What did the Pawnee Indians use corn the main crop for?

Answer 1

Corn was a food staple for many tribes. They used it alone, in stews, as flour in corn cakes. They made popcorn. The corn pollen might have been gathered so the medicine man could use it in his ceremonies.

Answer 2

The Pawnee tribes (Skidi, Tsawi, Pitahawerata, Kitkehaxki) were skilled agriculturalists and grew ten pure varieties of maize (Indian corn) which were always kept separate to ensure no cross-fertilization. These included red, blue, spotted, white, yellow and Osage varieties.

It follows that some seed from each variety was conserved from every crop to provide the following crop. Any surplus was dried to preserve it; some was picked before it was completely mature and roasted (often called green corn), the rest was allowed to finish maturing before it was picked. The roasting and drying process took many days.

Dried maize was stored in huge pits along with dried meat, beans and wild turnips and other vegetables. These pits were so large that a ladder was required to gain access.

Sometimes the fresh maize kernels were pounded into a kind of flour, cooked inside husks in boiling water to make "dumplings".

Maize was considered both an everyday foodstuff and a holy and sacred item. Ears of maize were included in every sacred "medicine bundle"; Pawnee war party leaders always carried an ear of dried maize on their left shoulder so they would receive supernatural assistance. Sacred ears of maize were often painted with blue lines and decorated with a single white feather.

See link below for an image: