Making a Meal The seated woman in this scene is scraping dried kernels off the cobs using a deer jaw bone. Every so often she gathers up the piece of deer hide in front of her and empties the kernels into the storage container at her knee. It's made from a hollowed-out gourd; another product of our gardens. Our women know dozens of ways to prepare maize, or corn. We eat maize on the cob or off, maize cooked by itself or with fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, or fish. We eat maize porridge, bread, and dumplings. And because all of these meals require preparation, our women usually spend some time each day processing maize. The kneeling woman is pounding dried kernels into cornmeal. She uses a mortar, here a hollowed out section of tree trunk, and a long and slender pounding stone or pestle. As she pounds, the finer ground meal will rise to the surface and she can scoop it out. Before cooking or storing the meal, she'll probably put it through the sifting basket next to her. The bottom of the basket is carefully woven with gaps, like a sieve, so that the fine meal will filter through and any large pieces will be caught. At the front of the scene, an older woman is stirring a pot over the fire. What's inside? It looks like succotash; that's maize and beans cooked together, with any number of tasty additions and leftovers thrown in; one of our favorite meals.