Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Tues., Jan 18, 2005

native american arts daily news, presented by
amerindianarts.us

Biotech firm going public on a budget through merger
Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA
... roots that were originally used in annual Native American ceremonies promoting ... stores, and we attended the Marin County American Indian Arts Show.". ...

Cedar flutist highlight of Cal Symphony
Contra Costa Times (subscription) - Contra Costa County,CA,USA
... concert at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts was an ... World Concerto," which fuses traditional Western musical forms with Native American themes and ...

The face of the Columbia is like no other
Portland Tribune - Portland,OR,USA
By JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: Tue, Jan 18, 2005. "People of the River: Native American Arts of the Oregon Territory" is the stunning premiere of more than ...

Brenda Norrell Indian Country -- John Trudell
Indian Country Today - Canastota,NY,USA
... At Sundance 2005, American Indian events include the Native ... The highlights include the Native Forum Reception Jan. ... the Sundance House at the Kimball Arts Center ...

Open house at wastewater plant
Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu,HI,USA
... Project at the National Museum of American History at ... officials discussing the empowerment of Native Hawaiians in ... the Wai'anae Coast Culture & Arts Society Inc ...

Officials Eye Casino Moratorium Initiative By RICHARD BRENNEMAN
Berkeley Daily Planet - Berkeley,CA,USA
... All Native American casinos are required to send annual audits to the National Indian ... pm Saturday in San Pablo at the Knox Center for Performing Arts at Contra ...

IAIA HAS HOPES FOR CENTER
ABQ Journal (subscription) - Albuquerque,NM,USA
... on strengthening native communities by supporting tribal self-determination.". IAIA-- chartered by Congress in 1962 and dedicated to American Indian arts and ...

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Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 01:56:00 -0000
From: "ghwelker"
Subject: Living in America: The American Indian Experience
The American Museum of Natural History
presents
Living in America: The American Indian Experience

Three Saturdays,
January 15, 22 and 29
1:00-5:30 p.m.
Kaufmann Theater, first floor

Learn about the indigenous cultures of the Northeast through lectures, performances, and films. Journey through "Native New York" with Evan T. Pritchard, founder of the Center for Algonquin Culture, and learn how Broadway used to be the Mohican Trail. Enjoy the Mohawk Singers and Dancers, and take a look down the "Pow Wow Highway" with actor Gary Farmer, and much more. For details, visit
or
call 212-769-5315.
From: borreror@amnh.org


Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 02:21:54 -0000
From: "ghwelker"
Subject: ~LEONARD PELTIER’s Magnificent ‘Political Platform’

~LEONARD PELTIER's Magnificent `Political Platform'~ from the brand new book ~HAVE YOU THOUGHT of LEONARD PELTIER LATELY?~

Also please visit Leonard's own website: www.leonardpeltier.org

Please Order copies NOW for yourself & your friends at: www.haveyouthought.com or send a check for $23+$5=$28 per copy ($5 s/h on one copy; $2 s/h each add'l copy) made out to 'Have You Thought' & mail to:
Have You Thought
1410 Blalock Road, #420
Houston, TX 77055


AEQ Book Review of Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas

From: George Lessard
Subject: Book Review - Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas

Subject: AEQ Book Review of Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas

Frawley, William, Kenneth C. Hill, and Pamela Munro, eds. Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. 450 pp. ISBN 0520229967, $34.95.

Reviewed for the Anthropology & Education Quarterly by Catherine S. Fowler
University of Nevada
csfowler@unr.nevada.edu

This volume of papers provides fascinating perspectives on the processes and practices of dictionary making by several contemporary lexicographers, all of whom have struggled or are yet struggling to develop these important tools for indigenous languages in North America and Meso-America. Given that most of the 23 contributors are well known for their work in theoretical and/or historical linguistics, but also are actively involved in language preservation and restoration efforts, their accounts of the complexities, time and issues involved in developing dictionaries become even more important and significant. As noted in the introduction by Fawley, Hill and Munro, when one considers that a good dictionary "is a thousand pages of ideas and history, a guide to the mind and world of a people" (p. 22), developed by a person (rarely persons) who is "simultaneously a phonetician, morphologist, syntactician, and semanticist but also a sociologist, anthropologist, biologist, diplomat, therapist, mediator, and salesman" (p. 21), then the work and results deserve much more consideration than they are often accorded. Indeed, lexicographers are far from the "unfortunate drudges" that history suggests, but rather heros to be celebrated and lauded for their ultimate achievements. Readers of this volume will come away with that impression, as well as a genuine feeling for the real work and problems involved.

