In the autumn the old woman[444] harvested her corn, and taking it into her lodge she divided it into as many portions as there were families in the village of her people. Then she gave a portion to the chief matron in each lodge, telling each that the corn should be used in the spring for seed and also how it should be planted and cultivated. Afterward she returned to her own lodge. She was greatly rejoiced at the prospect of her people having something which would supply them with a staple food, if they would only properly care for it.
In a short time after reaching her own lodge she lay down on her couch to rest for the night; but she had hardly fallen asleep before she had another dream, or vision, of the Corn Maiden. In this dream the Corn Maiden said to her: “You must tell my children (the human beings) that they must not waste in any manner the corn which shall grow to maturity in the future. It is well known that those who do not honor and properly care for me invariably come to want and destitution; for unless they act so toward me when I leave I shall take all the corn and other seed away. And, grandmother, you must tell all these things to your people and kindred.”
Some time after this event the old woman said to her nephew (?): “Do not travel around from place to place, for it is a well-known fact that there are beings roaming about which have the disposition to overcome and destroy men by the exercise of their orenda.” But the nephew (?) replied: “Oh! there is nothing going about from place to place which has the power to kill men.”
Then there came a time many days after this that the Corn Maiden saw her brother arrive there. He was a human being, tall beyond measure, and in other respects of corresponding size. He said to her: “Do you now come forth (out of the lodge).” She obeyed him by leaving her lodge, whereupon he took her up in his arms. He saw there a stone ax and an arrowhead of flint. After carefully examining these he asked: “Have these things, simple as they are, the power to kill a person?” She made no reply to this question, and the giant departed, carrying away captive his youngest sister. On the way she began to sing: “Oh, elder brother! have you not been in the habit of saying that there is nothing that roams about which has the power to kill persons? How do you explain this?” Now the name of the person who stole this woman is Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ[445] (Ga-mĕñdji-dāʻ-kăʻ [[645]]is the Tutelo name), (The refrain of the song she sang was the Tutelo words, Daʻhĕñgeʻ, daʻhĕñgeʻ, wāʻhoyăʼ ĕñ gi lo yot.)
Another brother of the Corn Maiden (of the lodge of the old woman) taking a stone ax and a bow and arrows, and asking his grandmother to follow him, said: “Let us two go fetch home my younger sister.” So saying, he started in pursuit of Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ, the so-called Stone Giant, and his grandmother followed him on the perilous journey. His pursuit was vigorous and tireless, and he was not long in overtaking Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ. Coming up to him, he shot him with a flint arrow, saying at the same time: “I have come to bring back home my younger sister.” Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ, weeping with pain, said: “I confess my guilt. I did a great wrong in stealing this maiden from her home.” Then he surrendered her to her brother, who, taking his sister by the hand, started with his grandmother for their home.
When they had arrived at their own lodge the young woman who had been kidnaped by Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ said to her grandmother: “You will now prepare some food (bread). You will take one grain of corn from the cob and pound it into meal. This alone will suffice, it is well known, to provide us (all human beings living) with food enough to satisfy our appetites at this banquet held in celebration of the return of the Maiden captured by Doōdĕⁿnĕñyāʹhoⁿʼ, the Stone Giant.” When the corn had been procured and prepared, the Maiden again spoke, saying: “I am about to give a feast, which shall be held in my honor, and in which you women shall dance the Corn dances.”
The feast was held in accordance with her wishes, and the women danced the Corn dances as she directed them, and all the people rejoiced with her. When the feast of thanksgiving was ended the Maiden said: “Now, as for me, I am starting on my return to my home. I shall go back to the place whence I came. It shall be an established thing in the future forever that corn shall exist, and that mankind shall never again die from starvation. I now go to my home.”
Thereupon she started away, going back on the river on which she had come; and as she went along she sang a song, the words of which were “We, the varieties of corn, beans, and squashes, are the mothers of the peoples of the whole world.” These words she sang to teach the people what to sing in their Corn dances.
After she had returned to her home she received a proposal of marriage from Oʻstawĕⁿʼsĕñʹtoⁿʼ (Sumac Tree?). She accepted his suit and the two were married. When they were together the Corn Maiden said to her husband, “You must love me (that is, regard me [[646]]as a precious thing);” and her husband assured her that he would indeed comply with her request and his duty.
Then they returned to the lodge of Mother Bean, which they reached by traveling on the river a long distance. Mother Bean said to them: “You two must carry back with you some beans, which you must take to that distant land, where you shall leave them.” On their return to their own lodge the bridegroom carried the beans to that other land in which his wife had left seeding corn, and after performing his mission returned to his own wife and lodge.