These found poems are drawn from interviews with elderly citizens of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation recorded in 1937-38 as part of the Indian-Pioneer History Project sponsored by the federal Works Progress Administration and archived at the Oklahoma Historical Society and the University of Oklahoma. You can read more about this project at Tribal College and Reckoning. —Eds.
the green corn dance is
a harvest celebration
handed down from
generation to generation
it is usually held
in the summer during
the harvest of corn
a person must not eat corn
until he has celebrated
or he will get sick
the date is set to clean
the cuko rakko big house
dance ground
on the date set
they gather and sweep
the whole dancing ground
which is a circle about
thirty feet in diameter
the ashes where the fire
was built during past year
is swept up and cleaned
the campers moved in
day before the celebration
•
the first day the men drink
red root mēkko hoyvnēcv
and sit under the arbors
they drink red root and
vomit all day to clean out
the system that is before
eating the corn and the
women drink the red root and
vomit or some just wash
their faces with it
in doing this they
turn toward the east
to vomit easier
during the afternoon
the medicine man starts
scratching every man
who participates with
an animals tooth or a needle
on the forearm four times
skin deep so it will bleed
during the evening
a fire is built by a picked
man who had taken part in the
occasion
when the fire is built
they look on then that man
picks up the coals and
hands them to the women
to build the fires in
the camp houses
four ears of roasting corn
are laid on the fire pointing
north east south and west
for feeding the fire or
celebrating
then the men who
drank medicine all day
goes to the river to swim or
wash the impurities from
their bodies
after the bath
they come in and eat
•
the men dance and
the women also dance
turtle shells are used by
the women in the dance
a crock of red root is
set aside for the visitors
to drink or wash their faces
the dance is all through
the night the fire is kept
up different leaders lead
the dance it is a pleasure
and enjoyment all night and
play ball next day
Charlie Snakeya, b. 1907
