This ceramic ear of corn emphasizes the singular importance of corn to the Hopi people. Archaeologists say that cultivated corn was carried from Mexico into the American Southwest about 4,000 years ago and became the staple food crop through adaptive breeding. According to Hopi origin stories, corn was a gift from Maasawu, the Earth deity, as he greeted people on their emergence into this world.


Clay, mineral paint, corn husk (Zea mays); L 46.5 x D 5.5 cm; 36078-1