It was all too good to be true. Suddenly in the middle of the tribe appears this strange woman operating a snack shack — and she cooks an utterly delicious dish she calls ‘corn’.

Hmmm, no bones, no fat, no blood. What can it be? Time to spy on her through a crack in the shack. What’s that she’s scraping into the pot? Ewww! Boils! Sores! Corns! It’s not corn on the cob, it’s scorn on the scab.

Her disgusted customers don’t know quite what to do — the whole tribe have been consuming vast portions with great relish. When confronted, the unperturbed Corn Woman says: “Bury the scrapings in the ground and edible plants will grow. I’ll teach you how to grow crops and you won’t have to chase animals every time you get hungry.”

The Corn Woman is so persuasive that husky braves are soon growing things in husks. It turns out she is the spirit of a revered ancestor spreading the art of corn agriculture. It might sound corny but her work is a great success. She soon has everyone eating out of her hands. But only after the medicine man has cured her warts.

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Article last revised on May 24, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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