I am teaching John Hanson Mitchell's CEREMONIAL TIME this semester which
imaginatively traces the history of a square mile in Massachusetts.
Mitchell categorically states: "Indians of the region had no previous
experience with alcohol" (94). There are several moments in the book
where I think Mitchell strays too far into the imaginative part of his
cultural history, and I thought this might be one of those cases. Does
anyone have a confirmation or refutation of Mitchell's assertion? I seem
to remember reading about "corn beer" somewhere, but I couldn't locate
the reference. If this is true, isn't it surprising that an agricultural
people who lived on an annual subsistence cycle would not use
fermentation of grains and fruits as a preserving technique?
 
Mitchell is writing specifically about the Wampanoags, but more generally
the quote seems to refer to all of the Eastern Woodland Tribes. He
suggests that apple cider was the first alcohol the Eastern Woodland
tribes experienced because apple trees were readily planted by Native
American communities.
 
Thanks for any help.
 
Jonathan Highfield