PAWNEE Each ear of corn was sacred and symbolic.
The husks were gently peeled from the kernels by a group of Pawnee Indians who gathered in 2018 at the Pawnee Nation Round House. The treasure they discovered gleamed for all to see blue-speckled corn, and corn with tan-colored kernels known for its sweetness. This is our Christmas, Sonny Howell said of the unique unveiling.
Each fall, Deb Echo-Hawk gathers members of the Pawnee Nation for The Reveal, an intergenerational assembly hosted by the tribe s Pawnee Seed Preservation Project.
The gatherings are held to show off the latest harvest of corn, special to the Pawnee. As interest in the mother corn grows among Pawnee of all ages, Echo-Hawk believes she is fulfilling her mission.
Pawnee Seed Preservation Project in Oklahoma continues to grow
Oklahoman
In 2021, the Pawnee Seed Preservation Project continues to grow and capture the interest of people across the country and the globe.
Deb Echo-Hawk, the project s director who is known as the Keeper of the Corn, said a story in The Oklahoman that chronicled the project s mission drew attention from people in numerous other states, as well as outside the U.S.in places like Mexico and Africa.
She said COVID-19 put a pause on some elements of the preservation project, but she has hopes that will change over the summer.