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Native American Legends: Onatah (Onatha, Deohako)
Name: Onatah
Tribal affiliation: Seneca,
Cayuga,
Mohawk,
Oneida,
Onondaga
Alternate spellings: Onatha
Pronunciation: oh-nah-tah
Also known as: Deohako, Spirit of the Corn
Type: Goddess,
corn spirit
Related figures in other tribes: Selu (Cherokee),
Corn Mother (Arikara),
Mondamin (Anishinabe),
Unknown Woman (Choctaw)
In the mythology of the Iroquois tribes, Onatah was one of the Deohako (the Life Supporters, or Three Sisters.)
Onatah represented the spirit of the corn, while her two sisters represented beans and squash.
In one common Iroquois legend, Onatah was stolen by
Tawiscara
and hidden underground, causing a great famine until she was found and freed.
The Spirit of the Corn:
Iroquois legend about the corn goddess Onatah being kidnapped by Hahgwehdaetgah (Tawiscara.)
http://books.google.com/books?id=HX0IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA532&lpg=PA532&dq=%22de-o-ha-ko%22+%22evil+minded%22&source=bl&ots=UGp_xZe5YL&sig=l6-kV0zQjY7a2oAo_rmwMgtKFvo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wyiRUrmvCoTLrgHRn4GYAg&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22de-o-ha-ko%22%20%22evil%20minded%22&f=false
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois:
Wonderful illustrated collection of Iroquois Indian legends, by Oneida and Mohawk authors.
Legends of the Iroquois:
Legends and traditional stories told by a Mohawk elder.
Iroquois Indian Myths And Legends:
Traditional stories from the Iroquois tribes.
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Additional Resources
Iroquois myth
Iroquois Nations
Mohawk tribe
Cayuga tribe
The Iroquois of New York
Eastern Woodland Native Americans
Iroquoian language
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