INDIAN COBN. 341 



in clouds, \yith every stirring breeze. The name given by 

 the Indians to this cereal was Mondamin, meaning life, and 

 so the name given by botanists is in deference to the cog- 

 nomen of the aborogines, Zea, meaning life in the Greek. 



• HISTOEY. 



It may be remarked that the early history of the bread 

 plants is enveloped in obscurity, and come to us in the form 

 of traditions, and myths, according to which the gods 

 themselves descended to the earth to confer these great gifts 

 on mankind. In India it was Brahma; in Egypt Isis; in 

 Greece and Italy it was Ceres or Demeter, who not only 

 brought them to the inhabitants, buttaught them their uses. 

 Maize being unquestionably of American origin, has. its 

 legend also of the birth of so noble a grain, and upon this 

 allegory our Longfellow has founded his Indian Epic 

 Hiawatha. The legend is given in iSchoolcraft's history of 

 the Indian tribes of North America, and is located among 

 the Odjibwas. It is as follows: 



" A young man went out into the woods to fast, at that 

 period of life when youth is being exchanged for manhood. 

 He built a lodge of boughs in a secluded place, and painted 

 his face a sombre hue. By day he amused himself in walk- 

 ing about, looking at the shrubs and wild, plants, and at 

 night he lay down in his bower which, being open, allowed 

 him to look up into the sky. . He sought a gift from the 

 Master of life and he hoped it would be something to ben- 

 efit his race. On the third day he became too weak to 

 leave his lodge, and as he lay gazing upwards he saw a 

 spirit come down in the shape of a beautiful young man 

 dressed in green, and having green plumes on his head, 

 who told him to arise and wrestle with him, as this was the 

 only way in which he could obtain his wishes. He did so, 

 and found his strength renewed by the effort. This visit 

 and the trial of wrestling were repeated for three days, the 

 youth feeling, at each trial, that although his bodily 