Fawley, Hill and Munro begin their excellent introduction and summary of the papers by noting some common "war stories" shared by lexicographers. These include: where and how to begin, finding and continuing funding, inevitable project expansion ("mission creep"), in-achievable goals, an inevitable back-burner status, and a "so what" or even mean spirited final assessment. But beyond these, they also list and discuss ten more serious issues raised by such work, while pointing out how the authors address them in various ways. These ten include: choosing and defining main/subsidiary entries; the use (and abuse) of linguistic theory in dictionary construction; consideration of literacy and orthography issues; choice, use (and abuse) of graphics; definitions of the community of users and their role in decision making; holistic vs. specialized dictionaries; use (and abuse) of etymology and other aspects of history; the role of technology in development and ultimate production; issues as to inclusion/exclusion and variation in usages; and the role of consistency and rules in development (known largely by their violation!). The 16 papers are then collected into four sections, each with a slightly different perspective or focus on one or more of these issues. These include: I. Form and Meaning in the Dictionary with papers by K. Hale and D. Salamanca on Misumalpan languages, W. Pulte and D. Feeling on Cherokee, J. Grimes on Huichol, P. Munro on verbs in various languages, and R. Rhodes on Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa; II. Role of the Dictionary in Indigenous Communities with papers by K. Rice and L. Saxon on Canadian Athabascan languages, L. Hinton and W. Weigel on California languages, and P. Kroskrity on Western Mono; III. Technology and Dictionary Design with papers by U. Canger on 16th and 17th C. Nahuatl, J. Amith on Nahuatl, and D. Rood and J. Koonz on Comparative Siouan; and IV. Specific Projects and Personal Accounts with papers by H. Aoki on Nez Perce, K. Hill on Hopi, C. Callaghan on Miwok languages, W. Bright on the Native American Place names in the U.S. Project, and M. Clayton and J. Campbell on 16th Century lexicographer Alfonso de Molina. There is a single bibliography and the volume is indexed.

Although there are too many good papers in the volume to note here, those interested in anthropology and education should probably pay particular attention to the papers in sections II and III, as they deal more specifically with issues involved in teaching literacy and in the role of dictionaries in language retention and revitalization. The papers by Rice and Saxon, Hinton and Weigel and Kroskrity are particularly oriented and insightful as to matters involving proper assessments of community language ideologies in proposed projects, educational levels of potential users of the materials, including their familiarity with existing orthographies such as English, the social positions of persons involved in the project(s), their expectations as well as those of the community in general, political and sensitivity issues, and ultimately ways to assess the usefulness of those materials in educational efforts, be they preservation and reference or more active utilization. The essays in section III by Aoki, Hill, and Callaghan also provide further discussion of several of these topics while focusing on the authors' specific experiences of what can go right and wrong in developing dictionaries in specific communities. The article by Hill, Hinton and Weigel, and in some ways Kroskrity, are particularly useful in thinking about ethical issues in working with contemporary communities, and about dictionaries as partnerships with communities-even though there are never any guarantees that everyone will be pleased with the process or the results.

Overall, this collection provides, as noted, interesting insights into the processes and issues involved in making dictionaries, those tools which are so extremely useful to many kinds of users but often taken for granted-unless your language does not have one, or better, several.

© 2004 American Anthropological Association. This review will appear on the web site http://www.aaanet.org/cae/aeq/br/index.htm and will be cited and indexed in the December 2004 issue (35.4) of the Anthropology & Education Quarterly. Please note that the postings to the Council for Anthropology and Education listserv are delayed due to AEQ's transition to Arizona State University. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding.

The Anthropology & Education Quarterly publishes reviews of current books in the anthropology of education and related fields. The Book Review Editor identifies the books to be reviewed and solicits each review from an appropriate scholar. The Book Review Editor may also consider reviews submitted voluntarily at his or her discretion, but volunteered reviews are rare. The Book Review Editor makes the decision whether to accept the review for publication. This policy has applied and continues to apply to all book reviews, whether published on the AEQ web site or in the paper journal.

George Lessard


Subject: Sundance Institute's commitment to supporting Native Cinema

From: George Lessard

The Sundance Institute's commitment to supporting Native Cinema is woven throughout the 23-year history of the Institute along with its support for the artistic vitality of American Cinema. Rooted in the recognition of a rich tradition of story telling and artistic expression by Native Peoples, the Institute established a Native Program as a means of supporting the development of Native filmmakers and the exhibition of their work. The Sundance Institute has supported nearly 45 Native writers and directors over the past 23 years, and showcased nearly 100 films by Native filmmakers. The Sundance Film Festival's Native Forum is a gathering of Indigenous filmmakers from around the world, and offers opportunities for them to share their expertise and knowledge with each other and the independent film community through workshops, panels, networking events, and special screenings.
http://festival.sundance.org/2005/?=native&107

