Native Americans:Prehistoric:Late Prehistoric:Economy:Food

What did Protohistoric people eat? Illinois State Museum archaeozoologists have studied animal remains from the Morton site in Fulton County. Protohistoric people at Morton used a variety of animals from nearby woodlands and the Illinois river flood plain. Woodland animals include the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). The remains of fish include freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), bowfin (Amia calva), catfish (Ictaluridae), and gar (Lepisosteus). The absence of migratory waterfowl such as ducks and geese suggest that Protohistoric people lived at the Morton site during the summer.

		Artist's illustration of a woman harvesting squash.

Gardens were probably planted in or near villages by families. Garden food was part of a varied diet that also included deer, fish, and a variety of native plants foods such as nuts.

Protohistoric people grew corn, beans, squash, and sunflower. They also cultivated native seed-bearing plants such as knotweed (Polygonum), goosefoot (Chenopodium bushianum), and little barley (Hordeum pusillum). And, they continued to use many native sources of food such as nuts, especially hickory nuts (Carya), acorns (Quercus), black walnuts (Juglans nigra), butternuts (Juglans cinerea), and hazel nuts (Corylus americana). Fruits were also important, especially the American plum (Prunus americana), grape (Vitis), black cherry (Prunus serotina), and blackberry (Rubus alumnus).