Green Corn Ceremony Research Paper

In my research about the Choctaw Indians, I found that they had many cultural practices, but the most significant ceremonial practice to them was the Green Corn Ceremony. The reason that this ceremony was extremely meaningful to them is because corn (maize) was their single most important food. “The Green Corn Ceremony,” was held within the south-eastern region of North America which is known in present time, as Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana in which they dwelled (Ojibwa 1). I chose this topic about the Choctaw Indians, since it is a part of my lineage, and the importance of them practicing this particular ceremony interested me, as I relate parts of my spirituality to my ancestors the more I learn about them. Native Americans have

The Green Corn Ceremony was originally performed during different parts of the year starting in late July and August, or early September as a religious practice. The ceremony was a means of “strengthening social bonds” by uniting towns and recognizing the contributions and significance of everyone; men and women, children and elders. During the ceremony, the most significant part was the lighting of the fire (Akers 65). The Choctaw sacrificed corn to the fire as an offering of “thanks to the spirit of the sun.” The Choctaw viewed fire as an “informant” to the sun, who possessed the power of life and death (Peasantubbee 128).They were a society that believed in harmony and balance. For example, if mankind overhunts game, they “impair the balance” between man and other creatures. The only means to restore harmony and balance was by going to the water, and bathing in it every day as it was their custom (Akers 66). Therefore, the ceremony was a time of giving and exchange. In other words, each clan came together and reviewed each person’s consensus for the year. Those who were found in good standing were complimented, and others who were found in wrong doing had to clear

The reason for its decline had nothing to do with being banned or forbidden by the French colonization, as it did with the population loss and stress that the Indians were facing as a result of being pulled into an ongoing military conflict between the French and English (Peasantubbee 126-127). However, the Green Corn Ceremony with regards to its religious practice, continued among some Choctaw communities, and in the “eighteen thirties,” it was carried from Mississippi, over the Trail of Tears and reestablished in Oklahoma (The Green Corn Dance: School of Choctaw Language 1). Certain parts of the ceremony today, as in the past, is not for public observance as the corn was considered a sacred gift from the beloved unknown woman, Ohio Osh Chiesa as mentioned above. Also, in order to keep their cultures thriving, many Choctaws who did not want to assimilate into “surrounding Euro-American society” held on tightly to their traditional ways (Lucy