Journey to Sustainable Agriculture: FALL TERM

September 16

Harvest at the Orchard

The Story of the Corn Maidens*

According to tradition, Corn Maidens were created in the palm of the right hand of the Great Spirit as guides for the people of the Earth. People were not always able to determine from among the many plants and animals on the Earth what was good for them to eat—what would nourish them vs. what would harm them. So the Corn Maidens were sent to give each clan a single seed of corn that, if properly cared for, would feed and sustain them.

The people took their seeds of corn and planted them in the ground, making a small mound around them. The Corn Maidens sang a song that inspired love and faith in the people. Some people began to tend to the small mound, offering water and caressing the soil around the seed.

Slowly, the corn grew, breaking through the Earth. Like a child, the plant grew strong and beautiful with the love and prayers provided by the people. As the plant grew, the people began to realize how cared for they were by the Great Spirit, and their faith grew, too. As their faith grew, mature ears of corn sprouted from the plant. With the people having the food they needed, the Corn Maidens were no longer needed, and so they returned to their spirit form.

While the Corn Maidens were among the people, some men wanted to make them their own because of their great beauty. To protect themselves, the Great Spirit told the Corn Maidens to place one of the sacred images of the kachina on their heads. Disguised as the kachina, the men could no longer recognize one Corn Maiden from another, making them unable to pursue the Corn Maidens

The Orchard

Just as we did at the Terraces, we are starting to get the fields ready for planting our cover crop for the winter. We harvested the remaining potatoes, pumpkins, and corn. As we harvested, we observe a significant presence of thistle and large patches of night shade (a Solinaceae) in the potato fields. Some of the night shades had flowers, but we think we tilled them before they could add to the seed bank.