Two Common Reading-related events are scheduled for this week:
* Monday, “The Key to Sustainable Success in Tree Fruit Production?: Science!” by Amit Dhingra, horticulture, and Jim McFerson and Jim Doornink, Washington Tree Fruit Commission, 12:10 p.m., Smith CUE 318.
* Tuesday, “Maize in the Ancient Americas: Beer, Bread, Ceremony,” by Melissa Goodman-Elgar, anthropology, 7 pm, Smith CUE 203. The contemporary use of corn in North America described in Omnivore’s Dilemma is far from the origin or traditional uses of maize. In indigenous societies, maize was sometimes eaten fresh on the cob as we do today, but mostly dried and ground for preparation into a great diversity of dishes. All cultures that used maize developed specific dishes based on the color, shape, and texture of kernels.
Growing and using maize was also deeply embedded in indigenous religions and spiritual practices.
This discussion will highlight some of the many indigenous uses of maize with examples from the Hopi, Inca and other native groups from the Americas.
