound of soil, each relying on the other to flourish. Corn provided support for the beans to grow as well as acted as a wind barrier. Beans converted the sun’s energy into nitrogen-filled nodules that grew into the roots and kept the soil fertile. The large leaves of the squash grew out and around the hill to prevent valuable water from evaporating in the hot sun.

INDIANS TODAY
By the 1960s, American Indians had revitalized traditional cultures. Today, Northwest Ohio tribal councils hold pow-wows where traditional cooking can be observed. They have also introduced newer foods such as fry bread and “Indian Tacos.”
JOHNNY APPLESEED
As part of the settlement contract in the early 1800s, Johnny Appleseed carried apple seedlings throughout Ohio and Indiana, spreading a bountiful fruit that could be dried, preserved, or turned into a sauce or cider.
PRESERVATION
To preserve foods, pioneers cooked down fruits and vegetables into ketchups and jams for canning, and meats were salted and smoked.

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	AMERICAN INDIANS Glaciers that once covered Northwest Ohio left behind flat and fertile swampland. Nomadic peoples such as Paleo and Archaic Indians, hunted, fished, and gathered food around the swamps. Adena Indians (1,000 B.C. - 77 A.D.) settled on the land and introduced farming by growing gourds, pumpkins, beans, squash, tobacco, sunflowers, and corn. Centuries later, Woodland cultures (Delaware, Iroquois, Miami, Ottawa, and Wyandot) continued to nurture the same crops. PIONEER SETTLERS American Indians had officially been “removed” from Ohio by the 1840s, as settlers introduced their British and German foodways traditions into the region. The pioneer diet consisted of corn (dried and ground into flour for bread and mush), milk, butter, salted fish and pork, and seasonal garden vegetables. Like the American Indians, early settlers hunted wild game and gathered plants and berries.


"THREE SISTERS" American Indians utilized a “three sisters garden” where corn, beans, and squash were planted together in a mound of soil, each relying on the other to flourish. Corn provided support for the beans to grow as well as acted as a wind barrier. Beans converted the sun’s energy into nitrogen-filled nodules that grew into the roots and kept the soil fertile. The large leaves of the squash grew out and around the hill to prevent valuable water from evaporating in the hot sun.	INDIANS TODAY By the 1960s, American Indians had revitalized traditional cultures. Today, Northwest Ohio tribal councils hold pow-wows where traditional cooking can be observed. They have also introduced newer foods such as fry bread and “Indian Tacos.”	JOHNNY APPLESEED As part of the settlement contract in the early 1800s, Johnny Appleseed carried apple seedlings throughout Ohio and Indiana, spreading a bountiful fruit that could be dried, preserved, or turned into a sauce or cider.	PRESERVATION To preserve foods, pioneers cooked down fruits and vegetables into ketchups and jams for canning, and meats were salted and smoked.