Indians on food advertising plus maple candy & sugar

Depictions of Native Americans otherwise known as "Indians" have been used to sell food products for many years. I grew up with the beautiful Land 'O Lakes Butter's squatting squaw and the Calumet Baking Powder chief in our pantry. A native woman was also used in early corn product advertisements for Mazola Corn Oil.

And, of course, images of Indians have been used on candy and chocolate. Cracker Jack gave away plastic and metal cowboy and Indian collectable prizes throughout the years. And Lowney's Chocolate issued a 1910-era set of Indian postcards. I have some great cocoa containers from a chocolate company called IONA. And above you'll see a chief in head dress selling baking chocolate manufactured by Manhattan Cocoa

& Chocolate Mills.

When researching candy history I have come across many maple syrup stories and recipes. It is American Indians who discovered that gently cooking maple sap produces a sweet syrup and cooking a little longer makes portable candy treats and a storable sugar. Indians traded their maple sugar with early settlers and eventually taught them the secrets of the maple sugaring process.