Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment: turtle amuck

Saturday, May 16, 2009

turtle amuck

The male yard turtle blundered his way through the corn patch on Thursday...I came home to find the original stalk laying on the ground. He bit the outer stalk leaves, but I have the entire mound in recovery right now. Although the turtle is part of the Hopi creation myth...he was destructive on Thursday. Our female turtle is now missing and we fear she has escaped...she really didn't like his intentions and attentions.

I don't know how the Hopi protected their corn....I am ready for kachinas and fetishes.

My first marigold is blooming...I still have plenty of seeds from last year's crop. Would you like some seeds? Great flowers.

BW

1 comment:

COLORADO BOB said...: Blonde -
I would say yes on the seeds if I hadn't bought some marigolds last week. We are companion planting them in the big garden.; May 16, 2009 at 1:27 PM

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Blue Corn: Found primarily in the Southwest, blue corn has been a staple food of Native Americans - including the Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo & Zuni tribes - for hundreds of years. Coronado found blue corn & other flour corns during his 1540 expedition into the Southwest.

Blue flour corn, made of primarily soft starches, is used for blue corn flour & cornmeal, and for making blue corn tortillas and blue corn chips. Itís a bit coarser than yellow or white meal, but is somewhat sweeter & nuttier in flavor. It also contains about 20% more protein & up to 50% more iron than other varieties of corn.

Blue Corn & Hopi Indians: Hopi blue corn varieties can range in color from nearly black to a powdery gray color. There are three varieties of the blue corn: "standard" blue (sakwaqa'o), hard blue (huruskwapu), and gray-blue (maasiqa'o). Because of its hard kernels, huruskwapu is most resistant to storage pests and traditionally was the preferred variety for storing. When the grinding was all done by hand, women preferred using maasiqa'o because it is soft and easier to grind but the color was not as vibrant as that of the sakwaqa'o or huruskwapu.

Besides being the backbone of their diet, blue corn represents an essential part of the Hopi culture. It represents the Eastern rising sun, the beginning of life, wisdom & understanding. The Hopi of Arizona use blue corn in the naming ceremonies of infants, who might not receive their name for 6-to-8 months. They believe that blue corn represents a long life; Hopi men ate blue corn before undertaking long journeys because they believe it gives them great strength. To this day, the Hopi believe in the power of blue corn, as demonstrated by their story of creation.

As the Hopi moved from the third to the fourth way of life, Maasawu, the Creator, presented the gift of corn to all those who emerged. The other peoples took the largest ears of corn and Hopis were left with the small blue ear. The Hopis knew that their fourth way of life would be would not be easy, but that overcoming hardships would make them strong. The themes of humility, cooperation and respect became the lifeway of all Hopis.

Kokopelli's Kitchen

Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment

Saturday, May 16, 2009

turtle amuck

1 comment:

Hopi Women Grinding Corn in Arizona

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