Corn Mother - Huron

The old ones tell us that in the "First World", "Corn Mother" came
with us
into the "Circle of Life". And as we began to move away from Balance
and
Harmony of Life, we did not know her. In the last world, "Corn
Mother" lived
with her two Grandsons in the Mountains.

She was old and very wise. She sang and made the world around her
very
beautiful. One day, "Corn Mother" watched her grandsons preparing to
hunt.
She thought of the days long ago when People and the Creatures of
the woods
all spoke a common language and understood each other. There was
respect for
all Life. It was a world of peace and happiness. There was abundance
and
respect. All was appreciated. People sat in the "Circle of Wisdom
Keepers"
and was honored and respected by all.

It was a good for "Earth Mother" and all Creation. People began to
have
greed. The balance was lost. "Corn Woman" remembered the "Great
Council" of
the last world, where the animals had determined not to allow people
to kill
them all off with their hunting game. That peoples relentless hunger
was a
threat to their cycles of life. People over hunted and killed many
"Relations" in the food chain. Many, such as the Deer, put forth a
punishment to all who would eat their flesh. And this was the first
disease
of man. And thus came, "Medicine". "Corn Mother" remembered how
terrible it
was for the animals in the woods when they could smell people and
knew had
come to kill them. "Corn Mothers" heart was heavy, it was a long
time ago,
she thought.

It is time to begin again and seek the "Harmony" and regain
the "Balance".
People need to return to the "Wisdom Fires Above". People need to be
"Honorable". "Creator" combined all the Creations into People.
People hold
all the patterns of principles within their "Body", "Mind"
and "Spirit".
"Corn Mother" saw how the "Creator" had given people all the gifts
and how
they had lost them with all their greed. "Corn Mother" saw her
grandsons
getting ready for the kill. She knew there was more than enough food
in
their home to feed everyone. She went to her grandson and spoke, you
are
going out today? The oldest replied, yes, we prepare to hunt. "Corn
Mother"
said, We have so much already. Let me cook you a wonderful dinner.
The
younger grandson answered, no, we must hunt. "We are hunters". We
will bring
you many Turkeys. "Corn Mother" tried again, But we have
many "Turkeys"
already and I will make you Corn and you will feel full and not have
the
need to hunt. The grandsons continued to get ready to hunt. We will
be back
by evening and you will see, we will bring you fresh meat.

"Corn Mother" wished them well and asked them to respect all, and
show
appreciation to the animals. The grandsons laughed and went into the
forest.
"Corn Mother" cooked and made a meal that tempted all. She sang and
blessed
the meal. Soon her grandsons came into the clearing around their
lodge. They
had smelled the meal for miles and were happy to see it came from
their
lodge. "Corn Mother" was happy to see them, and as she put the food
on the
table, she saw they had killed a boar pig. They ate and could not
say enough
about how good the meal was and how good it was to have the corn
stuffing
and spices, with the Turkeys. "Corn Mother" have so much to eat, we
do not
need to kill the animals. They said they were tired and needed to
sleep, so
they could get up early and be out before the deer. "Corn Mother"
listened
and she asked them again how they liked the food she had made. They
told her
they loved the food and never had they eaten so much and tasted
anything as
good as the corn. They asked her where she had gotten the corn, and
she did
not answer.

She was happy they loved the meal and was planning the feast for the
next
day. She sang as the night moved over the lands. The next morning,
very
early, they were up and went for their weapons. She went to them
again and
said, we have so much left from yesterday, and a fresh boar from the
hunt
also, we have so much. Do you really have to go hunting? Yes, they
said, we
are hunters, today we will bring you a big deer. "Corn Mother"
looked at her
grandsons. She loved them very much and she knew they loved her
also. They
went to hunt and she cooked. The meal was even more wonderful than
the day
before. The smells went throughout the woods. Everyone knew "Corn
Mother"
was cooking a feast. Her grandsons smelled the sweet of corn while
they were
hunting. They remembered the taste, and that they had never tasted
anything
that good ever before. As evening came, the grandsons came home with
their
kill. It was a fine deer. They were very good hunters, the kill had
been
quick and the deer did not suffer. For this, "Corn Mother"
appreciated the
skill of her grandsons. They followed the wonderful smells of corn
and sat
down to a feast like none ever before. They gave her the deer as
their token
of thanks. She knew it was an honorable act to them, she thanked
them and
took the deer. After dark, she returned it to the forest. "Corn
Mother" sang
her song as the hunters drifted into dreams of laughter and play. In
the
dreams, they saw their grandmother as a beautiful young woman, more
beautiful then any they had seen. She sang throughout the night. They
awakened early and felt so good. They felt strong and youthful
again. They
were laughing and felt playful as they were children. The Sun came
up in
glorious colors. As they prepared to hunt, they realized they were
not in
such a hurry to go to the forest and hunt. They asked "Corn Mother"
to make
them breakfast, and she did. Fried corn mush and sweet honey, as
they ate,
it tasted so good they ate more than they needed and were so full,
they
needed to nap. They noticed that "Corn Mother" looked younger, and
was so
happy, she sang and sang. The Sun was high by the time they were
ready to go
hunt.

As they were leaving, "Corn Mother" asked them not to go, "We have
so much
food now, more than we will ever be able to eat. "No", they said, we
must go
hunt, we are hunters. Today we will hunt "Turkeys." "Corn Mother"
watched as
they left to go hunt and called out after them to remember to
appreciate the
animals. While out on the hunt, the youngest brother said to the
older one,
where does "Corn Mother" get this corn that she is cooking? The older
brother said he didn't and that it did not matter to him. It was good
and"Corn Woman" would only feed them what was good, that was what he
knew.

