2.11 First Nations Oral Tradition

The Three Sisters & the Iroquois

The Iroquois (Hodeneshone) were  traditionally agricultural people who lived along the eastern shores of Lake Ontario in Canada, and in northern New York State below the St. Lawrence River. The three sisters garden is a method of farming that the Iroquois used and shared with European settlers.

The three sisters in this story are corn, bean, and squash. See if you can figure out which sister is which when you read the upcoming story.

These plants grow exceptionally well together. The corn stalk grows straight and tall and this gives the bean plants something to wind around. Corn has a high need for nitrogen, and beans produce a high amount of nitrogen. The squash plant grows a lot of leaves and it covers the ground beneath the other two plants. This keeps the moisture locked in while keeping out weeds. The “cooperation” between this plants means that each sister can produce fully. These three vegetables are also very nutritious and continue to be an important part of the Iroquois diet.