Green Corn Ceremony facts for kids
The Green Corn Ceremony (also called Busk) is an important yearly celebration for many Native American groups. It happens when the corn crops are ready to be harvested. The name "Busk" came from white traders, who mispronounced the Creek word puskita, which means "a fast."
Historically, this ceremony was a "first fruits" rite. This means people would offer the first of the green corn to make sure the rest of the harvest would be good. These festivals were common among the Mississippian people and other tribes in the Eastern Woodlands and Southeastern tribes. Many Southeastern Woodland tribes still hold Green Corn festivals today. The ceremony usually takes place in late July or August, depending on when the corn ripens in each area. It includes dancing, feasting, fasting, and special religious practices.
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Traditions of the Ceremony
The Green Corn Ceremony is a celebration of many things, especially new beginnings. It is also known as the Great Peace Ceremony. People give thanks to Hsaketumese (The Breath Maker) for the first crops of the harvest. It is also seen as a New Year festival.
The Busk marks the start of a new year. In modern tribal towns and Stomp Dance groups, only certain ceremonial items, like the fire and cook fires, are replaced. People usually start gathering a weekend before the ceremony. They work, pray, dance, and fast until the main day. The whole festival can last about seven to eight days, including all the preparations. Without the preparations, it usually lasts about four days.
Day One: Setting Up and Feasting
On the first day, people set up their campsites on the special square ceremonial grounds. After this, there is a feast using the last of the previous year's crops. Then, all the men in the community begin to fast. (Historically, women had less involvement in this part of the ceremony.) That night, there is a social stomp dance, which is a unique dance for the Muscogee and other Southeastern cultures.
Day Two: Purification and Renewal
Before sunrise on the second day, four arbors (shelters made of branches) are set up. They are placed at the edges of the ceremonial grounds, pointing in the four sacred directions. For the first dance of the day, the women perform a Ribbon or Ladies Dance. They wear rattles and shells on their legs. They also use special sticks decorated with ribbons. This dance helps to purify the ceremonial ground for the renewal ceremony.
A new ceremonial fire is lit in the middle of four logs. These logs are laid out to point to the four directions. The Mico or Mekko (who is the Chief of the Ceremonial Grounds or Tribal Town) offers a small amount of the new crops. This includes not just corn, but also beans, squash, and wild plants. Some meat is also offered. These are given as "first-fruits" and to make up for any mistakes. A medicine man, called Heleshayv, lights and cares for this fire with special medicine. The fire will be kept burning until the next year's Green Corn Ceremony.
In older times, women would clean out their cook-fires and homes. They would gather any old dirt, clothing, and furniture to be burned. These items would then be replaced with new ones for the new year. The women would then take coals from the ceremonial fire to restart their home fires. They could then cook the new crops over this fire. Many Creeks also do sapi, which are ceremonial scratches, in the morning. In many tribes, men and women might rub corn milk, ash, or white clay on themselves and bathe to become pure.
They also drink a special medicine called passv, or the "White Drink." (English traders called it the "Black Drink" because it was dark but frothed white when shaken.) This White Drink, also known as Carolina Tea, is a mixture of several herbs. The main ingredient is assi-luputski, which is the Creek word for "small leaves" of Yaupon Holly. This medicine helps with purification. It helps to cleanse the body, especially when a lot is consumed. (Historically, only men drank enough to throw up.) This cleansing drink was meant to clean the body from last year's food and truly renew oneself for the new year.
Day Three: Men's Dance and Feasting
While the second day focuses on the women's dance, the third day is for the men. After the purification on the second day, the men perform the Feather Dance. This dance is meant to help heal the community.
The fasting usually ends at supper time. The women announce that the food is ready. Then, the men walk in a single line to a body of water, usually a flowing creek or river. They take a ceremonial dip in the water and have a private meeting. After this, they return to the ceremonial square and perform one Stomp Dance. Then, they go back to their camps for a big feast. During this time, those involved in the medicine rituals are not allowed to sleep as part of their fast. At midnight, another Stomp Dance ceremony is held. This includes more feasting and continues through the night.
Day Four: Friendship and Departure
On the fourth day, there are friendship dances at dawn and games. Later, people pack up their camps and go home. They feel purified and forgiven. Fasting from alcohol and open water continues for another four days.
What the Ceremony Means
Puskita, or the "Green Corn Ceremony," is the most important and joyful holiday for the traditional Muscogee people. It means not only the start of a new year's cycle, but also the renewal of the Muscogee spirit and traditions. It celebrates the return of summer, the ripening of the new corn, and the common Native American idea of renewing nature and farming.
Historically, in the Seminole tribe, 12-year-old boys were declared men at the Green Corn Ceremony. The chief would give them new names to mark their maturity.
Tribes That Participate
Several tribes still take part in these ceremonies every year. Tribes with a long history of this ceremony include the Yuchi, Iroquois, Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Natchez, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Miccosukee, Alabama, Hitchiti, Coushatta, Taskigi, and Seminole tribes. Each of these tribes might have their own unique dances and traditions. However, they all perform a new-year's ceremony that includes fasting and other similar practices each year.
