Ku Kuru Wemari
(Teaching Mourning Dove)
A Huichol Indian Legend
As told by Norma Jai'chima

	A long time ago when the earth was a more peaceful place to live, there
lived three Corn Sisters. They were Yellow Corn Sister, Red Corn Sister and
Blue Corn Sister. One of their special relations was Ku Kuru Wemari (whom
you may know by the name of Mourning Dove). The 3 sisters had a great love
for Ku Kuru Wemari because she would often help them by flying down from her
perch in the tree to pick up one of their corn kernels and carry it to a far
away place. In this way Ku Kuru Wemari helped to make the corn family
strong and plentiful, as the kernels she dropped often would find a fertile
spot in the earth's womb to grow. The three sisters also enjoyed the
soothing sound of Ku Kuru Wemari's song.

	At one time there was much trouble within the corn family. The 3 sisters
were constantly aruguing and bickering. Yellow Corn Sister was especially
unhappy. Blue Corn Sister and Red Corn Sister were not doing their work in
the proper way. Red Corn Sister was angry about having to work so that she
always spoke to the earth and to her planets in a rude and hurried way.
Blue Corn Sister was slow and lazy, she would always shuck corn in a very
sloppy, slow way. Both Red and Blue Corn Sisters never finished their work
and would run off to play, demanding that Yellow Corn Sister not only do her
own work but also finish theirs. This made Yellow Corn Sister very angry
that she had to do all the work, and very sad that she seldom had any time
to play with her sisters.

	One day Yellow Corn Sister became so upset that she stopped her planting in
the field and simply sat down and cried. She cried and cried. The sound of
her tearful song reached the caring ears of Ku Kuru Wemari, who was very
wise concerning the ways of sadness. (Perhaps that is why she is known to
you as the mourning dove?) Ku Kuru Wemari called gently down to her corn
sister, "Ku kuru, Kukuru...what is troubling your heart so, my friend?"
Yellow Corn Sister was so surprised to hear the beautiful voice of Ku Kuru
Wemari speaking to her that she forgot her sadness and anger for a moment.
Yellow Corn Sister looked up and answered, "Oh, Ku Kuru Wemari I am very
angry with my sisters Blue and Red Corn. They refuse to take proper care of
our family. I must do my own work and theirs also. Then I am very sad as I
must work while they enjoy themselves playing.

	Ku Kuru Wemari listened carefully. Then she said, "Do you keep to the
proper way of speaking to the earth? Do you prepare the earth in the Old
Ways? Are you singing to the corn spirit as it grows and as you harvest and
use the corn? Do you thank the grandmothers for the beauty of the colorful
gift of the corn we are given?"

	Yellow corn sister thought for a long while. Then she answered very
truthfully, "Yes. I have learned well from my ancestors and with all my
heart I do everything I can to follow the proper ways of respect, harmony
and beauty with grandmother earth and our corn family."
Ku Kuru Wemari looked deeply into the heart of Yellow Corn Sister. "I know
you speak the truth, yet I see you have been sitting here crying. As you
have been crying all the water of your tears has been drowning the corn
kernel that you just planted. The salt of your tears has been harsh to the
kernel's shell. Have you not noticed that it is also the same way with your
corn sisters? You know the proper ways of treating the earth, you have
learned well from the earth and from your ancestors. Yet you have been
drowning your power to teach your sisters in your sadness. Your anger has
brought harshness into your relationship with your sisters. If you choose,
listen to my words, leave your sadness and anger behind you. Let it return
to the earth. In this way you can begin to grow a new relationship with
your sisters that comes from the rich source of our mother, the earth.
Together you can all enjoy the colorful gift of corn that our mother has
given to us." Ku Kuru Wemari then flew off on her graceful wings.
Ku Kuru Wemari's teaching sang brightly into Yellow Corn Sister's heart. It
was a medicine dream planted in her soul that would grow, strengthening her
compassion and understanding.

	Yellow Corn Sister ran back to tell her sisters all about it. Red Corn
Sister and Blue Corn Sister were very busy playing. Yellow Corn Sister ran
to them in her excitement and began almost breathlessly, "Sisters, I have
been speaking with Ku Kuru Wemari." Red Corn Sister interrupted her in her
usual rude manner. "You have not, you are telling foolish stories." Blue
Corn Sister also teased her, "You must have fallen asleep in your laziness
and had a silly dream."

	Yellow corn sister felt the old sadness and anger beginning to drown her
again, but somehow Ku Kuru Wemari's medicine teaching renewed her strength
to go on. She spoke again with renewed strength, "Please listen to me my
sisters, for Ku Kuru Wemari has spoken to me and given me a teaching gift
that I wish to share with you so that we can restore cooperation, balance
and beauty back into our corn family. My sisters, we can talk and bring
back more cooperation as we learn from one another to work and play
together."

	After a short time Yellow Corn Sister's loving insistence began to open the
hearts of Red and Blue Corn Sisters. Slowly they began to learn from one
another. They started to truly cooperate both in work and in play. This
brought much joy into the corn family and made Ku Kuru Wemari very glad.
When it came time for the harvest that year the Corn Sisters had a wonderful
surprise in store for them. They each sat singing and shucking their own
color of corn. Then suddenly they all stopped as they began to shcuk the
enxt corn ear. "Look!" they all shouted at once. They all were holding an
ear of corn that had yellow, red and blue kernels on the same ear. They
understood that this was a sign from their friend Ku Kuru Wemari and our
mother the Earth to remind the sisters of the beauty of cooperation and
following the ways of harmony.

	Perhaps the next time your eyes see the beauty of multicolored corn or when
you hear the harmonious song of Ku Kuru Wemari, you can remember the beauty
of cooperation in your own life.

 

Indios Huichol
P.O. Box 30788
Phoenix, Arizona 85046 To Mark T. Gray

Many thanks to Mark T. Gray for sharing this story with us.
Click here for more information about the Huichol People

Huichol Graphics and picture courtesy of
The Huichol Center For Cultural Survival And Traditional Arts

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