The Coming of the Corn (A Cherokee tale)
Retold by Susan Selk (Fairfield Public Schools permission to copy)
Long time ago, there was an old woman who lived with her grandson in a small house made of mud and clay, with a river cane thatched roof above. They lived very happily, not far from the base of the great mountain. When the boy turned seven, his grandmother gave him his first bow and arrows. He went out to hunt and came back with a small bird.
"OH, MY," said his Grandmother, "You are going to be a great hunter one day. I will cook up a wonderful dinner for us." So, she went out to the small storehouse behind their cabin. She came back with dried corn in her white oak and hickory basket and made a delicious soup of corn and bird.
Each day after that the boy hunted .And each day he brought back something to eat. And each day his Grandmother took some corn from the storage house to make soup.
Each day, the boy watched his grandmother go to the storehouse and return with a basketful of cornmeal. He became very curious. The storehouse was so small, yet every day his grandmother returned with plenty of cornmeal for their dinner. So one day when his grandmother was away, the boy peeked inside the storehouse. It was empty! But that evening, when he returned with game to cook, she went out again and brought back a basket filled with cornmeal.
"This is strange," the boy thought to himself. "I must find out what is happening."
The next day, when his grandmother went out to the storehouse with her empty basket, he followed her. He peeked through a crack in the clay and saw a very strange thing. The storehouse was empty, but his Grandmother was leaning over the basket. She rubbed her hands along the sides of her body, and dried cornmeal poured out to fill the basket. Seeing this made the boy very afraid. Perhaps his grandmother was a witch! He ran back to the house to wait. When his Grandmother returned, though, she saw the look on his face.
"Child," she said, "you should not have followed me to the shed. I know that you saw what I did there."
"I’m sorry, Grandmother," the boy answered.
“Now that you know my secret, I cannot live with you any longer as I did before. I must get ready to leave. Before you wake up in the morning, I will be dead. You must listen to what I have to tell you. Then you will be able to feed yourself and the people after I am gone.”
The boy was sad to hear this about his grandmother, but he did as she asked, and sat ready to listen to what she has to say.
“Tomorrow morning, clear away a patch of ground on the south side of our clay and thatch home, which is where the sun shines the longest and brightest. Once the land is completely bare, I want you to drag my body over that ground seven times and then bury me in that ground. If you do as I say, you shall see me again and you will be able to feed the people."
Then the old woman closed her eyes, and she was dead.
Her grandson did as he was told. The next morning he cleared away the land on the south side of the clay and thatch house. He worked very hard, because there were trees and bushes and other plants growing there. When the ground was bare, he dragged his Grandmother's body, back and forth along the ground. Wherever a drop of her blood fell, a small plant started to grow. Over time, the plants started to grow. The boy kept the ground clear around the plants, so they would not be choked. As they grew taller it seemed he could hear his Grandmother's voice whispering in the leaves. Over time, the plants grew very tall, taller than the young boy. The long tassels at the top of each plant reminded him of his Grandmother's long hair. At last, ears of corn formed on each plant and his Grandmother's promise had come true. Grandmother had gone from the earth as she had once been, but she would be with the people forever as the corn plant, to feed them.
"OH, MY," said his Grandmother, "You are going to be a great hunter one day. I will cook up a wonderful dinner for us." So, she went out to the small storehouse behind their cabin. She came back with dried corn in her white oak and hickory basket and made a delicious soup of corn and bird.
Each day after that the boy hunted .And each day he brought back something to eat. And each day his Grandmother took some corn from the storage house to make soup.
Each day, the boy watched his grandmother go to the storehouse and return with a basketful of cornmeal. He became very curious. The storehouse was so small, yet every day his grandmother returned with plenty of cornmeal for their dinner. So one day when his grandmother was away, the boy peeked inside the storehouse. It was empty! But that evening, when he returned with game to cook, she went out again and brought back a basket filled with cornmeal.
"This is strange," the boy thought to himself. "I must find out what is happening."
The next day, when his grandmother went out to the storehouse with her empty basket, he followed her. He peeked through a crack in the clay and saw a very strange thing. The storehouse was empty, but his Grandmother was leaning over the basket. She rubbed her hands along the sides of her body, and dried cornmeal poured out to fill the basket. Seeing this made the boy very afraid. Perhaps his grandmother was a witch! He ran back to the house to wait. When his Grandmother returned, though, she saw the look on his face.
"Child," she said, "you should not have followed me to the shed. I know that you saw what I did there."
"I’m sorry, Grandmother," the boy answered.
“Now that you know my secret, I cannot live with you any longer as I did before. I must get ready to leave. Before you wake up in the morning, I will be dead. You must listen to what I have to tell you. Then you will be able to feed yourself and the people after I am gone.”
The boy was sad to hear this about his grandmother, but he did as she asked, and sat ready to listen to what she has to say.
“Tomorrow morning, clear away a patch of ground on the south side of our clay and thatch home, which is where the sun shines the longest and brightest. Once the land is completely bare, I want you to drag my body over that ground seven times and then bury me in that ground. If you do as I say, you shall see me again and you will be able to feed the people."
Then the old woman closed her eyes, and she was dead.
Her grandson did as he was told. The next morning he cleared away the land on the south side of the clay and thatch house. He worked very hard, because there were trees and bushes and other plants growing there. When the ground was bare, he dragged his Grandmother's body, back and forth along the ground. Wherever a drop of her blood fell, a small plant started to grow. Over time, the plants started to grow. The boy kept the ground clear around the plants, so they would not be choked. As they grew taller it seemed he could hear his Grandmother's voice whispering in the leaves. Over time, the plants grew very tall, taller than the young boy. The long tassels at the top of each plant reminded him of his Grandmother's long hair. At last, ears of corn formed on each plant and his Grandmother's promise had come true. Grandmother had gone from the earth as she had once been, but she would be with the people forever as the corn plant, to feed them.