Northeast Native American Diet

Native American peoples have inhabited the northeastern United States for well over 10,000 years. Northeast peoples include the Abenaki, Lenape, Iroquois and Passamaquoddy tribes, among many others. Native Americans of the Northeast thrived in a woodland and coastal culture, relying on local fish and game, wild plants, and cultivated crops of indigenous vegetable species to provide a healthful, diverse diet.

Cultivated Foods

Native North Americans of the northeastern United States cultivated vegetable crops in sunny, open areas of the forest. The most important of these vegetable crops were interplanted gardens of squash, corn and beans called the Three Sisters. A Three Sisters Garden is a form of companion planting using indigenous North American crops that were valued for food, according to the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. The variety of corn, squash and bean plants varied depending on the local growing conditions and tribal custom. Beans help fix nitrogen and improve the corn yield, while squash vines help deter animals from eating the corn. Traditional Northeastern American succotash is a stew made of the Three Sisters produce, often with addition of tomatoes, tomatillos, green onions and peppers.

Game

The woodlands of the northeastern United States are rich in big and small game, and the region is near both fresh and salt water fishing resources. The traditional Northeast North American diet included rabbit, moose, deer, elk and turkey, though at least some tribes such as the Abenaki did not eat bear meat. Saltwater bays and freshwater lakes and streams yielded fish, clams and mussels. The ocean also provided whale meat, lobster, squid and scallops.

Wild Foods

Northeastern woodlands grow an abundance of fruit, mast and edible plants that supplemented the traditional Native American diet. Edible plants used by Native Americans included fiddlehead ferns, trout lily bulbs, and wild garlic and leeks. Berries and fruit included blackberries, cherries, blueberries and serviceberry. Nuts and seeds included hickory, beechnut, walnut, chestnut and butternut. Sap from maple and birch trees was cooked down into sugary syrup.

Modern Diet Risks

Modern urban North American populations are at risk of cancer and diseases because of diet, tobacco use and sedentary lifestyle, according to the State University of New York at Buffalo, which has developed a Healthy Living wellness curriculum designed to help Northeast Native American urban youths develop a healthier lifestyle. Some Iroquois scholars advocate embracing the traditional Three Sisters diet to counter the prevalence of diabetes among Native American people today, according to professor Kevin White at the State University of New York at Oswego. A return to a more traditional Native American diet can improve health as well as cultivate cultural pride and knowledge about Northeast North American heritage, according to professor Devon Mihesuah at the University of Kansas.