﻿VII 
  

  

  THE 
  QUEST 
  OF 
  FOOD 
  

  

  The 
  Ritual 
  of 
  the 
  Maize 
  

  

  The 
  various 
  environments 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Omaha 
  people 
  lingered 
  as 
  

   they 
  moved 
  westward 
  left 
  their 
  impress 
  on 
  the 
  ceremonials 
  of 
  the 
  

   tribe. 
  Some 
  of 
  these, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown, 
  were 
  lost 
  and 
  the 
  relation 
  

   of 
  others 
  to 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  suffered 
  change. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   latter 
  were 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  maize. 
  

  

  The 
  facts 
  that 
  the 
  tabu 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Pke'cabe, 
  which 
  had 
  

   charge 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes, 
  was 
  the 
  red 
  ear 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  this 
  subgens 
  to 
  provide 
  the 
  sacred 
  corn 
  for 
  

   distribution 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  planting, 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  

   maize 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Pipes 
  were 
  once 
  closely 
  connected. 
  In 
  the 
  

   political 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  the 
  Pipes, 
  through 
  their 
  signifi- 
  

   cance, 
  kept 
  an 
  important 
  place; 
  while, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  environment 
  of 
  

   the 
  people, 
  the 
  maize, 
  as 
  the 
  sustainer 
  of 
  life, 
  became 
  subordinated 
  

   to 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  which 
  yielded 
  not 
  only 
  food 
  but 
  also 
  raiment. 
  Never- 
  

   theless, 
  it 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  the 
  maize 
  did 
  not 
  wholly 
  lose 
  prestige 
  

   but 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  treated 
  ceremonially. 
  

  

  The 
  ancient 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  already 
  cited, 
  besides 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  maize, 
  adds 
  later 
  on, 
  evidently 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  ceremony 
  

   and 
  ritual 
  observed 
  when 
  distributing 
  the 
  grain 
  for 
  planting: 
  

  

  The 
  maize 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  of 
  means 
  to 
  give 
  us 
  life, 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  it 
  we 
  sing. 
  

   We 
  sing 
  even 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  its 
  roots, 
  of 
  its 
  clinging 
  to 
  the 
  earth, 
  of 
  its 
  shooting 
  forth 
  

   from 
  the 
  ground, 
  of 
  its 
  springing 
  from 
  joint 
  to 
  joint, 
  of 
  its 
  sending 
  forth 
  the 
  ear, 
  of 
  its 
  

   putting 
  a 
  covering 
  on 
  its 
  head, 
  of 
  its 
  ornamenting 
  its 
  head 
  with 
  a 
  feather, 
  of 
  its 
  invi- 
  

   tation 
  to 
  men 
  to 
  come 
  and 
  feel 
  of 
  it, 
  to 
  open 
  and 
  see 
  its 
  fruit, 
  of 
  its 
  invitation 
  to 
  man 
  

   to 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  fruit. 
  

  

  When 
  maize 
  was 
  discovered 
  the 
  grain 
  was 
  distributed 
  among 
  the 
  people 
  that 
  they 
  

   might 
  plant 
  and 
  eat 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  their 
  labor, 
  and 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  on 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   custom 
  to 
  sing 
  the 
  song 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  and 
  to 
  repeat 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  every 
  

   year 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  planting. 
  

  

  The 
  songs 
  [stanzas] 
  are 
  many. 
  They 
  begin 
  with 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  the 
  kernels. 
  

   The 
  people 
  talk 
  of 
  where 
  they 
  shall 
  plant. 
  Then 
  the 
  men 
  select 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  wher- 
  

   ever 
  each 
  man 
  selects 
  he 
  thrusts 
  a 
  pole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  now 
  the 
  corn 
  shall 
  

   be 
  planted. 
  

  

  The 
  stanzas 
  last 
  referred 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  lost, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  ceremony 
  

   of 
  selecting 
  the 
  planting 
  plot 
  and 
  the 
  thrusting 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  into 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  It. 
  is 
  also 
  impossible 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  accurate 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   ceremonies 
  attending 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  corn 
  for 
  plant- 
  

  

  261 
  

  

  