The Carbon County chronicle. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1924, 1924-10-22

growth OF Its roots, OF Its cllnging 10
the earth, of its shooting forth from
the ground, of its springing from
Joint to joint, of ito sending forth
the ear, of its putting cover on its
head, of its ornamenting its head
with a feather, OF its invitation to
men to come and feel it, to open
and see its fruit, of it's invitation to
man to taste of the fruit"
Another song OF twenty-six stan
zas, likewise pictures the growth of
the grain. its harvesting and cook
ing. 1t begins with its termination.
as follows:
80 hasten.
Behold,
With four roots I stand.
Behold me! Then seven
leaves are enumerated, and after
these, seven joints. Then each
stanza shows a further stage of ad-
vancement, concluding with the
words, II stand" with clothing :. .
With light, glossy hair -. With
yellow hair With dark hair !.
With light, glossy tassel -. With
pale tassel -. With yellow tassel :.
With fruit possessed / stand" The
hearer is at length exhorted to
"Pluck me. 5. Roast me - and
last of all:
20 hasteny
Rip from its cob
My fruit as ] stand,
And eat me-" An invitation
not to be overlooked, but readily ae-
cepted, then, as now.
or the origin OF corn, the Pawnees
had this tradition. The Creator was
known as Tirawa; his wife being
Atira, which interpreted means
"Comes-from-Corn." Tirawa set the
Evening Star--Bright Star--in the
west, to be the mother of all things.
The Great Star-the Morning Star
was placed in the east, and is to be a
warrior. In Bright Stars garden
everything on earth is created, ami
mails, birds, etc, and even sunshine.
The four servants of Bright Star who
take these to the earth are, Wind,
Cloud, Lightning and Thunder From
the marriage of Morning and Even
ing Star girl is born in winter. The
Sun marries the Moon and their son
is born in summer. This girl and
boy are sent to the earth and marry.
Other human beings are created by
the stars, and dispatched to earth to
keep the first couple company. Each
couple is given by the star that Gre
ated them a sacred bundle which con-
tains an ear of sacred corn. One YER
sion of this tradition said that the
people who lived in the southwest
had white sacred corn, those in the
northwest yellow, those in the north
east black, and those in the south
east red. The Pawnees feared Tir-
ava, but loved the Evening Star,
which was symbolized by Mother
Corn-the sacred white corn.
Another version OF this story,
states that the son of the first couple
sent to earth lis led by the meadow
lark, the messenger of the four SER
wants of Bright Star, to an earth
lodge, where he finds the four,
namely Wind, Cloud, Thunder, and
Lightning. These teach him how to
live. They gave him buffalo to
kill and sacred bundle containing
seed; they tlught him how to make
hoes from tine shoulder blade of a
buffalo, And the corn ceremonies. The
boy carried the seed to the people.
The Arikaras had still another
version OF the gift of corn to human
ity. They said The gods made people,
some giants and some little people.
Tho giants becoming wicked, a flood
was sent to destroy them. The little
people, however, being good, were
saved by animals who took them un-
der the ground. After the flood sub
sided, the animals, or Mother Corn,
led the little people out of the ground
and into the Missouri valley.
1t is interesting to note that the
sacred ear Of corn. belonging to the
Cheyennes, was lost when Colonel
Mckenzie captured Dull Knife's viii
lage on the Tongue river
The Omahas believed the buffalo
was found first, and then corn. A
man roaming about found some blue.
red and white kernels. Thinking
them valuable, he hid them in the
ground and mounded earth over
them. He went to get them later,
and was surprised to find some stalks
bearing kernels like those he found.
He took the ears and gave them
to the people. On eating 1t they
pronounced it good, and ever since
that time have planted 1t, always In
mounds. like that where the kernels
were first hidden.
These cited, are but a few Of the
many stories of the origin of corn.
this fact in itself, proving how great
Q role 1t enacted in the life Of the ag