II
Yonder Mother Corn is coming, coming unto us!
Coming unto us!
Peace and plenty she is bringing; now, behold! she is here!
THE FORGOTTEN EAR OF CORN
A woman of the Arikara tribe was harvesting her crop of corn, making ready to store it away in a safe place where she might be able to get it for use during the long cold winter. She went along gathering the ears and placing them in convenient heaps so that she could gather them up to carry to the storage place she had prepared. When she had finished her work she started to go, but she heard a voice like the voice of a little child, crying and calling pitifully: “Oh, do not leave me! Do not go away without me.”
The woman was astonished at what she supposed was the voice of a lost child. She said to herself: “What is this? Can it be some child has wandered and has been lost in my cornfield? I must go and look for it.”
So she laid down her burden of gathered corn, and went back into the field to make search. But she found no child anywhere in the field.
Then she started once more to take up her burden and leave the field. But again she heard the plaintive little voice crying: “Oh, do not leave me! Do not go away without me.”
Then she went back into the field and searched again for a long time. After diligent search she found one little ear of corn which had been covered by stalks and leaves. It was the little ear of corn which had been crying, fearing to be left to die in the field. So all Indian women are very careful in gathering their crops so that nothing shall be lost or wasted of the good gifts of the Great Mystery, for they are accounted sacred and holy, and it would be wicked to treat them with neglect or indifference.