Food Supply in the Southwest
The nomadic tribes had a large territory at their disposal. There were fertile and fairly well-watered river valleys where corn and beans could be raised, and vast tracts of upland…
From: Unknown To: 1900 C.E.
“Food Supply” from The North-Americans of Yesterday by Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh, 1901.
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
The nomadic tribes had a large territory at their disposal. There were fertile and fairly well-watered river valleys where corn and beans could be raised, and vast tracts of upland covered, if sparsely, with a varied vegetation. Judging from the number of cattle and sheep which that region now supports, before their introduction there must have been sufficient food for many deer, antelope, and elk. A few days' travel east from the Rio Grande were the buffalo plains with a supply of meat limited only by the means of transporting it.
Corn was planted by all the tribes; but the Eastern Apache, the Jicarilla and Mescalero, depended but little upon agriculture. That the Navajo formerly had large fields was stated by Benavides, who gave that fact as the explanation of their name. The methods employed seem not to have differed particularly from those of the village Indians. The corn was planted in irregularly spaced bunches, rather than in rows. The Navajo cornfields are in the moist valleys. The White Mountain Apache plant their fields in river beds wherever the streams have left a fertile flat. Sometimes the water is turned on these by diverting it into simple ditches with a log placed in the edge of the stream.
The Havasupai, being located in the Cataract Canyon, have exceptional opportunities for agriculture. The canyon walls broaden out, making a valley nearly two and a half miles long. Over this valley the water of the creek is conducted by means of ditches in the sand and slight dams across the stream. The light soil and sudden rises in the stream level make it necessary frequently to renew both ditches and dams. To the fertile soil and a plentiful water supply is added summer heat, since the valley is a half mile lower than the surrounding plateau. Peaches and figs are now raised, besides the native crops, maize, beans, and squash. When the crops have been harvested, they are dried and stored in caves and small storage rooms.
The country of the Walapai is unsuited to agriculture. There are only scattered spots with sufficient moisture to permit the raising of crops.
The nomadic people make extensive use of the wild vegetable products. The piñon produces large crops of nuts which the woodrats gather. It is only necessary to rob their nests to secure an abundant supply. The mesquite grows in most localities and furnishes edible pods when they are green and later bean-like seeds which are pounded into flour. The amole, Yucca baccata, has a banana-shaped fruit which is cooked in the ashes, and may then be dried for later use.
The agave, a century plant, furnishes a large bulk of nutritious food. The plants are watched until signs of the flowering stalk appear when they are seven or eight years old. The entire plant is severed near the base by means of a chisel-shaped stick which is hammered with a stone. The plant is then turned top down and trimmed with a broad knife of native manufacture. A leaf or two is left for a handle by which the stumps are carried to a large deep pit used year after year.
This pit is thoroughly heated and filled with stumps. A covering of earth is thrown over them and a fire maintained on top for a day or more. The cooked material is dried in the sun and packed in bales for transportation to the camp. This food, while coarse, is not unpalatable.
There are many species of cacti, most of which have edible fruit. The giant cactus, which grows on the lower elevations, because of its great size yields abundantly. The fruit is pressed into large balls which keep indefinitely. These contain many black seeds which are separated by soaking and ground for flour. There are many berries, seeds of grasses and sunflowers, nuts, and bulbs, which add considerably to the required food supply.
The Eastern Apache made regular trips to the buffalo plains, at the time of the year when the buffalo were driven south by the cold. They killed a large number, dried the meat, and packed it in bags, or parfleches, made of the hides of the animals killed. These were tied on the backs of horses for transportation.
Men went out singly to hunt deer and antelope wearing a headdress with the horns of the animals that they might approach them more readily. There were communal hunts for elk particularly. The leader of the hunt placed the men at the points that commanded the passageways and trails and the animals were driven toward them. Corrals were also used into which the antelope were driven.
The Athapascan tribes never eat fish or waterfowl. The taboo is explained by the Indians as due to a fear of water which is connected with the thunder.
The Havasupai move to the plateau above their canyon after their harvest and spend the fall and winter in gathering wild foods and in hunting deer, mountain-sheep, and formerly antelope. They are thus furnished with a plentiful supply of flesh to be eaten with their corn. The surplus skins are dressed and traded to other tribes.
For some years before and after the American occupation of the region, the Western Apache and the Navajo lived to a large extent on the cattle, sheep, horse, mules, and burros they were able to drive off from the settlements.
Both tribes seem to have undertaken the breeding of horses a long time ago. The Apache have attempted cattle raising only recently. Their burial customs formerly required the destruction of all personal property at the death of the owner. This required that his herds be slaughtered. Recently the Apache herds have increased and go far toward supplying the necessary flesh diet. The Navajo, apparently without foreign instruction, began the rearing of sheep a century or more ago. Sheep raising has become an important industry and has worked great changes in their culture. It has largely superseded hunting and, to a considerable extent, agriculture.
Dellenbaugh, Frederick S. The North-Americans of Yesterday, The Knickerbocker Press, 1901.
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