The Chicago area is located on the ancestral lands of indigenous tribes such as the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois Nations. The name Chicago comes from shikaakwa, a word for “wild onion” used by the Miami and Illinois peoples.
Indigenous people in the Chicago region faced many hardships after Europeans arrived in the area. By the early 1800s, the number of Native Americans in the region was severely diminished due to disease and warfare brought by the Europeans. A series of treaties forced the tribes to cede their land to the American government. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 proposed the relocation of indigenous tribes west of the Mississippi River, and several more relocation efforts would happen in the following years. Through the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Indian children were taken from their homes and sent to boarding schools with the mission to assimilate them into white society.
During the 1900s, many Native Americans moved from rural areas to Chicago in search of jobs. The federal government also led a relocation program that helped move Native Americans to Chicago during the 1950s and 1960s. The American Indian Center (AIC) of Chicago opened in 1953 to nurture the city’s indigenous community. Today, Chicago has the third-largest urban Indian population in the United States. More than 65,000 Native Americans representing over 100 different tribes live in the Chicago metropolitan area. The highest concentrations of Native Americans can be found in Edgewater, Uptown, Rogers Park, and Ravenswood.
November is Native American Heritage Month, a good time to celebrate the culture and resilience of indigenous peoples. I chose these cornmeal cookies because of their simplicity and deliciousness. The key ingredient, corn, has been an important staple and is held as a sacred plant in many Native American communities. A maternal figure known as the Corn Mother is believed to be responsible for creating corn and giving people instructions on how to grow it. The Native Americans also taught Europeans how to grow, harvest, and use corn in their diets.
This particular recipe is ascribed to the Cherokee, but similar recipes are found in other communities. "Corn cookies are something that are so familiar in our Native community," Kickapoo chef Crystal Wahpepah recently told the BBC. There are also many variations on the cornmeal cookie. Some recipes call for raisins, nuts, or dark chocolate pieces, and Wahpepah uses a thumbprint style with jam or other filling. However, my preference is to stick to the basics. The Cherokee word for these cookies is Seluisauganasda.
Cherokee Cornmeal Cookies
*Based on a recipe found on the Indigenous Foods blog
Makes about 25 small cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 c. softened butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar with a pastry cutter and then a wooden spoon. Add the egg and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Mix well; you'll need to use your hands at this point. Roll spoonfuls of dough into walnut-sized balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. The cookies should be lightly browned.
Sources:
American Library Association, “Indigenous Tribes of Chicago.”
Encyclopedia of Chicago, “Native Americans.”
Wikipedia, “Chicago.”
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