GRAIN WORSHIP, CORN IDOLS + COLONIZATION⠀ ⠀ Most agrarian peoples made some form of talisman, weaving, poppet, idol, or “dolly” to honor the grain spirits. They would often be made from the last harvest and kept inside until it was time to sow seeds in the spring, sometimes from that very object. Corn dollies in England, Scotland, and Wales (my ancestral places) had names and objects associated with those regions. All grain was called "corn" but referred mostly to oats, barley and rye.⠀ ⠀ As Europeans fled to the so-called Americas or Turtle Island, settler-colonizers began to use #maize (a #Taino word) to create crafts such as corn husk dolls, of which my mid-western mom was a collector and is why I have such a soft spot for them.⠀ ⠀ This week's #WitchCrafts lesson orients this folk craft as part of an historical legacy of settlership and offers those who care for children a creative modality to work through this information with them in a way that is restorative and grief-literate.⠀ ⠀ After all, any magical endeavors using corn by European-ancestored peoples should rightly be contextualized as a lesson in grieving as well because our contact with it is a consequence of colonization and all the harm that went with it.⠀ ⠀ May right relationship with the human and more than human world be restored.⠀ ⠀ This lesson goes deeper into these themes and offers instruction on #corndollies for Patrons of mine starting at $20/month >>> patreon.com/rachaelrice (link in bio).⠀ ⠀ 100% of pledges that come in for this week are being donated to my local friend and comrade Alice Baca’s @life_as_ceremony BiAnnual Magazine – most recently translated into a Spanish language edition! I consider these printed pieces to be heirloom-quality gifts. Please consider purchasing a Volume or making a donation or to support platforming the visionary works from those most impacted by colonization. Thank you!⠀ ⠀ Corn dolly image by Elaine Lindsay https://www.instagram.com/p/CHbF3x9gLsV/?igshid=1suqwg0zn7xds
