Sunday, January 13, 2008

Before your tribe lived here, what did the previous inhabitants eat and how did they sustain themselves? Q.9 of The Big Here Quiz

Our extensive research in Essex, Kent and Lambton counties has revealed that contrary to statements made by many historical writers, for whatever reasons, religious or political, the Native Indians of the contact period and those who preceded them as early as the year 406 A.D. did not live by hunting, fishing and gathering alone. There were only a few wandering bands, who in some manner perhaps contributed to cultural diffusion, that did not live in fixed habitations. The Indians of the Canadian Southwest indeed had summer campsites, but they were not unlike today's urbanites going to a cottage or campground for the summer months...

... As evidenced from the examination of the midden pits, probably subsisted on the local animals, fish, fowl, and vegtation. Their agriculture practice included the cultivation of corn... A variety was developed by the Indians of Southern Ontario to mature in less than 90 days...

[Petagwana to Pele (Point Edward to Point Pelee) : The Story of Great Lakes Prehistoric and Historic Sties and Their People by Al Plant).

2 comments:

Urbanrat said...

What a fascinating blog! Gee whiz the city and county from a whole new point of view.I have been reading it for over an hour now. I am going to point this out to several of my colleagues and some high school teachers that I know. Great blog, keep it coming!

Mita said...

Thanks for the kind words!

I'm hoping to restart tackling the rest of the "Big Here" quiz once I'm able to lose my cold that has kept me low for the last week.