Ardeith writes: Native tribes in the Eastern US carried little tubers called Apios americana along on their travels....to eat, and to plant in suitable areas along travel routes near creeks and other water sources......these "groundnuts" are tasty and nutritious and would grow from Maine to Florida...... The tribe could be sure of finding something to eat....raw or cooked...along with the pemmican they used for travel food......they also planted maize, beans, and squashes in season.....and collected a vast array of 'wild' plants.......and hunted, of course....... In Florida, the native tribes used every kind of seafood available.....while at USF I worked in the archaeology lab sifting midden-heap samples from different areas of the state......huge quantities of oyster shell and clam shell along with every other sort of shelled creature.....as well as bones and other remains of turtles, sharks, other fish and birds......some animal bone - deer, squirrel, possum, raccoon, lizards, alligators, and eggs of all sorts, and snakes......also lots of pieces of clay pots.....plant matter did not last to be found in these middens, but we have a pretty good idea what plants the natives were eating as they were still eating the same things a couple of hundred years ago......the native tribes in Florida didn't plant as agressively as the Northern tribes........you can find edible plants year round in Florida..... but there was some cultivation of favored plant types.....the tribes moved around to hunt, fish, collect sea products, and garden.....there are not many native plants in Florida that produce a lot of oils and fats....in some areas hickory trees grow and pecans....but much of Florida is too hot... animal fats would have to be used pretty quick before they became rancid.....Florida natives didn't rely on animal fats to the same extent that Northern tribes did, but then they didn't need to....they didn't have those freezing winters to survive.....in some areas maize was planted... in other areas....not. And it was a race to get to acorns before the bugs did...... Clay pots were used to cook up a stew containing every sort of plant and animal they had collected... ...a little plant called "coontie" was the source of a thickener much like arrowroot...I imagine they knew how to use hide "pots" before they learned how to make clay pots....but the hides would not have survived to leave any evidence............. And they did it all with pointed sticks and chipped rocks and clam shells............. [log in to unmask] Walk The Path With Practical Feet! ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.