The Three Sisters
Welcome to the garden of the Three Sisters. Who
are the Three Sisters? The journey that you are about to embark on
will inform you. The Three Sisters are not people at all....
| In late spring, we plant the corn and beans and squash. They're
not just plants- we call them the three sisters. We plant them together,
three kinds of seeds in one hole. They want to be together with each other,
just as we Indians want to be together with each other. So long as the
three sisters are with us we know we will never starve. The Creator sends
them to us each year. We celebrate them now. We thank Him for the gift
He gives us today and every day.
Chief Louis Farmer (Onondaga)
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The Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) have
been planted by traditional Native American gardeners in many different
regions of North America. Although many different Native American people
have adopted this traditional gardening technique, it originated with the
Haudenosaunee
(hah-dee-no-show-nee), or "People of the Longhouse".
The traditional Three Sisters garden forms an ecosystem
by creating a community of plants and animals. This system creates a beneficial
relationship between the three plants- each plant helps the others grow.
This is a form of companion planting.
There is an abundance of folklore, stories, and history
surrounding Three Sisters gardening.
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The Three Sisters Story - Modern day agriculturists know it as the genius of
the Indians, who interplanted pole beans and squash with corn, using the strength
of the sturdy corn stalks to support the twining beans and the shade of the
spreading squash vines to trap moisture for the growing crop. Research has further
revealed the additional benefits of this "companion plant- ing.'' The bacterial
colonies on the bean roots capture nitrogen from the air, some of which is released
into the soil to nourish the high nitrogen needs of the corn. To Native Americans,
however, the meaning of the Three Sisters runs deep into the physical and spiritual
well-being of their people. Known as the "sustainers of life," the Iroquois
consider corn, beans and squash to be special gifts from the Creator. The well-being
of each crop is believed to be protected by one of the Three Sister Spirits.
Many an Indian legend has been woven around the "Three Sisters" -sisters who
would never be apart from one another- sisters who should be planted together,
eaten together and celebrated together. |
Native People