The Power of Nostalgia and the Legacy of Germination Mother Corn

By Ramon Shiloh

The motivation behind why we hold on to inanimate objects that keep us safe or give us hope is often rooted in nostalgia. These objects remind us of the innocence we once had and help us understand what we've lost over time. For example, a figurine I have traveled with since I was a teenager—a kachina—has become a symbol of my innocence and an anchor to my past. This kachina also represents my journey of progress as I travel, teaching my food knowledge and artistic expressions to Native youth across the country. The significance of this kachina in my life is tied to a rich history filled with both sadness and inspiration, which I would like to share with you.

My mother’s work in Native American politics was crucial for many Native American voices in the early 1980s in the Bay Area. She hosted three radio shows in Cupertino, CA, on KKUP (Public Radio) from 1981 until her death in 1992. As a minority woman who juggled high-tech responsibilities as a technical writer and fought divisions around Native American politics, her platform gave a voice to the voiceless of that time.

In the summer of 1986, my mother was asked to participate in documenting an uprising where authorities attempted to forcibly relocate 11,000 Diné (Navajo) people from Big Mountain, Arizona, around the time of Sundance on July 3-6. Despite the government's efforts, including harassment and legal maneuvers to access mineral deposits, the Diné, led by traditional women elders, successfully resisted. They knew that removal from their lands would mean the end of their culture and way of life. Relocation meant genocide. During Sundance, this resistance became a powerful sovereignty moment in history.

Three hundred militant Diné underscored their determination to stay at Big Mountain by marching on the proposed eviction day to a barbed-wire fence marking the “boundary” between the Navajo and Hopi tribes and cutting it. I was there to witness this event at the age of 16. It was a frightening time to see such resistance to land politics.

On our way to Big Mountain, my mother and I traveled to the City of Polacca, an unincorporated community in Navajo County, northeastern Arizona, home to the Hopi-Tewa community on the Hopi Reservation. We met woodcarver Augustine Komalestewa, a Hopi (Tewa) woman who lived at First Mesa, Polacca. My mother had heard about her carvings from an old woman she interviewed on one of her radio shows and decided to make this trip count by visiting Augustine before the Big Mountain encounter. My mother, who was a big supporter of Native art, took a liking to one of Augustine’s figurines and asked if any of her work was for sale. Most of her carvings were not, but she pulled one of the pieces she had just finished off the shelf and handed it to my mother. Augustine told her this was Germination Mother Corn, which was a rare treat to purchase a carving that came with a name since naming a figurine was considered forbidden until Hopi artists decided to share some of their Katsina carvings and spiritual traditions with the outside world. My mother and I enjoyed spending time with her, taking in the sights of First Mesa’s Walpi Village – Mo’ti kitsoqi (the first village).

Germination Mother Corn became our symbol of resilience and an expression of the nutritional values of the heart, mind, and spirit for our people. In my mother’s travels from 1986 through 1992, Germination Mother Corn accompanied her to over four hundred lectures, naming ceremonies, spiritual retreats, and Sundances. After my mother’s passing in 1992, I took it upon myself to keep the heart of Germination Mother Corn’s travels alive. She provides me with many lessons through our experiences together. She supports me through my food, art journey, and storytelling functions. All the meaningful travels and important engagements we did together took a pause when we heard her creator, Augustine Komalestewa, passed away in 2007. We wept and decided to honor Augustine’s memory as well in future travels.

Germination Mother Corn won the 2017 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Young Readers category and the 2018 Historical Society of New Mexico Pablita Velarde Award for an outstanding children’s publication related to New Mexico or Southwest borderlands history from the book “The Corn Whisperer,” illustrated by me, did an event with Esperanza Spalding, hung out with Crystal Wahpepah, partnered with Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and featured on PBS to name a few.

I’m honored to carry Corn Maiden with me. She humbles me, makes me reflect, and tells me what to do from time to time. Her journey was created from love, hardship, hope, and political restraints. After I pass on, who knows where she’ll call home. My hope is she’ll be safe, weaving stories as the elders would say.