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When Corn Was Born
- University of Texas Press
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When Corn Was Born () when corn was born (Cuando nació el maíz) is a creation myth from Tenejapa , with similarities to other such myths throughout the Mayan world. The gods are unhappy that men and women happily crunching soft, edible pebbles, have forgotten them and are leading sinful lives. So with the aid of ants, they steal the Earth Lord’s corn. Finally, the Earth Lord, in his rich Ladino aspect, is convinced by the gods that man should plant corn. Because corn farming is so difficult, man will remember the gods, respect them, and seek their aid. In 2001, Ralph Lee slightly reduced the length of this play, renaming it the The Origin of Corn (El orígen del maíz), for performance by a Chicano cast in the La Jolla Playhouse and in many neighboring schools, where it was presented in both English and Chicano Spanish. The cast was astonished and initially upset when Ralph asked them to speak Spanish as they do among themselves, but later they were very pleased when they heard the loud applause of both teachers and students. The original play was still a favorite in Chiapas as of 2005. [ ] monkey business theatre cast of characters child 1: male, wearing red sleeveless shirt, gray pants, sandals child 2: male, wearing short-sleeved blue shirt, gray pants, sandals child 3: female, wearing Tenejapan clothes, barefoot child 4: female, wearing white Chamulan blouse, red sweater, black skirt, sandals grandmother: wearing white blouse, black woolen shawl, black skirt sky gods 1 and 2: wearing large masks, black shirts woman 1: wearing Tzeltal clothes, sandals woman 2: wearing Zinacantec clothes, no sandals, then wearing Chamulan clothes woman 3: wearing red hat, red blouse and skirt, shoes pedro: wearing Chamulan white neckerchief with red tassels wrapped around head, white shirt, white wool tunic, white pants, belt neighbor 1 (cristóbal): wearing white shirt, white Chamulan wool tunic, black pants, shoes neighbor 2: wearing Zinacantec tunic, black pants, sandals neighbor 3: wearing white shirt, long white pants, sandals toad: with mask, brown spotted shirt, black pants, sandals earth lord: wearing charro hat, white shirt, red jacket, black pants, shoes ants 1, 2 and 3 (puppets) scorpion: wearing orange hooded suit, blue pants, sandals (Four children stand in the yard of a Mayan farmer’s house in Chiapas, Mexico.) child 1: Oh, come on! Let’s play ball! child 2: Yes! Let’s play basketball! (They begin to play, tossing the ball back and forth.) Oh, throw it to me! child 1: Now it’s my turn! child 3: Come on, throw it to me! I want to play, too! (One of them keeps the ball and the others chase him and pull him down on top of an ant nest. They pile on top of each other and then jump up, shouting.) child 2: Ow, something’s stinging me! child 1: Me, too! [3.236.226.100] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:02 GMT) when corn was born [ ] child 3: They must be fleas! (They rub their arms and legs where they feel the bites.) child 1: No, no, look, they’re ants! child 2: Let’s kill them by jumping on them. We’ll be planes! (They start dancing about and gliding like planes, stamping their feet, pretending to bomb the ants as they fly over them like bombers. Suddenly Grandmother comes out of the house and calls to the children.) grandmother: Children, what are you doing here? Why are you making so much noise? Oh, you’re killing the ants! Please don’t kill them! child 2: But they stung us, Grandmother! grandmother: It was because you ruined their house, that’s why they stung you! But come over here, I’m going to tell you a story that my grandfather told me! (They sit in a circle around Grandmother.) children: Oh, good! child 2: Wouldn’t the story about Wolfman be better? child 1: No! Tell us about Batman! grandmother: No, children, I’m going to tell you about something much nicer than that. I’ll tell you a tale that reminds us how corn was born for all mankind!Payattention!Longago,peopledidn’tworktogettheirfood.They ate soft stones. All they had to do was to pick them up off the ground. children: Stones? grandmother: Yes, stones, but they tasted good! People just multiplied, and the gods saw that the stones were running out. (Sky Gods 1 and 2 appear. Grandmother shows them to the...