Haudenosaunee Mush Paddle

Called "gatgun'yasshuwa'ne" by the Haudenosaunee mush paddles like this are used to lift kettles of corn mush or "corn bread" and are distinct from the "nigat'gwun'yashaa" paddle used for stirring, according to the early twentieth century writings of Seneca anthropologist Arthur C. Parker. In his 1910 report for the New York State Museum in Albany, Iroquois Uses of Maize and Other Food Plants, he describes "some of these paddles are beautifully carved and ornamented" with holes near or in the blades that are either in the shape of circles or hearts (52), and "gave opportunity for the carver to display his best genius." Parker further notes that it was in recent times contemporary to him that men carved these utensils, suggesting that perhaps the designs would "furnish a proper incentive for the making of a good soup." Much of the harvesting and preparation of corn for eating and other purposes are the domain of women. Parker writes "The men probably made most of the bark and wooden dishes and carved the spoons and paddles while the women made the baskets and sieves" (87) highlighting the complementarity we describe in our view #3.