The Green Corn
Festival was celebrated by many
Indian tribes in one form or another. These early
people were very grateful for their harvests. Tribes held several festivals each
year to say prayers of thanks to their gods. One of the most important was
the Green Corn Festival. This festival was held in late summer or early fall,
when the corn they had planted had ripened on the stalk. The
expression "green corn" refers to ripened sweet corn, corn you
could eat. These
early people were great
farmers. They depended on three staples - corn,
beans, and squash. In the Woodland
areas, these food items were so important that they had a name.
They were called "The Three Sisters". The Three Sisters were mixed
together to make a vegetable dish called succotash. But corn was always
special.
Even after the Green Corn Festival,
some corn was left on the stalk to additionally ripen, to help the drying
process. Dried corn and dried corn meal were both very important staple
items to help these early people eat well through the long winter
ahead.
Boiled
Corn Bread: The Iroquois Indians made a wonderful
boiled corn bread. They made flour by pounding corn into flour. To make
bread, they mixed water with corn flour. Sometimes cooked beans were added,
or berries or nuts. The bread was kneaded and formed into small loaves. The
loaves were dropped into boiling water and cooked until the bread floated.
Boiled corn bread was served both hot and cold. They also used the same
bread mix to bake bread by putting it on clay tablets in the fire. They used
sunflower oil to fry bread. Click here for the Recipe
for Iroquois Corn Bread.