Much of the native male's time throughout the year was spent hunting, or at war. During these expeditions, he could easily travel 40 to 50 miles in a day. His dress was minimal, and so were the things that he brought with him. Anything that could not be worn on his person was wrapped in a blanket roll and carried on the back with a tumpline. A basic inventory follows, and includes some items discussed elsewhere on the site: Clothing 1 Shirt 1 breechcloth 2 pr moccasins 1 matchcoat (maybe) 1 blanket (2.5-3 point) Weapons 1 shot pouch - a small (~6"x6") pouch made of leather, fingerwoven wool, or beads extra flints 1 gun (English 'Type G' or French Smoothbore 'Tvlle' were the most common) 1 lb powder - carried in a horn 1 lb lead ball (solid or shot) - smaller 'swan' shot was popular among natives, but illegal to trade due to its effectiveness. .68 caliber is a common size for British-allied natives 1 hatchet /warclub - warclub only if at war Food 2 days ration corn meal small wooden bowl or woven cane bowl 1 kettle for every six men (a similar situation to European military) Adair and Romans lay out the procedure for groups of men when traveling: Sunrise- Everyone rises, fires extinguished/hidden, camp breaks Daybreak until evening- Travel begins and continues throughout the day. Water breaks as needed, but infrequent Evening- New camp established. Kettle filled with water, each man contributes his ration. Food is cooked and consumed. Night- Sleep. guard established if there is potential threat. Each nation has different manner of sleeping, typically in relation to the fire. Cherokee built a trench fire, and slept with their feet towards it. Creeks slept radially around a typical fire. They were not bound to sleep this way, but preferred it. To Parch Corn Parched corn was a durable way to store corn for the trail, and was ground into a coarse meal that could be prepared quickly and without heat, if needed. This gruel provided large amounts of carbohydrates, as well as protein and some fats. Meat and fare found along the trail could easily be added to the mix for a delicious stew. Prepare a pot of boiling water, add 2Tbs wood ash, well sifted from clean wood (no plastics, etc). Take a raw ear(s) of corn, and clean it of husk and silk. Blanch the corn for 3-4 minutes. remove and let cool. cut the kernels from the cob. allow kernels to dry completely (cover to prevent mold) heat frying pan (low-med) and add olive/corn/bear oil to cover. drop a couple of kernels to test oil for heat, should boil slightly cover bottom of pan with kernels stir until pecan brown. dry it out on newspaper You can grind the product in a coffee grinder, a blender, or a hand mill. ShelterIf you are going to eat them whole, fry them in bacon grease, add a little salt to taste. There are a few specific images and quotes that one can apply to shelters used by SE warriors on the trail. Romans noted that there were distinguishing styles employed by the different tribes, but it is important to have an understanding of the structures he relates them to. See above for the types of fires that were integrated with these structures. Choctaw- a 'sugar loaf' construction similar to 'wigwam' construction from other groups. Creek- a 'shed or piazza style' brush shelter. No mention is made about Cherokee-specific shelters, but given the similarity of the creek 'sheds' (an example is illustrated by von Recke) to the construction methods used in permenant Cherokee towns, suggests that they used this style as well. Timberlake also relates that simple shelters made with sticks and blankets were used by his Cherokee traveling companions. This is a good option for warm dry events. - Blanket image from Musuem of the Fur Trade - Tumpline image from British Museum |
On Campaign |
