Corn and Wampum
Corn and Wampum
This chapter explicates both the symbolic and actual uses of corn and wampum in Native daily and ceremonial life, and illustrates how Of Plimoth Plantation contains corn and wampum tropes. Corn is not only a staple Native food; it is also an item of veneration and a Native sacramental. There are corn deities, such as the Cherokee Selu, and Native people are often named for corn as a sign of respect. Corn is thought to have generative capabilities, which corn pollen is used, in Navajo sandpaintings, to animate. Wampum was first used by Natives as an incipient writing system, but was later corrupted and became used as currency. Both corn and wampum are closely related to people and their welfare. When corn and wampum were used for commercial gain, however, both Plymoutheans and Natives suffered.
Keywords: Cherokee, corn, corn deities, corn pollen, corn tropes, Native foods, Navajo, sandpaintings, Selu, wampum
Florida Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
