The Diverse Diet of Native Americans Before European Contact

Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Native Americans had a rich and varied diet that was carefully tailored to the geography, climate, and resources of their respective regions. This article explores the dietary habits of Native Americans in different parts of the continent, focusing on the Great Plains, the eastern coastal regions, and the central and southern areas.

Great Plains: Hunter-Gatherers

The Native Americans living on the Great Plains were primarily hunter-gatherers. The sod on the plains was too thick and tough for wooden plows, and thus farming was not a viable option for this region. Instead, these groups thrived by hunting buffalo and gathering a wide variety of fruits, berries, and other wild plants. The buffalo provided meat, hides, and bone tools, while the wild harvests like prairie turnips, chokecherries, and wild plums sustained them throughout the year.

The Eastern and Western Coast: Agricultural Societies

While the Great Plains were more suited to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, the eastern and western coasts had opportunities for agriculture. Coastal Indians practiced both farming and hunting/trapping for meat. They cultivated crops and relied on the resources provided by the ocean and nearby forests. This mixture of agricultural practices and natural resources led to a diverse diet for these communities.

Dietary Diversity in Eastern North America

Before the introduction of maize from Mesoamerica, the main agricultural crops in the eastern regions of North America were part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex. These included plants like goosefoot, marshelder, squash, sunflowers, little barley, maygrass, and erect knotweed. These were joined later by maize and beans introduced from Mesoamerica, which gradually replaced the previous food sources, except for sunflowers and native squash. Another common cultivated plant was the Jerusalem artichoke, a type of sunflower with edible tubers.

Undomesticated Foods: A Staple in Eastern Diets

The diet of Eastern Native Americans was heavily supplemented by wild trees and plants. Chestnuts, pecans, hickory nuts, hazelnuts, acorns, walnuts, persimmons, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, wild plums, and wild cherries were all part of their diet. Many wild plants like ramps, sumac, sassafras, various greens, and tubers were gathered and consumed. Despite misconceptions, Indigenous Americans in the East were generally well-fed and not on the edge of starvation.

Domesticated and Semi-Domesticated Animals

North America

Stingless Bees Turkey Domestic Dog

South America

Llamas Cormorants Alpacas Cavies (Guinea Pigs) Muscovy Duck Fuegian Dogs (independent domestication of dogs)

Plant Domestication

North America (excluding the East)

Maize Beans Squash Tomatoes Avocado Amaranth Chocolate Vanilla

South America

Manioc Potatoes Quinoa Chiles Coca Sweet Potatoes Tobacco Peanuts

This list does not include the numerous varieties of foraged foods or partially domesticated plants used by Native Americans in other parts of the Americas. The historical diet of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas was rich, complex, and deeply connected to the natural resources of their homelands.