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Essay / The Selu Corn Women - 1250
The Corn Women – SeluThere are billions of legends recorded in the hearts and souls of Native American peoples. Some are told as they have been for thousands of years while others are still being created, repurposed and reshaped today. Many Native American myths and stories come from animals, plants, medicine, the elements, music and much more. One tribe, the Cherokee, a Native American people of North America who once lived in the southeastern United States, has an endless amount of traditions. I believe one of the most significant stories in the Cherokee myths concerns “the Corn Women”; her story gave Cherokee women purpose and indirectly taught men their roles (Krupat 2005). Often called Selu, she is part of many different stories. Selu was the first woman and mother, she was the corn goddess and gave life and food to the Cherokee people. The Corn Maiden, the Corn Mother, and/or the First Mother, Selu's stories have been told for countless years. She is primarily depicted as a mother and creator, but can sometimes be relayed as a spirit helping members of the Cherokee tribe late after her death. Each year, according to Cherokee tradition, she blessed the tribe with corn and a good harvest while blessing mothers with healthy children. In a story “The Corn Women” by Katharine B. Judson, she helps a hunter succeed in his hunt. Selu takes the form of a dream and then shortly after a corn stalk. He does not know that it is his incarnation which allows him to have a generous hunt until after the fact. She enjoys it for a moment and disappears. From then on, the people to whom he spoke about it knew that it was she, wife of Kanati, who had granted him this very sacred sign. Another tradition speaks of her and Kanati's struggles with their sons (Ju...... middle of paper ...... he is a farmer, herder and leader of the tribe. But the men are not forgotten as her husband, Kanati, portrays. They love their family more than life itself and will shed whatever blood is necessary for them. The Cherokee people have been telling the myths of Selu for many years and now I know why she is surely one. goddess, a mother, and a leader. Margot and Ella E. Clark Voices of the Winds: Native American Legends New York: Facts on File Publications, 1989. Print. 16-41. Web. April 25, 2014. Miles, Tiya Cherokee Women (Book review). -1835 Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. Print..