Song

1

In readiness of mind to the field we go,
Where we footprints made, there stately jointed stalks grow. 
Loud rustle the long leaves, bright the tassels wave o’er each row.

Refrain:  Ah hey hey hey they,
              Ah hey hey they,
            Ah hey hey hey they,
              Ah hey hey they,
                Ah hey they.

[Music]

The steps of the dancers must be in rhythm with the song and all movements should indicate a feeling of assurance.  When the “field” is reached certain motions of the feet should suggest a memory of the “footprints.”  The “field” is now covered by rows of tall cornstalks; therefore, when the “field” is reached the dancers should move in parallel lines, as if they were passing between these rows.  Some lines should cross at right angles, giving the effect of walking between high barriers, along pathways that intersect each other at right angles.  When the dancers pass along these alleys, so to speak, movements should be made to indicate brushing against or pushing out of the way the “long rustling leaves” of the corn, and to point to the “waving tassels” far above their heads.  This pantomime, with its rhythmic movements suggesting long lines of cornstalks, the brushing aside with the hands of the long leaves of the stalks, should make an effective picture.

2

Strongly the ears shoot out, fill’d with golden grain,
Up into the full light, life flowing in each vein,
Sacred the corn now stands ready to give its strength full fain.

Refrain:  Ah hey hey hey they,
              Ah hey hey they,
            Ah hey hey hey they,
              Ah hey hey they,
                Ah hey they.

The length of the original Ritual Song, together with the picturesque quality of the native language, permits the bringing out in full detail of this scene of the cornfield:  the ears standing at angles from the stalk, and the husks full of kernels replete with life-giving power.  Because of this power the corn has now “become sacred,” filled with life from Wakon’da, thereby related to that great power and through it linked to the life of mankind.  The idea of this unity throughout all nature, including man, is fundamental to Indian thought and belief.  It is expressed in all his religious ceremonies and also in his vocations, both serious and playful.  In the present instance it appeals to him through the planting, the growth, the maturing and the use of the corn, giving its life to man.

To convey the picture of the cornfield, and to suggest the thoughts that imbue the scene as expressed in the native rituals, will require some study, but the effort will be well worth while.  These thoughts were vital upon this continent centuries before the land became our home.  The maize in all its richness and beauty has become ours to enjoy, and while we accept this gift let us not fail to catch and to hold the lingering vibrations of its native teaching that aimed to lift the thoughts of the worker in the cornfield to the Great Giver of Life and Beauty.