Selu (Corn Mother) and the Deer a tale Sumitted By Bawaajige Ikwe The story of Selu the Corn Mother and the Deer as the Animal representative of her are told to help us learn and personalize many of the facts in the sharings of her stories. Give and take is the principle point that it all comes to. The perfect balance and harmony. We need to see the generosity in the stories of the Deer and Selu. We need to be aware of the manner of man and how we continue to try and avoid this principal. Our generation is put to the task of dealing with all the generations of greed and insensitivity that man has evolved to. The story of Selu and the Deer help us as a people to keep our perspectives clear on the matter. Giving back is the natural order of balance; to consciously know that it works and must be maintained and no one is exempt from the principle. The old ones tell us that in the First World, Selu came with us into the Circle of Life. And as we began to move away from the Balance and Harmony of Life, we did not know her. In the last world, Selu lived with her two Grandsons in the Mountains. She was old and very wise. She sang and made the world around her very beautiful. One day, Selu watched her grandsons preparing to hunt. She thought of the days long ago when Man and the Creatures of the Forest all spoke a common language and understood each other. There was respect for all Life. It was a world of peace and happiness. There was abundance and respect. All was appreciated. Man sat in the Circle of Wisdom Keepers and was honored and loved by all. It was a good time in the Earth Mother for all Creation. Man began to have greed. The balance was lost. She remembered the Great Council of the last world where the animals had determined not to allow man to kill them all off as his hunting game. That his relentless hunger was a threat to their cycles of life. Man over-hunted and killed too many Relations in the food chain. Many, such as the Deer, put forth a punishment to all who would eat their flesh. And this was the first disease of man. And thus came Nuwati, medicine. Selu remembered how terrible it was for the animals in the forest when they could smell man and knew he had come to kill them. Selu's heart was heavy, It was a long time ago, she thought. It is time to begin again and seek the harmony and regain the balance. Man needs to return to the Wisdom Fires Above. Man needs to be honorable. Creator combined all the Creations into Mankind. Man holds all the patterns of principles within his body, mind and spirit. Selu saw how the Great Spirit had given man all the gifts and how man had lost them with all his greed. Selu saw her grandsons loading up the weapons for the kill. She knew there was more than enough food in their home to feed everyone. Hope leapt forth in her heart as she had an idea. She went to her grandson and spoke, "You are going out today?" The oldest replied, "Yes, we prepare to hunt." Selu said, "We have so much already. Let me cook you a wonderful dinner!" The younger grandson answered, "No, we must hunt. We are hunters. We will bring you many Wild Turkeys." Selu tried again, "But we have many Turkeys already and I will make you Corn and you will feel full and not have the need to hunt." The grandsons continued to get ready to hunt. "We will be back by evening and you will see, we will bring you fresh meat." Selu wished them well and asked them to respect all, and show appreciation to the animals. The grandsons laughed and went into the forest. Selu cooked and made a meal that tempted all who had senses to smell and eat. She sang and blessed the meal with her love. She waited. Soon her grandsons came into the clearing around their home. They had smelled the wonderful meal for miles and were happy to see it came from their home. Selu was happy to see them, and as she put the feast upon the table, she saw they had killed a boar pig. They ate and could not say enough about how delicious the meal was and how good it was to have the corn stuffing and spices, with the Turkeys. Again she said to them, "See, we have so much to eat, we do not need to kill the animals." They said they were tired and needed to sleep, so they could get up early and be out before the deer. Selu listened and she asked them again how they liked the food she had made. They told her they loved the food and never had they eaten so much and tasted anything as good as the corn. They asked her where she had gotten the corn, and she did not answer. She was happy they loved the meal and was planning the feast for the next day. She sang as the night moved over the lands, "Soo Looo, Sooo Looooo, Soooo Loooooo, Sai." Her grandsons dreamed of bread made of corn and honey. The next morning, very early, they were up and went for their weapons. She watched. She went to them again and said, "We have so much left from yesterday, and a fresh boar from the hunt also, we have so much. Do you really have to go hunting?" "Yes," they said, "we are hunters. Today we will bring you a big deer." Selu looked at her grandsons. She loved them very much and she knew they loved her also. She would try again. They went to hunt and she cooked. The meal was even more wonderful than the day before. The smells went throughout the forest. Everyone knew Selu was cooking a feast. Her grandsons smelled the sweetness of corn while they were hunting. They remembered the taste, and that they had never tasted anything that good ever before. Selu was smiling. As evening came, the grandsons came home with their kill. It was a fine deer. They were very good hunters, the kill had been quick and the deer did not suffer. For this, Selu appreciated the skill of her grandsons. They followed the wonderful smells of corn and sat down to a feast like none ever before. They could not tell Selu how much they loved the food, because there were not enough words to describe it all. So they gave her the deer as their token of gratitude. She knew it was an honorable act to them. She thanked them and took the deer. After dark, she returned it to the forest. All were happy. Selu sang her song as the Men drifted into dreams of laughter and play. In the dreams, they saw their grandmother as a beautiful young woman, more beautiful then any they had seen. She sang throughout the night. They awakened early and felt so good. They felt strong and youthful again. They were laughing and felt playful as they were children. The Sun came up in glorious colors. As they prepared to hunt, they realized they were not in such a hurry to go to the forest and hunt. They asked Selu to make them breakfast, and she did. Fried corn mush and sweet honey. As they ate, it tasted so good they ate more than they needed and were so full, they needed to nap. They noticed that Selu looked younger, and was so happy, she sang and sang. The Sun was high by the time they were ready to go hunt. As they were leaving, Selu asked them not to go, "We have so much food now, more than we will ever be able to eat. I will feed you. I can cook everyday and you can do many things to help," "No", they said, "We must go hunt, we are hunters. Today we will hunt Turkeys." Selu