Mother-Corn

Family: Arikara · Role: woman transformed from corn · First appears: Tale 3 · The Origin of the Arikara · Part 1

When the heavenly corn matured, Nesaru turned an ear into Mother-Corn and sent her underground to bring his people out. She found the people, who recognized and rejoiced at her, and led them onto the open land. As they continued their journey, Kingfisher, Screech-Owl and Loon made ways through obstacles for them; Mother-Corn gave the people corn to plant, and later gave them ceremonies and led them to the Republican River, where the Awaho people received them. Nesaru taught her how to live and gave her power for times of need, and later gave the people Mother-Corn, the office of chief and the medicine-men.

In the accounts of the people’s emergence, Mother-Corn allowed some to remain underground, in the banks, or as loons. She received a stone from the three Stars and had it made into a pipe; after Whirlwind was slighted in the smoke ceremony, his attack made her vomit water and ears of corn in four colors. She gave the people seeds and taught them the bundle ceremonies, then was found transformed into an ear of corn. The priests threw her and her robe into the river; years later she returned during a ceremony to teach more songs, then disappeared before daylight.

In other tellings, Mother-Corn led the people out from under the earth, crossed waters with their help, and went to the heavens to ask that the people be allowed to live. She returned to the Arikara village many years after disappearing into the Missouri River, taught ceremonies and songs, and was never seen again. In another account she visited the medicine-lodge, where the people followed her and “cried for joy”; after enemies attacked, she was killed as she was being taken from the lodge, and the Arikara buried her. In Tale 42, she and a buffalo skull blessed a baby girl.