Pictured here are two Iroquois Indians pounding corn into cornmeal.  
Maize was first introduced into eastern North America around 
A.D.200, but remained a minor crop until about 800.  Because it 
required heavy labor for land clearing and field maintenance, corn 
was cultivated only by the more settled, socially structured tribes.  
For those Indians, corn became a crucial part of their livelihood.  
When the first European settlers arrived, they depended on the 
growing of corn for their survival in the wilderness, which they 
learned from the Indians.  They quickly recognized the benefits of a 
crop that could feed both livestock and people and that produced a 
consistently high yield per acre.  Before long, corn became the 
premier cash crop of the colonies.