Iroquois White Corn Project Brings a Staple Back to Life
By Lauren Jimerson, Iroquois White Corn Project Manager
Iroquois White Corn is an ancient heirloom corn that was once a diet staple of the Seneca people. One of the six nations comprising the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) confederacy, the Seneca inhabited the town of Ganondagan in Victor, NY. The year of 1687 saw the demise of the flourishing town when an army from New France (present-day Canada) was sent to attack it. As the people received advance warning of the coming attack, they gathered basic needs for survival, burned their homes, and fled. As the New France army surveyed the burned village in resentment, they set out to destroy what remained by burning any food sources, including an estimated 500,000 bushels of stored White Corn at present-day Fort Hill, half a mile from the current site of the Iroquois White Corn Project at Ganondagan State Historic Site.
Originally created in 1997 by John Mohawk and his wife, Yvonne Dion-Buffalo, on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, the Iroquois White Corn Project held the mission to make White Corn readily accessible for Haudenosaunee people to incorporate into their diets, as their ancestors had done, while also making it available to the general population. John realized a correlation between the missing Haudenosaunee staple and high rates of diabetes in his community. Iroquois White Corn boasts high protein and fiber content and a low-glycemic index — and it’s also gluten-free. The Project made its way to Ganondagan in 2011 after a five-year dormancy due to the untimely deaths of John and Yvonne. The return of White Corn to its ancestral land marks the survival and resilience of not only the food, but also the Seneca (and Haudenosaunee) people.
Today, the Iroquois White Corn Project works diligently to produce Hulled White Corn, White Corn Flour, and Roasted White Corn Flour products. Both the Hulled White Corn and the Roasted White Corn Flour can now be purchased in GreenStar’s West End Bulk Department, while packaged Hulled White Corn, Roasted White Corn Flour, and White Corn Flour can be found in West End Grocery. Much of the processing of these products is done by the hands of dedicated staff, aided by generous volunteers. In keeping with the original mission of the Iroquois White Corn Project, many recipes have been developed around this ancient staple. While dishes like corn soup, mush, and dumplings recreate aspects of the traditional Haudenosaunee diet, the Project incorporates the corn into more contemporary cuisine as well. The Hulled White Corn makes a great addition to soups, stews, and cold salads, while the Roasted and White Corn Flours create magnificent baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, and breads. Try the Cornmeal Cookies pictured here. Some favored recipes include our Three Sisters Salad, Vegetarian Chili, and Cornbread with Maple Yogurt, all available on our website.
Based on the Haudenosaunee principle of making any decision in consideration of how it affects seven generations into the future, the Iroquois White Corn Project is committed to sustainability and respect for Mother Earth. We pride ourselves on our diligence in promoting food sovereignty.
Lauren Jimerson, Seneca, is the Project Manager at the Iroquois White Corn Project. Raised by the tradition of the ancient heirloom food, she is well versed in the traditional processes of Iroquois White Corn. Living a plant-based lifestyle, Lauren is dedicated to the continuation of learning and sharing the history and knowledge of health benefits of her ancestral foods.