The several varieties of corn grown in Iroquois fields provided for a large number of recipes. Most frequently, however, the corn was ground into flour. In preparation for this, the hulls had to be removed from the kernels of corn. This was done by boiling the kernels with ashes and then placing them in a corn washing basket. By shaking this basket in a kettle of water or in a running stream, the hulls were washed off. The corn was pounded into flour using a wooden mortar and pestle and sifted in a basketry sifter.
These ears of corn were gathered by National Museum anthropologists F.W. Waugh and C. Marius Barbeau. Waugh photographed a mortar and pestle in use at the Six Nations Reserve around 1914.
Courtesy: National Museums of Canada (black and white photo: 17168; S86-1212)
