Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
October 30, 1983
By Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society
Indians valued mortar, pestle
Until a few years ago, the mortar and pestle were familiar items and no identification tag was necessary.
The druggist crushed powders for medicinal purposes before he made up paper packets or capsules. Every chemistry laboratory contained the items. Today, blenders and automatic crushers have sent the mortar and pestle to a relatively few gourmet kitchens where particular cooks still crush fresh spices and herbs with them.
The rarity of the mortar and pestle in today’s environment has increased interest in the American Indian corn grinder in the Indian hallway of the museum. This mortar and pestle were used to turn corn into corn meal which the Indian woman turned into a bread for the braves.
When the Indians came from Asia between 15,000 and 25,000 years ago, they brought similar primitive tools with them. Although not all such grinders were stone, the Indians preferred stone and used it whenever possible. The corn ground finer and more easily between two stone surfaces.
Sandstone of a medium grade was the most common material for mortars. The cavities in the lower surface of the stone grinder were either shallow or deep, depending upon the grains most commonly used. The pestles, sometimes called mullers, were generally granite and could be either round or elliptical. One side of the pestle was flat and one side convex. The pestle was designed to be held conveniently with one hand in a firm grasp. The tapering handle and expanding base gave the greatest return from the arm power of the woman using it. She either rubbed the grain in the mortar with the pestle or she used a rocking motion to crush the grain.
Although the museum has mortar and pestle sets in other collections, this Indian artifact illustrates the function of the tool in its most primitive form. The medicinal set in the antique drug display shows the mortar and pestle in its most sophisticated and developed form.
Flours and corn meal were never taken for granted by early people and the means for production were valued possessions.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.