Illimpa (Food)

Illimpa (Food). . , The traditional Choctaw diet included a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats obtained in a cooperative effort between men, women, and children. The largest part of this diet was the foods produced through agriculture. In fact, Choctaw farmers were so effective that they widely traded their produce to other tribes and later to Euro- American settlements. The agricultural season started in the early spring when Choctaw families began preparing fields to plant. Usually, plots were located along fertile stream banks where the soil was soft. Men girdled and burned trees, while women and children cleared the brush. As field preparation progressed, edible wild greens were gathered, including poke, dock, stinging nettles, and lamb's quarter. The fields were planted around the equinox. The Choctaw crops grown before European contact minimally included corn, beans, sunflower, sumpweed, and gourds. As the summer passed, women and girls tended the fields and gathered fruits including plum, pawpaw, grapes, and a variety of berries. Men and boys hunted small game, such as squirrel and rabbit, or fished. During the early fall, when the fields and wild hickory nuts became ripe, Choctaw communities held important feasts and prepared food for storage through the winter. During the cold months, men hunted large game. Deer were the main meat source, but turkey, bear, and a variety of fur-bearers were also eaten. After a hunt, the women prepared and preserved the meat and other tissues. During the winter, Choctaw communities lived on meat and stored plant foods, with a supplement of fresh persimmons. Today many Choctaw families continue to eat traditional foods like Tanchi Labonna and Walakshi.