Corn (Skamon)
Skamon (corn) is not life-sustaining until it is processed correctly. Traditional knowledge requires that corn meal (skamontahigan) is boil into a mush (mzekwta). This traditional method unlocks “several B vitamins and essential amino acids, including lysine and tryptophan (the latter of which is converted into niacin).”[ii] Without this traditional practice, a severe niacin deficiency causes a form of malnutrition known as pellagra. Supplementing skamon with beans (adbakwa)—which along with squash (wasawa) were the “three sisters” of Algonquian agriculture—could provide the needed niacin. However, it is unlikely that Okemesw8 grew beans on Castle Neck or that Robin could afford to bring them to her.
The traditional cooking method is to soak skamon, usually overnight, with wskanipekw (ashes). Then the kernels are rinsed and ground to remove the hulls, producing skamontahigan (corn meal) which can be stored for later use. An alternative to grinding the hulls is boiling skamon “in wood ashes and water until the shells come off.” [iii] In either case wskanipekw (ashes) is needed to break down the skamon and obtain its nutrients. The skamontahigan (corn meal) is cooked slowly in earthen pots over a gentle fire for ten to twelve hours, producing mzekwta (boiled corn). Additional ingredients, such as dried clams and acorns, are added to produce a nutrient rich succotash (ns8b8n). Wskanipekw (ashes) are essential to this traditional process. Wkanipekw from some traditional plants have high concentrations of potassium and sodium, but the Wkanipekw’s primary role is to provide the alkaline base necessary for releasing the essential amino acids in the skamon. The traditional practice of grinding with a wachilmezi (white oak) mortar increases the alkaline concentration in the skamontahigan (corn meal).
[i] Rachel V. Briggs, “The Hominy Foodway of the Historic Native Eastern Woodlands,” Native South 8, no. 1 (2015): 112.
[ii] Rachel V. Briggs, “The Hominy Foodway of the Historic Native Eastern Woodlands,” Native South 8, no. 1 (2015): 119.