White Oaks (Wachilmezi)
Wachilmezi (white oaks) were prevalent in the uplands of Plum Island and Castle Neck in the 17th century and were managed through traditional native practices. For Algonquians, the wachilmezi (white oaks) were valued for the anaskamenal (acorn). Evidence shows that during the Woodland Period, as early as 900 BC, humans were using anaskamenal as a source of nourishment. White oak acorns are low in fat and protein but are high in carbohydrates. They were managed to maximize acorn production which required they be separated with ample space between trees. [i] This was achieved by burning the understory. In contrast, oaks were valued most by the settlers when they grew close together to form tall straight trunks used as lumber.[ii]
Algonquian forest management practices include periodic burning to maintain balance between wachilmezi (white oak) and koa (white pine). Wachilmezi is more fire resistant than koa. Wachilmezi can sprout from its stump after a burn. Without forest management, rapidly growing koa will predominate initially until slower growing wachilmezi eventually crowd them out through natural succession. Balancing wachilmezi and koa requires careful timing. The mixture of wachilmezi (oak) and koa (pine) observed by early settlers colonizing Agawam (Ipswich, MA) reflects this traditional knowledge.
Traditionally, the anaskamenal (acorn) is processed to remove tannic acid, a poisonous substance.[iii] Anaskamenal shells are removed, and the kernels are ground using a mortar and pestle. Tannic acid is leached from the kernels by leaving them in a basket with a fast-flowing stream running over them. Alternatively, the kernels can be boiled several times with the water poured off at about 15 minutes intervals.[iv] After leaching the tannins, anaskamenal is slowly boiled into mush which must be carefully stirred to avoid burning. Anaskamenal mush can be eaten on its own or mixed into ns8b8n (succotash). In the winter, skamontahigan (corn meal) is cooked slowly in earthen pots over a gentle fire for ten to twelve hours, producing mzekwta (boiled corn) and Anaskamenal is added to produce a nutrient rich ns8b8n (succotash).
[i] “White Oak: White Oak Acorns” accessed December 2, 2025 from The Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Vermont.
[ii] Robert Tarule, The Artisan of Ipswich : Craftsmanship and Community in Colonial New England (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004).
[iii] “Exploring California Indigenous Food & Practices Through Traditional Acorn Mush” Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (blog), accessed November 10, 2024,
[iv] “How to Remove Tannins from Acorns ” accessed November 10, 2024 from The Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin.