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His children were too young to give him much help. But he was a good man
with a kind and contented disposition. He always was thankful to Chief
of the Sky Spirits for everything he received to share with his family.
His good disposition was inherited by his eldest son, who had just
reached the age when he wanted to pursue his Guardian Spirit Quest. Each
young Indian boy looked forward to the time of finding the secret Spirit
that would be his guide through his life. Each boy sought to learn his
spirit name and what special power would be given him by his Guardian
Spirit.
Eldest son had been obedient since early childhood. He seemed pensive,
thoughtful of others, mild in manner, and always a joy to his family and
to his tribe. At the first indication of spring, tradition told him to
build a hut somewhere in an isolated place. There, he would not be
disturbed during his dream quest. He prepared his hut and himself and
went immediately to begin his fast for seven days.
For the first few days, he amused himself walking in the woods and over
the mountain trails. He examined trees, plants, and flowers. This kind
of physical effort in the outdoors prepared him for a night of sound
sleep. His observations of the day filled his mind with pleasant ideas
and dreams.
More and more he desired to know how the trees, plants, flowers, and
berries grew. Seemingly they grew wild without much help from the
Indians. He wondered why some species were good to eat, while others
contained poisonous juices. These thoughts came back to him many times
as he retreated to his lodge at night. He secretly wished for a dream
that would reveal what he could do to benefit his family and his tribe.
"I believe the Chief of Sky Spirits guides all things and it is to him I
owe all things," he thought to himself. "I wonder if Chief Sky Spirit
can make it easier for all Indians to acquire enough food without
hunting animals every day to eat."
"I must try to find a way in my dreams," he pondered. He stayed on his
bed the third day of fasting, because he felt weak and faint. Sometimes
he thought that he was going to die. He dreamed that he saw a strong,
handsome young man coming down from the sky, advancing toward him. He
was richly dressed in green and yellow colors. He wore a plume of waving
feathers on his head. His every movement was graceful.
"I have been sent to you," said the sky-visitor. "The Sky Chief who made
all things in the sky and upon the earth intends for me to be your
Guardian Spirit and I have come to test you.
"Sky Chief has observed all that you have done to prepare yourself for
your Quest. He understands the kind and worthy secret wish of your
heart. He knows that you desire a way to benefit your family and your
tribe. He is pleased that you do not seek strength to make war. I have
come to show you how to obtain your greatest wish. First, your spirit
name shall be Wunzh."
The stranger then told Wunzh to arise and wrestle with him. This was the
only way for him to achieve his sacred wish. As weak as he was from
fasting, Wunzh wondered how he could ever wrestle the stranger.
He rose to the challenge--determined in his heart to die in the effort
if he must. The two wrestled. After some time when Wunzh felt nearly
exhausted, the Sky Stranger said, "It is enough for today. I will come
in tomorrow to test you some more." Smiling, the visitor ascended in the
same direction from which he came.
Next day at the same time, the stranger appeared. Again the two
wrestled. While Wunzh felt weaker than the day before, he set his mind
and heart to his task. His courage seemed to increase, however, in
reverse proportion to his waning physical strength. The stranger stopped
just in time before Wunzh dropped to the ground.
"Tomorrow will be your last chance. I urge you to be strong, my friend,
as this is the only way for you to achieve your heart's sacred wish,"
said the sky-visitor.
Wunzh took to his bed with his last ounce of energy. He prayed to the
Sky Chief for wisdom and enough strength to endure to the end of his
Quest.
The third time they wrestled, Wunzh was so weak that his arms and legs
felt like rubber. But his inner determination drove him forward with the
kind of endurance necessary to win. The same length of time passed as in
the first two wrestling bouts. Suddenly the stranger stopped and
declared himself conquered by Wunzh!
Then the sky-visitor entered the lodge for the first time. He sat down
beside Wunzh to instruct him in the way he should now proceed to achieve
his secret wish.