watched as they left to go hunt and called out after them to remember to appreciate the animals. She was happy and began to prepare the meal for today. While out on the hunt, the youngest brother said to the older one, where does Selu get this corn that she is cooking? Do you know where it comes from?" The older brother said he didn't and that it did not matter to him. It was delicious and Selu would only feed them what was good, that was what he knew. All that day, the young man thought about the corn. As evening came, they returned home with the wild turkeys, the smells of the feast drawing them home. They were eager to sit down and again eat the delicious corn of Selu's feast. They told her how much they loved how she prepared their meal and how beautiful she was and how happy the home was because of her beauty and grace. She beamed as a light and they were in awe of her. She sang to them and they drifted into wonderful dreams and a sleep as peaceful as ever they could remember. They dreamed of happy days and abundance for everyone. The world was more beautiful than ever. They heard the animals speak and they heard the wingeds singing and they felt in right relation to all life. The dreams were of heaven. They awakened to the soft humming of Selu as she prepared the breakfast, of grits and butter, with sweet maple syrup. Selu looked even younger and happier than yesterday. The younger grandson was very curious and kept asking Selu where she got the corn. She would smile and say, "I make the corn, it is my gift to my Grandchildren. Another time she answered, "I am the corn." He was not satisfied and he began to annoy the older brother with his questions. "Let us go hunt and stop all these questions now. She told you she makes the corn and that is enough for me. It is good and I love it." Selu beamed her heart upon her oldest Grandson and he felt her love. It gave peace to have her in his home. The younger brother was not satisfied. He said, " Yes, it is good, and yes, I have never had anything better, but I want to know where it comes from, and I will find out." Off they went to hunt and Selu sang as she cleaned and cared for the home and land. She gave appreciation for all the relations and sang to them all. While the men were hunting, the younger brother kept insisting that they needed to know where she gets the corn. The older brother ask him why and he said he just must know. "Are we not happier than ever before? Can you ask for more? Just be thankful and happy she has given this to us, and how fortunate we are to have her." The young man could not accept this, and said I will go watch and see where she goes and gets this corn. He left the older brother and sneaked back home to spy on Selu. He watched her take a huge basket and go to the root cellar. There he watched her through a small hole as she stood in the basket and slapped her sides. Each time she slapped her sides, corn would fall into the basket. She continued until her basket was filled to the top. He was terrified and ran to find his brother in the forest hunting. Selu gave some of the corn pollen to the bees for honey and to the Earth for some tasty roots and herbs and salad greens. She fed corn pollen to the birds for singing as she worked and was generous to all the relations. Everyone was happy and the world was a beauty place. She cooked for her Grandsons and sang of beauty and happiness. The Grandson ran back to the older brother and said what he saw and that the corn was Selu's body. The older brother was heavy in his heart. And he said to his brother, "If what you say is true, then it is an unsavory thing we do. We cannot eat our Grandmother. How is this that she can make her body turn to corn? This is strange and unsafe and not of this world. Something is not good here and I cannot understand this thing. We must be careful, something has taken our Grandmother." It grew dark and they started home. The smell was so tempting and they could feel their stomachs ache for the corn. They heard music all around their lands and Selu singing. Their hearts were in pain as they knew they feared her for all she was. At dinner, she heaped up their plates with all the delicious things of the lands and watched as they picked at it and ate little or nothing. She grew sad as she watched and realized they knew what they could not live with and know. The Knowledge was too much for them and it had destroyed the balance between them and the world. Selu asked them, "Do you not love me? Have I not given you all of myself? Have you not felt the peace and happiness in my Life with you? What would you ask of me?" As she spoke, Selu grew very old and became very ill and her life began to leave her body. The Earth grew cold and all was silent. A long night fell upon the Forest and the Grandsons cried for what had happened. The youngest was unhappy for his loss and asked for forgiveness. Selu asked them to come to her side and listen well. "I have much to tell you," she said, "and we have but a little time now as I am. I am as old as the soil, and first man. I am the Corn. I was given to you as your substances and as Abundance, Happiness, Health and Peace. I Am Selu, I Am the Corn Mother." She told them to take her form when she passed over to pure Spirit, place it in the soil, and make a circle around it. "I will return to you in a cycle as a plant, that grows tall and strong. I will have golden hair at the top, and I will have ears of golden seeds at my sides that will also have hair. When it turns brown, you will pick it, and peel back its sweet leaves and dry the seeds. There will be seven ears of the corn. Do not eat them, use all of them as seeds. When the spring comes, make mounds as the woman in her birthing place, and make a planting stick as your own seed planter is shaped and insert it into the mounds you cultivate and place two seeds in each hole. Go to the Old River Man and ask his children the fish, to come and bring the Water Spirits to the land, so the corn can grow. Place a fish in each hole and add the seeds. This corn you will not eat. You will use as offerings and seeds for the sacred ways of the Land and Waters." Selu told them many things to make Life good again. She told them when to plant and how to speak and hear the Moon. She told them to sing and dance and what the Ancients had given us. She told them she loved them and that they were to keep well and safe. She was given to show us how to keep the joy of life and to maintain the balance. The wisdom was much and the Grandsons were happy that Selu was their Grandmother and that her love lived in all things. When she passed to Spirit to wait for her return, they would not hunt unless they were nearly starving and they did as she had instructed. They became wise. When the Spring came after Selu had passed, the youngest brother went for a wife. When he came home, his wife was given the Wisdom of Selu, and she had memory of the Old One's Ways and they planted and harvested the corn as was given them and happiness was with their children. Selu says to us to come home and open to the Wisdoms of the First World Ojilaka Zicahota