Corn and the Native Americans: A brief journey through the maize
Corn and the Native Americans:
A brief journey through the maize
Christi A. Davis
Humanities 215-V1
Native American Cultures
Larry Jent
April 12, 2012
Throughout the history of Native American culture corn has played a vital role in many facets of life for a multitude of people in various ways. It is not merely a simple grain or vegetable, it is a sacred gift to all people. Not only does it nourish one physically and provide for material use, but it is also an important spiritual tool. Corn plays a vital role in Native American culture. It is an agricultural mainstay, is integral to many ceremonies, honored in many celebrations throughout many tribes, and is credited with nourishing the nation physically as well as spiritually through various myths and legend.
Food for Thought Corn was one of the first domesticated crops by the native people. “Over a seven-thousand-year period, Indian people domesticated hundreds of kinds of maize, beginning in the semiarid highlands of Mexico with a common wild grass called teosinte” (Ballantine 60). “The teosinte pollen, carried by the wind to other corn like grasses, produced a hybrid whose cultivation helped ensure a stable food supply” (Maxwell 44). With the ability to reproduce food in a single location it was easier for people to settle in certain areas. This provided for a more domesticated way of living and a steady source of nourishment. Corn could be used immediately, dried for later use, the seeds saved to perpetuate the crop, and the inedible parts provided many uses for raw material. Natives went to great lengths to protect their precious crop. They used themselves as living scarecrows to scare off potential predators, banging metal pans and waving cloths, building bonfires, and harboring natural predators. “[Hidatsa] Women and children hoed the fields, constructed sunshades for young corn, and kept watch over the
A brief journey through the maize
Christi A. Davis
Humanities 215-V1
Native American Cultures
Larry Jent
April 12, 2012
Throughout the history of Native American culture corn has played a vital role in many facets of life for a multitude of people in various ways. It is not merely a simple grain or vegetable, it is a sacred gift to all people. Not only does it nourish one physically and provide for material use, but it is also an important spiritual tool. Corn plays a vital role in Native American culture. It is an agricultural mainstay, is integral to many ceremonies, honored in many celebrations throughout many tribes, and is credited with nourishing the nation physically as well as spiritually through various myths and legend.
Food for Thought Corn was one of the first domesticated crops by the native people. “Over a seven-thousand-year period, Indian people domesticated hundreds of kinds of maize, beginning in the semiarid highlands of Mexico with a common wild grass called teosinte” (Ballantine 60). “The teosinte pollen, carried by the wind to other corn like grasses, produced a hybrid whose cultivation helped ensure a stable food supply” (Maxwell 44). With the ability to reproduce food in a single location it was easier for people to settle in certain areas. This provided for a more domesticated way of living and a steady source of nourishment. Corn could be used immediately, dried for later use, the seeds saved to perpetuate the crop, and the inedible parts provided many uses for raw material. Natives went to great lengths to protect their precious crop. They used themselves as living scarecrows to scare off potential predators, banging metal pans and waving cloths, building bonfires, and harboring natural predators. “[Hidatsa] Women and children hoed the fields, constructed sunshades for young corn, and kept watch over the
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