In most Indians cultures, the men had it relatively easy [they  
hunted, they fought] compared to the constant, backbreaking work of  
the women. I am sure, as in any population, some of the women would  
have been delighted to try something new, esp. if it made their work  
a little easier. While others would have preferred to keep to the old  
ways.

Nancy

-------
I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.

--Daniel Boone



On Feb 13, 2007, at 10:03 AM, Anne Pemberton wrote:

> Thanks, Kevin. I am thinking that a useful item would be traded  
> before pretties. Maybe that is incorrect. Roundtree described the  
> labor and discomfort of digging the tubers with a digging stick or  
> by brute labor (the surface of the tubors caused stinging to the  
> skin), so I would think that prudent women would seek first to make  
> their labor easier. Perhaps that is my own perception.
>
> As I think on it, I wonder if the women would have taken the corn  
> to the settlement, or if the settlers would have come to the  
> village to make the trade. If the settlers did the traveling, they  
> may not have thought to bring a shovel, or maybe they did?
>
> I just ordered two of Roundtree's books, in addition to the JSTOR  
> article. I may finish the story before they arrive, but since I am  
> publishing on the web, it is very easy to update the story when I  
> get new information.
>
> Anne
> Anne Pemberton
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.erols.com/stevepem
> http://www.erols.com/apembert
> http://www.educationalsynthesis.org
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Joel Berland" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 9:53 AM
> Subject: Re: Native American Culture
>
>
>> Not  sure the alternatives are either a shovel or pulling the  
>> tubers up by hand.  There's some indication in the ethnological  
>> literature that tidewater nations used a digging stick before  
>> shovels or spades were available--and it's my impression that  
>> digging implements were not major items in the trade goods  
>> exchange (I'm willing to be corrected, of course), so digging  
>> sticks would still have been used in the period. Rountree's  
>> studies are essential reading.
>>
>> Cheers -- Kevin
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:40:20 -0500 Anne Pemberton                
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I think I will have them deliver some corn to trade at Jamestown,  
>> perhaps
>> three baskets of husked corn for a shovel and some pretties. The  
>> Reader will
>> help them negotiate the trade, since the settlers will ask for  
>> more corn to
>> trade for a shovel. John Smith may be involved in the trade.
>>
>> The shovel is to be used in harvesting the tubers from the swamp,  
>> that are
>> used for flour when corn isn't available. Without a shovel, the  
>> women are
>> using brute strength to pull out the tubers.
>>
>> With the advice from Helen Rountree's article, I will have  
>> breakfast from
>> the stew pot, and, after their return from the corn trade, they  
>> will butcher
>> meat to add to the stew pot.
>>
>>
>>
>>
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