The Corn Woman
Home
Cherokee Creation
What the Stars are Like
Song of Cherokee Rose
The First Fire
Why Moles Live Underground
Daughter of the Sun
Great Yellow Jacket
The Birds & The Animals
A Cherokee Fable
The Great Bear
The Corn Woman
Cooking is an important part of life for the Cherokee woman. Not only is it necessary for life and nourishment, but it is part of the social fabric. Even in our traditional story of first man and first woman, Selu is known as "Corn Woman."
Selu lived with her husband, Kanati, and two sons. Everyday, she would go away from the house and return with a basket full of corn. The boys wondered where the corn came from, so they followed her one day. They saw her go into a storehouse, and they peeked in and watched her.
There they saw her place her basket and shake herself. The corn started falling from her body into the basket. They thought that their mother must surely be a witch and that they must destroy her!
Selu could read the boys' thoughts. She told them that after they put her to death, they would need to follow her instructions carefully so that they would continue to have corn for nourishment.
"After you kill me, you must clear some ground in front of our house. Drag my body in a circle seven times. Then, you must stay up all night and watch."
The boys did this, but they got the instructions backwards. They cleared seven areas of ground, and drug her body twice in a circle. Where her blood dropped, corn began to grow.
Because the boys were careless in listening to the instructions, corn must now be planted and taken care of in order for it to grow. And to this day, it only grows in certain spots and not the entire earth.
Visit any traditional Cherokee home and the woman of the house will provide a delicious meal. As a matrilineal society, it is the woman who carries the clan, gives nourishment to the growing baby, continues its growth by providing her milk, and continues to nourish all who come to her home by providing lovingly prepared food. Go to recipes for wonderful, traditional Cherokee meals.
Selu lived with her husband, Kanati, and two sons. Everyday, she would go away from the house and return with a basket full of corn. The boys wondered where the corn came from, so they followed her one day. They saw her go into a storehouse, and they peeked in and watched her.
There they saw her place her basket and shake herself. The corn started falling from her body into the basket. They thought that their mother must surely be a witch and that they must destroy her!
Selu could read the boys' thoughts. She told them that after they put her to death, they would need to follow her instructions carefully so that they would continue to have corn for nourishment.
"After you kill me, you must clear some ground in front of our house. Drag my body in a circle seven times. Then, you must stay up all night and watch."
The boys did this, but they got the instructions backwards. They cleared seven areas of ground, and drug her body twice in a circle. Where her blood dropped, corn began to grow.
Because the boys were careless in listening to the instructions, corn must now be planted and taken care of in order for it to grow. And to this day, it only grows in certain spots and not the entire earth.
Visit any traditional Cherokee home and the woman of the house will provide a delicious meal. As a matrilineal society, it is the woman who carries the clan, gives nourishment to the growing baby, continues its growth by providing her milk, and continues to nourish all who come to her home by providing lovingly prepared food. Go to recipes for wonderful, traditional Cherokee meals.