All that day, the young man thought about the corn, as evening came,
they
returned home with the turkeys. They were eager to sit down and
again eat
the good corn. They told her how much they liked how she fixed their
meal
and how beautiful she was and how happy the home was because of her
beauty
and grace. The "Hunters" went to sleep to gained strength for the
next days
hunt. They awakened to the soft humming of "Corn Mother" as she
prepared the
breakfast, of grits and butter, with sweet maple syrup. "Corn
Mother" looked
even younger and happier than yesterday. The younger grandson was
very
curious and kept asking "Corn Mother" where she got the corn. She
would
smile and say, I make the corn, it is my gift to my Grandchildren.
Another
time she answered, "I am the corn."

He was not satisfied and he began to annoy the older brother with his
questions. "Let us go hunt and stop all these questions now. She
told you
she makes the corn and that is enough for me. "Corn Mother" beamed
her heart
upon her oldest Grandson and he felt her love. It gave peace to have
her in
his home. The younger brother was not satisfied. He said, Yes, it is
good,
and yes, I have never had anything better, but I want to know where
it comes
from, and I will find out. Off they went to hunt and "Corn Mother"
sang as
she cleaned and cared for the home and land. She gave appreciation
for all
the relations and sang to them all. While the hunters were hunting,
the
younger brother kept insisting that they needed to know where she
gets the
corn. The older brother ask him why and he said he just must know.
Are we
not happier than ever before? Can you ask for more? Just be thankful
and
happy she has given this to us, and how fortunate we are to have
her. The
young man could not accept this, and said I will go watch and see
where she
goes and gets this corn. He left the older brother and sneaked back
home to
spy on "Corn Mother". He watched her take a huge basket and go to
the root
cellar. There he watched her through a small hole as she stood in
the basket
and slapped her sides. Each time she slapped her sides, corn would
fall into
the basket. She continued until her basket was filled to the top. He
was
terrified and ran to find his brother in the forest hunting. "Corn
Mother"
gave some of the corn pollen to the bees for honey and to the Earth
for some
tasty roots and herbs and salad greens. She fed corn pollen to the
birds for
singing as she worked and was generous to all the relations.
Everyone was
happy and the world was a better place. She cooked for her Grandsons
and
sang of beauty and happiness. The Grandson ran back to the older
brother and
said what he saw and that the corn was "Corn Mother" body. The older
brother
was heavy in his heart. And he said to his brother, if what you say
is true,
then it is not a good thing we do. We cannot eat our Grandmother.
How is
this that she can make her body turn to corn? This is strange and
unsafe and
not of this world. Something is not good here and I cannot
understand this
thing. We must be careful, something has taken our Grandmother.

It grew dark and they started home. The smell was so tempting and
they could
feel their stomachs ache for the corn. They heard music all around
their
lands and "Corn Mother" singing. Their hearts were in pain as they
knew they
feared her for all she was. At dinner, she heaped up their plates
with all
the delicious things of the lands and watched as they picked at it
and ate
little or nothing. She grew sad as she watched and realized they
knew what
they could not live with and know. The Knowledge was too much for
them and
it had destroyed the balance between them and the world. "Corn
Mother" asked
them, do you not love me? Have I not given you all of myself? Have
you not
felt the peace and happiness in my life with you?

As "Corn Mother" spoke, she grew very old and became very ill and
her life
began to leave her body. The Earth grew cold and all was silent. A
long
night fell upon the Forest and the Grandsons cried for what had
happened.
The youngest was unhappy for his loss and asked for
forgiveness. "Corn
Mother" asked them to come to her side and listen well. I have much
to tell
you, she said, "and we have but a little time now as I am. I am as
old as
the soil, and first man. I am the Corn. I was given to you as your
substances and as "Abundance", "Happiness", "Health" and "Peace". I
am "Corn
Mother", I am the "Corn Mother". She told them to take her form when
she
passed over to pure Spirit, place it in the soil, and make a circle
around
it. I will return to you in a cycle as a plant, that grows tall and
strong.
I will have golden hair at the top, and I will have ears of golden
seeds at
my sides that will also have hair. When it turns brown, you will
pick it,
and peel back its sweet leaves and dry the seeds. There will be
seven ears
of the corn, do not eat them, use all of them as seeds. When the
spring
comes, make mounds as the woman in her birthing place, and make a
planting
stick as your own seed planter is shaped and insert it into the
mounds, you
cultivate and place two seeds in each hole. Go to the "Old River
Man" and
ask his children the fish, to come and bring the "Water Spirits" to
the
land, so the corn can grow. Place a fish in each hole and add the
seeds.
This corn you will not eat. You will use as offerings and seeds for
the
sacred ways of the "Land" and "Waters." "Corn Mother" told them many
things
to make "Life" good again. She told them when to plant and how to
speak and
hear the Moon. She told them to sing and dance and what
the "Ancients" had
given us. She told them she loved them and that they were to keep
well and
safe. She was given to show us how to keep the joy of life and to
maintain
the balance. The wisdom was much and the Grandsons were happy
that "Corn
Mother" was their Grandmother and that her love lived in all things.

When she passed to "Spirit World" to wait for her return, they would
not
hunt unless they were nearly starving and they did as she had
instructed.
They became wise. When the Spring came after "Corn Mother" had
passed, the
youngest brother went for a wife. When he came home, his wife was
given the
"Wisdom of "Corn Mother", and she had memory of the "Old One's Ways"
and
they planted and harvested the corn as it was to them and happiness
was with
their children.

"Corn Mother" says to us to come home and open to the "Wisdom" of
the "First World".

Submitted by Karenshadowdancer

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories