wunzh was greatly disturbed and downcast over his defeat because he thought the great spirit had sent the golden hearted in answer to his supplications, and he now felt certain that he was in disfavor. he lay awake all night thinking what he could do to win a token of good will from the great spirit. he knew better than to ask anything for himself, but begged and implored that it should be something for the benefit of his tribe.
"michabo says i eat too much flesh, and that i must learn to fast before any good will come to me," he said over and over to himself. "he shall see that i know how to obey even if my arrows do go wide of the mark." there was a great lump in his throat and to tell the truth there were a few tears trickling down his cheeks, but he brushed them away quickly as he rose to his feet and shook out the buffalo robes which had answered for his bed. 91
"i will go to a secret place in the forest and build me a lodge, and there i will stay and fast until the great spirit grants my wish."
he told no one of his intention and was gone several days before he was missed at the council fires where the wise men were instructing the medicine men in the use of a wampum belt made of different colored beads. the colors were the same as the quippos and the counting with them was done in the same manner. while the women were weaving a very handsome wampum belt to be used as a council brand of authority, the wise men helped build a long house in the center of the confederation of tribes to put it in. then they ordered four other long houses built on the north, east, south and west corners of the country, so that the runners would have some place to stay when they started with the wampum belt to let the outside tribes know the will of the council.
the golden hearted did not seem to take any interest in this work at all, but went among the people playing all kinds of pranks. sometimes he frightened them nearly to death, and then again he would set them into roars of laughter by the funny things he did. he invented so many tricks and was so full of mischief that every one was on the lookout and attributed all the happenings they could not account for in any other way to him whether he did them or not.
"what has become of wunzh? has anybody seen him?" began to be constant queries, and his 92 family looked very sad indeed. the golden hearted knew where he was and that he was fasting, so he waited until nightfall and then dressed himself in rich garments of green and yellow shading into light and dark tints. putting on his crown with the long green quetzal plumes he slipped off into the woods to find wunzh. approaching the lodge he said:
"i am sent to you, my friend, by that great spirit who made all things in the sky and on the earth. he has seen and known your motives in the fasting. he sees that it is from a kind and benevolent wish to do good to your people and to procure a benefit for them and not for strength in war or the praise of warriors. i come to show you how to do your kindred good, but you must rise and wrestle with me."
wunzh knew that he was weak from fasting, but felt his courage rising in his heart, and he got up immediately determined to die rather than fail.
he instantly clinched with the golden hearted and wrestled with him until nearly exhausted.
"my friend, this is enough for to-day. i will come again to try you to-morrow at the same hour."
the golden hearted came dressed in the same fashion and wrestled with wunzh for three successive evenings. each day the faster's strength grew less and less, but he was more determined than ever.
the wrestling match
"to-morrow will be your last trial. be strong, 94 my friend, for this is the only way you can overcome me and obtain the boon you seek."
the next day the poor youth exerted his utmost power and after awhile the golden hearted ceased wrestling.
"i am conquered," he said, and went into the lodge and began to teach wunzh. "you have wrestled manfully and have fasted seven days. now you must strip off my clothing and throw me down. clean the earth of roots and reeds; make it soft and bury these garments here. when you have done this be careful never to let the grass grow over the spot. once a month cover it with fresh earth. if you follow these instructions you will do great good to your fellow creatures."
in the morning the father of wunzh came with some slight refreshments, saying:
"my son, you have fasted long enough. if the great spirit intends to favor you he will do it now. it is seven days since you tasted food and you must not sacrifice your health. that the master of life does not require of you."
"wait, father, until the sun goes down. i have a particular reason for extending my fast until that hour."
"very well," said the father, kindly. "i will wait until you feel inclined to eat."
even though he was hungry the young man felt strangely renewed and strengthened and when it was night he was ready to wrestle with the golden hearted again. when he thought he had 95 killed the prince he took off his garments and plumes and buried them as he had been told to do. afterwards he returned to his father's lodge and partook sparingly of food, but he never for a moment forgot the new-made grave.
because he was so full of pranks and tricks, the descendants of the mound builders saw something mysterious and strange in everything the golden hearted did, and when he built a boat to go down the great river in, they said it was a magic canoe and expected almost anything to happen. however before he and the wise men went away, they made him the father and guardian of their nation, and they have considered him as such ever since.
weeks went by and the summer was drawing to a close when wunzh returned after a long absence in hunting. going to his father he invited him to come to the quiet lonesome spot where he had fasted so long. there in a circle freed from weeds stood a tall graceful plant with bright colored silken hair surmounted by nodding plumes, luxuriant green leaves and clusters of golden grain on each side.
"it is my friend, and the friend of all mankind. it is mondamin, the spirit of corn. we need no longer rely on hunting alone for so long as this gift is cherished and taken care of the ground itself will give us a living. see, my father," said wunzh, pulling off an ear, "this is what i fasted for. this is why michabo put me through so many 96 trials. but the great spirit has listened to my voice and sent us something new. our people need no longer depend upon the chase and the water for food."
then he told his father how he had wrestled with the golden hearted, and how he had torn off his garments.
"he said i was to treat the ear in the same manner, and when it was stripped i must hold it to the fire until the outer skin becomes brown while all the milk is retained in the grain."
the whole family of wunzh joined in a feast on the roasted ears, and were very grateful for such a rich blessing. and this is the way the indians say corn came into the world.
we learned its use from them, and also to hold the old-fashioned husking bees where all the young people got together and pulled off the husks after the ripe ears of corn had been gathered into the barn. it was always great fun, especially when they found red ears, but let us see what the indians used to say about it:
then nokomis, the old woman,
spake and said to minnehaha:
"'tis the moon when leaves are falling
all the wild rice has been gathered
and the maize is ripe and ready;
let us gather in the harvest,
let us wrestle with mondamin,
strip him of his plumes and tassels,
of his garments green and yellow." 97
and the merry laughing water
went rejoicing from the wigwam,
with nokomis old and wrinkled,
and they called the women round them,
called the young men and the maidens,
to the harvest of the cornfields,
to the husking of the maize ear.
on the border of the forest,
underneath the fragrant pine-trees,
sat the old man and the warriors
smoking in the pleasant shadow
in uninterrupted silence
looked they at the gamesome labor
of the young men and the women;
listened to their noisy talking,
to their laughter and their singing
heard them chattering like the magpies,
heard them laughing like the blue-jays,
heard them singing like the robins.
and whene'er some lucky maiden
found a red ear in the husking
found a maize-ear red as blood is,
"nuska!" cried they all together,
"nuska! you shall have a sweetheart,
you shall have a handsome husband!"
"ugh!" the old men all responded
from their seats behind the pine-trees.
and whene'er a youth or maiden
found a crooked ear in husking,
found a maize-ear in the husking
blighted, mildewed or misshapen, 98
then they laughed and sang together,
crept and limped about the cornfields,
mimicked in their gait and gestures
some old man bent almost double,
singing singly or together
till the cornfields rang with laughter,
"ugh!" the old men all responded,
from their seats behind the pine-trees.
the indians have many pretty stories about the birth of corn. when the two little slender green leaves come up through the ground they say that it is the long green plumes of the crown buried by wunzh and when it is ready for harvest they think the green and gold of the leaves and grain are the rest of the garments turned into a plant. they say that if you stand near a cornfield in the moonlight you can hear mondamin, the corn spirit, murmuring and complaining of the way we treat him to the wind, the stars, and the little insects hidden in the glossy leaves and silken tassels.
