Corn Mothers
Corn is our mother. It knows the land its from and the people it serves. She is kind and protects her people. She is in all of us, in our mothers stories, in her mothers stories, and becomes apart of our genealogy. The analogy of the Corn Mother, extends beyond the tribes of North and South America. Food, more specifically the plants that give us food, is part of tribal cosmogenealogy; it is an integral part of understanding the stories and complex histories we share with the land. As someone with indigenous roots, knowing my cosmogenealogy is a hidden part in our culture with the strong fears of those who are willing to steal; watching like hawks. Through my writing on this page I hope to share the stories of my corn mothers and the many mothers in my community that hold the knowledge of our past as keepers.
In the words of Cherokee Appalachian writer Marilou Awiakta, “The corn is like our people; it draws strength from its clan. A single stalk will bear nothing.”
My Corn Mother
This is my corn mother. She also happens to be my biological mother. She is my wisdom and taught me the ways of the Earth that stay with me today. Her love for nature supersedes her. She was the one who taught me the ways our culture intertwine with environmentalism. How our Taino ancestors did not have access to meat or how our indigenous ancestors thanked the Earth as they took from it. My understanding of the world is shaped in her perspective. I did not always appreciate it and sometimes I forget how it is a blessing that I have mother who supports the field I want to go into. But because of her I am where I am in my life. She pushes me to be better and understand the world I live in fully.
Some Recommendations If you want to learn more about this concept…..
Documentaries
“In Our Mother’s Gardens” (2020) [Dir. Shantrelle P. Lewis]
Available on Netflix
Books
“The Ways of My Grandmothers” by Beverly Hungry Wolf