Native American and indigenous films screening in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival:

Screening in the U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION :
TRUDELL /U.S.A (Director: Heather Rae - Western Cherokee; Screenwriter: B. Russell Friedenberg)

Screening in WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION :
DHAKIYARR VS. THE KING /Australia (Directors: Allan Collins and Tom Murray - Willi Willi Nation)

Screening in AMERICAN SPECTRUM :
5TH WORLD /U.S.A. (Director: BlackHorse Lowe - Din?; Screenwriter: BlackHorse Lowe)

Screening in the SHORTS COMPETITION : FROM CHERRY ENGLISH /Canada (Director: Jeff Barnaby - Mi'gMaq)
GOODNIGHT IRENE /U.S.A. (Director: Sterlin Harjo - Creek/Seminole Nations)
NATCHILIAGNIAQTUGUK AAPAGALU - SEAL HUNTING WITH DAD /U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean - Inupiaq)
PLAINS EMPTY /Australia (Director: Beck Cole - Warramungu Nation) PURA LENGUA (ALL TONGUE) /U.S.A. (Director: Aurora Guerrero - Xicana)
TAMA TU /New Zealand (Director: Taika Waititi - Te Whanau a Apanui)

Screening in the SPECIAL SCREENINGS :
A THOUSAND ROADS /U.S.A. (Director: Chris Eyre - Cheyenne/Arapaho Tribes)
GREEN BUSH /Australia (Director: Warwick Thornton - Kaytetye Nation)

George Lessard

Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:57:03 -0700
From: George Lessard
Subject: Our Land - Contemporary Art from the Arctic
Our Land - Contemporary Art from the Arctic
THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2005

From Nov. 26, 2004 through Jan. 30, 2005, the Peabody Essex Museum hosts Our Land: Contemporary Art from the Arctic, the first major museum exhibition of contemporary art from Canada's newest territory, Nunavut. The exhibition includes more than 50 artworks-from sculpture, prints, and textile art to photography, video, and sound installations-all created in the last half-century, a time of burgeoning artistic and cultural awareness and pride among Canada's Inuit. Our Land is a collaborative project of the Peabody Essex Museum, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Nunavut.

Newspaper coverage
Peabody Essex Museum
[excerpt]

Our Land: Contemporary Art from the Arctic , has received financial support from the Government of Nunavut's Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the Government of Canada, the Constance Killam Trust, and the Elizabeth Killam Rodgers Trust.

Visit the online exhibition
GEORGE LESSARD
Information & Media Specialist


Subject: Tlingit Whale House Series

Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 17:02:28 -0700 From: George Lessard

Nine years ago, brilliantly carved Tlingit artifacts linking the Chilkat people with their ancestors were sold and removed from the village of Klukwan. Since then, families, neighbors and lawyers have fought bitterly over ownership. No one sees them now.

By Marilee Enge

Whale House Series


Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2005 16:54:45 -0000
From: "ghwelker"
Subject: Museum loses Indian artifacts to burglary
Museum loses Indian artifacts to burglary
ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAGGETT - A break-in discovered Christmas Day has robbed the museum in this Mojave Desert town of its most prized possessions, including antique dolls and American Indian artifacts on loan from local families.

The thieves methodically cleared out glass display cases in the Daggett Museum, said curator Beryl Bell, who discovered the burglary when she went to feed her goldfish over the holiday.

"It's really heartbreaking for a small museum," Bell said Wednesday.

The stolen Native American artifacts include a basket appraised at $3,500, a Navajo sash and two large clay Acoma pots that had never been appraised but are very valuable, said Leslie Lloyd, the president of the Daggett Historical Society, which runs the museum.

The thieves also took antique dolls, model trains and other toys, farming implements and examples of rocks from the area, Lloyd said.

The thieves ignored the computers and copy machine in the office of a local government agency that shares the low-slung modular building with the museum, but they stole $2 in coins from Lloyd's desk and a museum donation jar that contained about $10, she said.

Despite the theft of the change, Lloyd believes the burglars were experienced, as they left no fingerprints and took steps to disable the alarm system -- even though it wasn't operational at the time of the break-in.

"This appeared to be a very neat operation and it appeared they had a shopping list," she said.

The historical society has notified the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association, which plans to post news of the break-in on its Web site and will inform its 250 members.

The historical society is offering a $500 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction.
Glenn Welker
Editor, List Manager, and Web Master
for
Indigenous Peoples Literature


Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand
Early tribal artifacts put in spotlight
Little-known items focus of exhibit in Chicago

CHICAGO - A translucent, larger-than-life hand with long, tapering fingers lends an air of mystery to a new exhibit of ancient and little-known tribal art at the Art Institute of Chicago.

"Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand" opened Nov. 20 and runs through Jan. 30, 2005. It is scheduled to be shown at The St. Louis Art Museum from March 4 to May 30, 2005, and at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from early July to late September.


Navajo artist Teddy Draper Workshops
Chinle, Arizona (Canyon DeChelly)- Seminars and workshops have limited capacity and usually require enrollment months in advance.

Workshop information for 2005

March 15-19, instructor Elmer Yazzie, "cut yucca brush" watercolor technique.

May 16-20, instructor Teddy Draper, Jr., pastel techniques, insights into art, culture, and connecting to nature.

June 7-11, Indian Jewelry Basics (class limited to 4 students).

June 7-11, instructor Teddy Draper, Jr., pastel techniques, insights into art, culture, and connecting to nature.

Contact Teddy Draper at
dechelly2000@yahoo.com

Web Sites:
Indigenous Peoples Literature
Wisdom of the Old People

Literacy in Indigenous Communities by L. David van Broekhuizen, Ph.D. (2000)
HTML Format (70K)
PDF Format(117K)
Literacy in first languages in indigenous communities is a complex topic that generates lively discussion. This research synthesis explores the notions of national, mother-tongue, multiple, and biliteracies. It presents important information pertaining to threatened languages, language shift, and language loss. Examples of culturally relevant uses of literacy in indigenous communities and issues related to first-language literacy instruction are also provided.

Essay on the Zuni World View
Excerpt
(Complete article is available in PDF)

Cushing also cited an incidence where he showed a pole that accompanies a theodolite to an old Zuni man and asked him what he thought the name of it was. In response the old man inquired as to the use of the item. After briefly describing the implementation of the device the old man provided a rather lengthy sentence-word that Cushing translated as "heights of the world progressively measuring stick". The next day Cushing took the pole to the extreme corner of the pueblo and began "to flourish it around" until a middle-aged man relented to curiosity and asked what it was. Cushing then provided the Zuni name he had learned the day before and the man promptly requested, "Can they actually tell how far up and down journeying the world is?" [105].

Indian band seeks to regain its birthright
By David Whitney

Wintu Indians
At War Against Dam, Tribe Turns to Old Ways
Petition in Support of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe


Corn Mother - Apache / Jicarilla

An Apache who was an inveterate gambler had a small tame turkey, which followed its master about everywhere. One day the Turkey told him that the people were tired of supporting him, as he gambled until he lost everything that they gave him.

They had decided to give him one more stock of supplies, and if he made away with that he should be killed.

Knowing that he could not resist the temptation to gamble if he had any property in his possession, he decided to leave the tribe before their wrath should overtake him.

The next day he began to chop down a tree from which to build a boat. The Woodpecker, Tsitl-ka-ta, commanded him not to cut the tree; the woodpeckers must do that for him.

They also cut out the inside of the trunk, so that he could get into the cylinder, after which the spider sealed him in by making a web over each end. The woodpeckers carried the log, thus prepared, to the Rio Grande River, and threw it in. The faithful Turkey followed along the shore.

In the whirlpool above San Juan the log left the main current, and spun round and round until the Turkey pushed it on into the channel again. Farther down the river the log caught in the rocks in an upright position above a fall, but the Turkey again started it on its journey. At the pueblo of Isleta, the boys hauled out the log with others for fuel. The Turkey' rescued the log and placed it in the water, and again, at another pueblo far down the river, the log was returned to the stream.

Far to the southward the log drifted out of the channel into a grove of cottonwoods. The man came out of the log and found a large quantity quantity of duck feathers lying about. That night he had no blanket in which to sleep, so he covered himself with duck feathers. He killed a duck, and with the sinews of its legs made a bowstring.

After he landed, the Turkey soon overtook him, and they remained there for four days. During this time the man cleared a small space and leveled it.

"Why do you clear this place?" said the Turkey. "if you wish to plant something you must make a larger field."

Then the Turkey ran toward the east, and the field was extended in that direction: toward the south, the west, and the north he ran, until the field was large enough. Then he ran into the field from the east side, and the black corn lay behind him; from the south side, and the blue corn appeared; from the west, and the yellow corn was made; from the north, and the seeds of every kind of cereal and vegetable lay upon the ground.

The Turkey told the man to plant all these seeds in rows. In four days the growing plants appeared. The Turkey helped his master tend the crops, and in four more days everything was ripe. Then the man took an ear of corn and roasted it, and found it good.

As told by Joseph Nicolar, collected in Frank Russell’s Myths of the Jicarilla Apaches, 1898

From Blue Panther Keeper of Stories

http://groups.msn.com/KeeperofStories
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/keeper_of_stories_3

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

http://groups.msn.com/KeeperofStories
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/keeper_of_stories_3

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