And after many days had gone by, green plumes came up through the earth; and they grew, and became sturdy stalks.
And still they grew, and after many days and weeks the broad green leaves held ears of juicy grain.
Day by day the ears grew full and the grain ripened; the green plumes at their ends turned to yellow, and then to brown, and the ground was covered with the many stalks.
Then Wunzh said to his father, “Come with me. I have something to show you.” And his father went with him, and he showed him the clearing where his tepee had stood. And it was all a field of green and yellow, like the clothing which Wunzh had worn, when he came from his fast.
Then he told his father of the stranger’s visit, and of his dream, and of his overcoming the youth.
“And now, my father,” he added, “the Great Spirit has answered my prayer. From this time on life will be less hard for the Indian, for he shall have other food than game and fish. The Great Spirit has caused this grain to grow, and it is good for man to eat. Taste it, my father, and see.”
And this is the story the Red Men tell of the gift of the maize, or Indian corn.
THE STARS THAT DANCE
(Iroquois)
MANY years ago in the Indian country a company of eleven young men went out from the village of their fathers. They were going to prepare themselves for the war dances, and for battle with their foes.