Native American Foods: Technology and Food Sources: The Prairie-Plains

Corn, beans, and squash and an agricultural lifestyle predominated in much of the prairie. The Prairie-Plains Indians supplemented their crops with gathered and hunted wild foods. The strong early tradition of hunting large game (often buffalo and antelope on the plains) was curtailed when nineteenth-century Americans resettled and was augmented with domestic meats. In the Great Lakes region wild rice was the primary grain and was used (sometimes alongside corn) as a staple in breads, stews, and soups. The dishes often were prepared with fish or small game, including beaver, from this wet terrain and perhaps with eggs and bacon. Maple syrup was the common sweetener.