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The
Ants
The Zunis tell a myth about when
there was a great drought. The
People were very hungry. The
Ant People who lived in Kivas
under the ground, invited the
hungry people into their Kiva
home and fed them the stored corn.
They shared what they had, but as
they were gracious hosts, they
deprived themselves of food
tightening their belts up to keep
their clothing from falling off.
Their waists got smaller and
smaller and the belts tighter and
tighter. That is why ants have such
narrow waists today.
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The Ants Corn Dance
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In
Mesoamerica, Quetzacoatl saw a red ant
carrying corn kernels into his home. He
finally got the ant to
tell him where he got the corn.
Quetzacoatl turned himself into a black
ant. He followed the red ants deep
into a mountain called Mount Tonacatepetl,
which was filled with seeds and grains.
Quetzacoatl took some
corn kernels to the Gods. The Gods chewed
the kernels into mash and feed human
infants the mixture.
The Gods decide to obtain the seed for
man, and after many attempts they succeed
in splitting the seed
bearing mountain open, the seeds
scattering to the four directions. The
Tlalocs quickly pick up the seeds,
corn, beads, squash and all eatable
plants, and today dispense rain and seed
to people. ( Taube, Karl:
Aztec and Maya Myths, 1993, University of
Texas Press, Pages 39 and 40)
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