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Post by buffaloberry on Feb 2, 2023 21:24:57 GMT -6
Greetings! I wanna find out which beans Cherokees like most besides Trail Of Tears, greasy, turkey gizzard and cornfield. I'm considering growing a little bit of cornhill, white half runner, cutshort, butterbean, lima and few more. Did they have bear paw somehow when they were in the southern homeland? I wanna find out if the Seneca cornfield or Mayflower bean was grown by Cherokees and other Iroquoian peoples of the Southeast centuries ago since it was a pre-Columbian bean. Which other Cherokee beans were grown in pre-Columbian times centuries ago? Please let me know if y'all got anything. Take care!
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Post by macmex on Feb 4, 2023 12:47:22 GMT -6
Hi there BuffaloBerry!
That's a HUGE question. I suspect one could write books upon books about beans that the Cherokee grew. Here are some thoughts:
1) The Cherokee had a MUCH MUCH larger territory than they do now. Look at this map!
2) Much of what was their territory has been considered the "epicenter for bean genetics," having even more diversity than Central America. (Information from Bill Best's book on the history of Appalachian Agriculture)
3) The Cherokee traded with other people groups. I know for a fact that they brought seed up from Mexico, trading with the Aztec and other groups. So, some of their seeds probably ended up down there and some of the Aztec seeds ended up in North America.
4) If the Cherokee were like other native groups, whose villages I visited, while living in Central Mexico, then for instance, they didn't have "a" Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean, but rather a landrace (wide mix) of black seeded pole beans, mostly similar to the Cherokee Trail of Tears, which we have today. In my experience, indigenous folk generally don't categorize varieties as tightly as those influenced by Northern European culture.
5) Finally, one conclusion I've drawn is that several hundred years ago, the Cherokee had a lot more varieties at their reach, than the ones we now attribute to be "Cherokee." For instance, it is my understanding that the greasy type bean originated in Cherokee territory. Many of these beans were probably left behind, in their old territories, many maintained by the new settlers, who appreciated them. Now they are not called "Cherokee," but in all likelihood, they once were.
Okay, hope I didn't muddle things for you. Thanks for participating on the forum!
Greetings! I wanna find out which beans Cherokees like most besides Trail Of Tears, greasy, turkey gizzard and cornfield. I'm considering growing a little bit of cornhill, white half runner, cutshort, butterbean, lima and few more. Did they have bear paw somehow when they were in the southern homeland? I wanna find out if the Seneca cornfield or Mayflower bean was grown by Cherokees and other Iroquoian peoples of the Southeast centuries ago since it was a pre-Columbian bean. Which other Cherokee beans were grown in pre-Columbian times centuries ago? Please let me know if y'all got anything. Take care!
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