Introduction

A Seasonal Look at Indian Corn

Imagine that you are visiting an Iroquois village 1,000 years ago. Within its palisade are several longhouses. In the middle of one, a sturdy wooden tripod stands over the flames of a cooking fire. A pot of corn mash soup is suspended from the tripod. It has been bubbling over the fire all day long. Every so often, a member of the tribe scoops up some of this concoction with a wooden ladle, pours it into a bowl made of carefully shaped birch bark, then quietly consumes the corn mash soup. You look around and take note of how strong and physically healthy the men, women and children are. You cannot help but make a connection between what is apparently a normal staple of their diet and its positive effect on their well being.

Source: www.kahonwes.com

Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia

There are woven cornhusk mats close by—take one and sit by the radiating warmth of the fire while we take you on a journey through four seasons of corn in Iroquois society. The journey starts in the Spring when the men clear the fields and the women plant the corn in a “Three Sisters” garden.

It then blossoms into Summer which is spent in careful cultivation of the plants by the women while the men are often away from the village in hunting and warfare activities. Next comes the Fall harvest with and its related social activities for he whole community. Finally, in the snow-draped silence of Winter the carefully raised crop is stored and used. In this journey you will earn of the flow of life, of corn’s origins its many uses and its future . Come along and enjoy yourself!