"Great Sky Chief has granted your desire. You have wrestled manfully.
Tomorrow will be your seventh day of fasting. Your father will come to
see you and bring you food. As it is the last day of your fast, you will
be able to succeed.
"Now I will tell you what you must do to achieve your final victory.
Tomorrow we will wrestle once more. When you have prevailed over me for
the last time, then throw me down and strip off my clothes. You must
clean the earth of roots and weeds and make the ground soft. Then bury
me in that very spot, covering me with my yellow and green clothes and
then with earth.
"When you have done this, leave my body in the earth. Do not disturb it.
Come occasionally to see if I have come to life. Be careful to see that
no grass or weeds cover my grave. Once a month, cover me with fresh
earth. If you follow what I have told you, you will succeed in your
Guardian Spirit Quest. You will help your family and all the Indians by
teaching them what I have now taught you," the Sky Stranger concluded as
they shook hands and the visitor left.
On the seventh morning, Wunzh's father came with some food.
"My son, how do you feel_ You have fasted long enough. It is seven days
since you have eaten food. You must not sacrifice your life. The Great
Spirit does not require that of you."
"My father, thank you for coming and for the food. Let me stay here
alone until the sun goes down. I have my own special reasons."
"Very well. I shall wait for you at home until the hour of the setting
sun," replied the father as he departed.
The Sky Stranger returned at the same hour as before. The final
wrestling match began. Wunzh had not eaten the food his father brought.
But already he felt a new inner power that had somehow been given to
him. Was it Spirit Power from his Guardian Spirit_
Wunzh grhtmled his opponent with supernatural strength and threw him to
the ground. Wunzh removed the beautiful clothes and the plume. Then he
discovered his friend was dead.
He remembered the instructions in every detail and buried his Guardian
Spirit on the very spot where he had fallen. Wunzh followed every
direction minutely, believing his friend would come to life again,
Wunzh returned to his father's lodge at sundown. He ate sparingly of the
meal his mother prepared for him. Never for a moment could he forget the
grave of his friend. Throughout the spring and into summer he visited
the grave regularly. He carefully kept the area clean of grass and
weeds. He carefully kept the ground soft and pliable. Soon he saw the
tops of green plumes emerging through the earth. He noticed that the
more care he gave the plants, the faster the green plumes seemed to
grow.
Wunzh concealed his activity from his father. Days and weeks passed.
Summer was drawing to a close. Then one day, Wunzh invited his father to
follow him to the site of his Quest. He showed his father the
graceful-looking plants growing there. They were topped with yellow
silken hair and waving green plumes. Gold and green clusters of fruit
adorned each side of the stalks.
"Father, these plants are from my dream friend," explained Wunzh. "He is
my Guardian Spirit, a friend to all mankind, named Mon-daw-min, meaning
'corn for all Indians.' This is the answer to my Quest, my secret
heart's wish. No longer will we need to hunt animals every day for our
food. As long as we take care of our corn gift, the earth will give us
good food for our living."
Wunzh pulled off the first ear of corn and give it to his father.
"See, my father. This corn is what I fasted for. The Chief of Sky
Spirits has granted my Quest. He has sent us this wonderful new food of
corn. From now on our people need not depend entirely upon hunting and
fishing to survive."
Wunzh talked with his father, giving him all of the instructions he had
received from his Guardian Spirit. He showed his father how the corn
husks should be pulled off the stalks, and how the first seed must be
saved for future plantings. He explained how the ears of corn should be
held before the fire only long enough for the outer leaves to turn
brown, so that the inside kernels remained sweet and juicy.
The entire family gathered for Wunzh's feast of corn. The father led a
prayer of thanksgiving for the bountiful and good gift from the Chief of
Sky Spirits. Wunzh felt happy that his Guardian Spirit Quest was
successfully completed.
This is how Wunzh became known as the father of Indian corn by the
Chippewa and Ojibwa Indian tribes.
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