19
Do you gather sassafras to make sassafras tea?
0: Yes.
C: What about sumac berry juice? A long time ago the Seminoles
used to drink this kind of berry juice, especially in the
north. If I showed you what kind of berry I am talking about,
you would recognize it immediately.
O: I probably would. I am not quite sure if this is the same kind
of berry that the elderly ladies would pick, and put it in
water, and boil it to make a drink. Sometimes the women would
mix it with food.
C: Before I forget, this is something I want to talk with you about.
During wartime, when our warriors were on the run, did they have
pouches which they carried with them which contained dried foods
such as deer meat, beef, etc.? (Pouches made from cowhides.
Osceola agreed with me that the Seminoles did have such things
as food pouches.)
C: (I wasn't quite sure how the Seminole said "berries" in Seminole,
so I asked Osceola. He told me "berries" is bathgo. I learned that
there were various ways to say it. I mentioned that in the past,
the Seminoles used to dry berries and cabbage.)
They also had containers for drinks such as water and sofkee
when they were fleeing. During wartime these containers filled
with some beverage were hidden in certain places for the warriors.
When they needed the drink they knew where to find them. Have
you heard about this before?
O: I don't recall hearing about how they kept their drinks. I have
heard and saw people carry pouches which contained dried foods,
such as dried beef and dried deer. Just as you were saying. They
did then. Since they did not have any refrigeration or cooling
devices, they dried their food, and whenever they were hungry
they would get food from their pouches. These dried meats were
ground with a corn grinder. If this ground dried meat is mixed
with grease and heated it makes a tasty meal. I have eaten it.
Even now we often eat it.
C: I really think the Seminoles were highly intelligent. When they
were forced to engage in war and to defend their homeland, they
had to have some means of feeding themselves. This is why some
of the warriors went ahead of the others--so they could hide the
food and drinks where they would be readily accessible. So whether