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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