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Those
original farmers shared their knowledge as well as seeds with other Native peoples, and
corn-based agriculture spread as far south as Peru, and as far north as New York and
Ontario.
In New York
State, corn began to be planted starting around 500 A.D. It was just one of several
plants cultivated here.
The original
upstate farmers are the ancestors of the people today known as the Iroquois Indians, or
Haudenosaunee, the first nations of this land.
The homelands
of the Iroquois Indians include most of what is today called “New York State.”
The process
by which Iroquois homelands became New York State is complicated and contested
today.
There are
about 100,000 Iroquois Indian people alive today.
Today there
are 9 Iroquois Indian reservations in the United States, and 7 Iroquois Indian reserves in
Canada. About ½ of the Iroquois people live in these communities. The rest
live mainly in cities.
When the
Iroquois homelands were intact, the job of growing the corn was carried out mainly by
women.
Iroquois men
began farming only after being confined to reservations and reserves.
Today flint
corn continues to be grown in many of the Iroquois communities, mainly for use within the
community.
Corn exists
today, not just as a plant, but also as a symbol. It stands for Iroquois
identities. It stands for life. And it stands for spirit.
In
traditional Iroquois culture, corn is one of the “three sisters” along with
beans and squash.
The main
Iroquois foods made with corn today include corn soup and corn bread.
The Mohawk
name for corn is O:nenhste (sounds very much like ‘honesty’).
* The Mohawk name for Vrooman’s Nose is O:nenhstekrawa (Corn Mountain). *
CORN RECIPES FROM The Iroquois Cookbook
HULLED CORN SOUP
4 qts. dry Indian corn kernels
1 lb. dry red kidney beans
3 lbs. salt pork
1 qt. hardwood ashes
Put enough water in an old kettle to cover the corn. Bring to a boil; add corn and ashes. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. This loosens the hulls or shells on the corn. When the hulls slip off the kernels by working between the fingers, drain the water and rinse corn in cold water, working corn with the fingers to remove the hulls. drain and parboil; drain, rinse and parboil again. Repeat several times until the parboiled water looks clean and clear. (A handmade basket is traditionally used for this purpose.)
When corn is good and clean, place it in a large kettle or caner with clean water. parboil washed beans separately until water is colored; add both water and beans to the corn mixture. Cut salt pork into small pieces; add to the corn and beans. Be sure to use plenty of water because the corn will swell as it cooks. Cook 3 or 4 hours, or until corn is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Makes 16 quarts of soup.
CORN BREAD (go-gai-denh-doenh)
3 qts. white corn
3 pints sifted ashes (preferably poplar)
1 lb. pinto or kidney beans
Cooking utensils needed:
cast iron kettle (5 qt.)
sifter for ashes
aluminum kettle
dipper
wooden paddle
saucepan (2 qt. capacity)
corn washing basket
dishpans (2)
sifter for ashes
Fill cast iron kettle 3/4 full of water and put on to boil. When water boils, put in corn and sifted ashes. Stir with paddle until well mixed. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Clean beans and put on to simmer in saucepan for approximately 1 hour.
Test corn by putting in cold water and see if outer hull comes off. If it does, drain corn into sifter basket and rinse in tepid water until clean. Use towel to absorb water in corn. Grind corn in food chopper, finest grind, sift 2 or 3 times.
Fill aluminum kettle 3/4 full, put on to boil. Drain beans when cooked, rinse twice. Pour into sifted corn flour. Mix with the paddle. Add boiling water until well mixed (approximately 4 dippers full). To much water it will get mushy, too little water dough will get hard. Fill dish pan with cold water. Hands should be clean, dip hands in cold water; then pick up enough dough, make it into a ball, then pat into a smooth wheel about 2" thick, dipping hands into cold water as often as necessary to keep hands from sticking to the dough.
Place wheel on wooden paddle and put into boiling water and cook approximately 50 minutes. Check every few minutes and separate wheels (which are standing) so they won't stick. Wheels are done when they float and the water in which wheels were boiled can be drunk.