The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

ecause for them corn holds the essence of earth and conveys the
power of earth to the people. Corn connects us to the heart of
power, and that heart is Iyatiku, who under the guidance of
Thought Woman directs the people in their affairs.
It is likely that the power embodied in the Irriaku (Corn
Mother) is the power of dream, for dream connections play an
important part in the ritual of life of the Pueblos as of other
tribes of the Americas. As the frightening katsina, K’oo’ko, can
haunt the dreams of uncleansed warriors and thus endanger
everything, the power that moves between the material and
nonmaterial worlds often does so in dreams. The place when
certain dreams or ceremonies occur is said to be in “time
immemorial.” And the point where the two meet is Shipap,
where Earth Woman lives. Corn, like many of its power
counterparts is responsible for maintaining linkage between the
worlds, and Corn Mother, Irriaku, is the most powerful element
in that link. John Gunn describes the Irriaku as “an ear of corn
perfect in every grain, the plume is a feather from every known
bird.” 19
This representative of Iyatiku is an individual’s link and the
ceremonial link to medicine power. Of similar power is the
Sacred Pipe that White Buffalo Woman brought to the Lakota.
This pipe is called wakan, which means “sacred” or possessing
power.
The concept of power among tribal people is related to their
understanding of the relationships that occur between the human
and nonhuman worlds. They believe that all are linked within
one vast, living sphere, that the linkage is not material but
spiritual, and that its essence is the power that enables magical
things to happen. Among these magical things are transformation
of objects from one form to another, the movement of objects
from one place to another by teleportation, the curing of the sick
(and conversely creating sickness in people, animals, or plants),