Onatah

spirit · United States · North America

Onatah is the corn spirit of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), one of the Three Sisters who sustain the people with the bean and squash spirits. A jealous rival, sometimes named Tawiscara, kidnapped her and hid her underground, bringing famine until her sisters freed her. The three crops are still planted together, a living lesson in cooperation.

Open in the interactive archive →