Indian tribes often moved from one place to another. This migration allowed them to enjoy the seacoast in the summer and the shelter of the wooded valleys in the winter.
Along the coastline there were all kinds of shellfish. They caught and ate shellfish, lobster, clams, and bass. Other fish that were a part of their diet were bluefish, carp, catfish, cod, halibut, salmon, and mackerel. They fished in canoes and carried hooks, spears, and nets.
The men traveled the winding footpaths through the forests in which strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries grew wild.
They also hunted many animals: wolves, bear, moose, deer, wildcats, otters, foxes, raccoons, woodchucks, and minks. Ducks, geese, pigeons, and teal were game birds for the Indians. The Indians’ dogs were not pets but reserved food supplies to be eaten when game was scarce.
The women and children did most of the cultivating, planting, and harvesting of the crops, corn or maize and beans, which were a large part of their diet. They ate corn in a porridge and unleavened cakes. They boiled the corn and ate it as we do corn on the cob. They ate a succotash, which is corn and beans cooked together. They also ground the corn and made it into a cornmeal and hominy. This food was sometimes seasoned with fish. Cornmeal cake was another favorite. The food was prepared by wrapping the meal in leaves and roasting the cake in ashes.
Questions:
What kind of food did the Indians of Connecticut eat?
The teacher will go to the blackboard and say: “Let us make a list of foods according to the principles: vegetables and animals.” The teacher could also make this task more difficult for the students in order to give them experience in systematic work. The teacher could prepare in advance dittos with the nature of the food eaten by the Connecticut Indians and ask the students to classify the foods in the following categories:
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birds
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seafood
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vegetable
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fruits
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The teacher will also ask the students to compare the food eaten by the Indians of Connecticut and the Tainos from Puerto Rico.
The teacher can ask the students to prepare two separate lists: one with the food of Indians of Connecticut, and another with the food of the Indians from Puerto Rico.
