Colorado Bob's Hopi Blue Corn Experiment: An update from Kansas City

Sunday, May 24, 2009

An update from Kansas City

I planted 2 hills of corn, one in my yard and one in the yard of the house next door, which is owned by the bank. The one in my yard is struggling, only half the seeds germinated and one of them was an albino plant.

Albino corn

Also, the other day the wife was weeding her irises and guess where she was standing? I thought there was enough sun where I planted them but they are slow growing, they probably need more light. Right now there are 3 stalks still standing , 2 of them look very weak and the strong one got badly mauled last night.

The hill I planted next door is doing very well and will make a good hill of corn if it isn't cut down by the bank's lawn maintenance crew.

Here they are 2 weeks ago, when the crew came by and mowed, fortunately, they were too short and the weed eater passed over them but got the tomato plant besides them and 2 sunflower volunteers that I moved into the bed. It looked like the only place in the yard where they used the weed eater. The hill now has a wire protector around them and are 7 inches high. When the crew came by yesterday to mow they didn't even bother to weed eat. (Keeping the fingers crossed) maybe the corn and zinnias I planted over there are safe.

Jack

1 comment:

COLORADO BOB said...: That's very interesting Jack. I had 2 of those sprout downtown. They came up green and turned white at about 4 inches tall. I guessed some grub had sucked the roots .... Must be something baked in the seed.
I really what to thank-you for planting on the bank owned land. Maybe it'll draw a good neighbor for you.; May 25, 2009 at 11:34 AM

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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.

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