THE LEGENDS OF THE THREE SISTERS

Native American Allegories of 

Corn, Beans and Squash

Fifth installment on the importance of Maize, common beans and gourds for the ancient people of the Western Hemisphere. These legends are transcriptions of texts found on webpages. As legends, the original authors are unknown.  Because these samples are from the Eastern Woodlands region, they are less than a thousand years old.  It took more than 7,000 years for the cultivation of corn to spread from Mesoamerica to this region.

The three sisters are Maize, Beans, and Squash. They are seen as the three beautiful sisters because they grow in the same mound in the traditional inter-planting system. Maize provides a ladder for the bean vines. They together give shade to the squash that acts as a natural mulch and deterrent of weeds and vermin.

THE THREE SISTERS GARDEN - VIDEO

The Indian stories of the Three Sisters vary from tribe to tribe. The first story below is taken from an oral account of the Akwesasne Mohawk people, retold by Lois Thomas of Cornwall Island, Canada, compiled by students at Centennial College. 

The Three Sisters - Mohawk

A long time ago, there were three sisters who lived together in a field. They were quite different from one another in their size and way of dressing. The little sister was so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second sister wore a bright yellow dress, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to protect them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breeze. There was one way the sisters were all alike, though. They loved each other dearly, and they always stayed together. This made them very strong.

One day a stranger came to the field of the Three Sisters - a Mohawk boy. He talked to the birds and other animals - this caught the attention of the three sisters. Late that summer, the youngest and smallest sister disappeared. Her sisters were sad. Again the Mohawk boy came to the field to gather reeds at the water's edge. The two sisters who were left watched his moccasin trail, and that night the second sister - the one in the yellow dress - disappeared as well. Now the Elder Sister was the only one left. She continued to stand tall in her field. When the Mohawk boy saw that she missed her sisters, he brought them all back together and they became stronger together, again.

The Three Sisters - Iroquois

The Iroquois creation myth tells that the earth began when “Sky Woman”, who lived in the upper world, peered through a hole in the sky and fell through to an endless sea. The animals saw her coming, so they took the soil from the bottom of the sea and spread it onto the back of a giant turtle to provide a safe place for her to land. This “Turtle Island” is now what we call North America.

Sky woman had become pregnant before she fell. When she landed, she gave birth to a daughter. When the daughter grew into a young woman, she also became pregnant.  by the She died while giving birth to twin boys fathered by the West Wind. Sky Woman buried her daughter in the “new earth.” From her grave grew three sacred plants—corn, beans, and squash. These plants provided food for her sons, and later, for all of humanity. 

These special gifts ensured the survival of the Iroquois people.

The Three Sisters - Saponi Sioux

A woman of medicine who could no longer bear the fighting among her three daughters asked the Creator to help her find a way to get them to stop. That night she had a dream, and in it each sister was a different seed. In her dream, she planted them in one mound in just the way they would have lived at home and told them that in order to grow and thrive, they would need to be different but dependent upon each other. They needed to see that each was special and each had great things to offer on her own and with the others. 

The next morning while cooking breakfast, she cooked each daughter an egg, but each was different: one hard-boiled, one scrambled, and one over-easy. She told her daughters of her dream and said to them, “You are like these eggs. Each is still an egg but with different textures and flavors. Each of you has a special place in the world and in my heart.” The daughters started to cry and hugged each other, because now they would celebrate their differences and love one another more because of them. 

From that day on, Native people have planted the three crops together—Three Sisters helping and loving each other.

The Three Sisters - Cherokee

Once upon a time there were three sisters. The first sister was very tall and strong; her name was Corn Girl, and she wore a pale green dress and had long yellow hair that blew in the wind. Corn Girl liked to stand straight and tall, but the hot sun burned her feet and hurt her. And the longer Corn Girl stood in her field, the hungrier she got. And every day more weeds were growing up around her and choking her. The second sister was very thin and quick and fast, and her name was Bean Girl, but she wasn't very strong. She couldn't even stand up on her own. She was good at making food, but she just had to lie there stretched out on the ground, and she would get dirty and wet, which wasn't good for her. The third sister, Squash Girl, was short and fat and wore a yellow dress. She was hungry too.

For a long time, the sisters didn't get along. They each wanted to be independent and free, and not have anything to do with the other two. So Corn Girl stood there with her sunburned feet and got hungrier and hungrier. And Bean Girl lay there on the ground and got dirtier and wetter. And the little fat sister Squash Girl was hungry too. So Bean Girl talked to her sister Corn Girl and said, "What if I feed you some good food, and you can hold me up so I don't have to lie on the ground and get all dirty?" And Corn Girl thought that was a great idea. Then little Squash Girl called up to her tall sister, "How about if I lie on your feet and shade them so you won't get sunburned?" Corn Girl thought that was a great idea too.

So the Three Sisters learned to work together, so that everyone would be healthier and happier. Corn Girl helped Bean Girl stand up. Bean Girl fed Corn Girl and Squash Girl good food. And Squash Girl shaded Corn Girl's feet and kept the weeds from growing up around them all.

THREE SISTER LEGEND VIDEO - IROQUOIS

                          THE LEGEND IN THE CHICKASAW NATION

Three Sisters Soup

Corn, beans and squash

Homage to the Mesoamerican Ancient Cultures

Perfect to start the Thanksgiving Holiday

          You can do it like the Ancients did it, but it will take at least two days.  You can do it like your grandma and use a pressure cooker for the beans, but you may end up with beans all over the ceiling, like your grandma did.  Or, you can do it like this.

Ingredients for 16 cups of soup:

1 cup of Cajun Trinity (Diced onion, celery and green pepper)
1  - 32 oz. can of vegetable broth unsalted 
1 can of whole pinto beans without much seasoning, or none at all.
1 can of whole white beans, idem (navy, cannellini, or northern).
1 can of whole red kidney beans, idem, except drain and rinse or their color will dominate.
1 can of whole tender sweet corn.
2 cans of creamed corn
1 can or 2 small cans of roasted, diced tomato and chipotle (Instead of chipotle can use green chili, or jalapeno, but it will be hotter, like Rotel; or use diced tomatoes and add your choice of hot spice)
3  large zucchini, 3 yellow squash; cut in ½ inch rounds and quarter. (Can add calabacitas if available)
2 cups of roasted butternut squash cubes (Some stores will sell the cubes raw, if so, just add.  Can use Guicoy chunks without skin. If roasting the butternut squash is too much work, skip it).
Spices:  2 bay leaves (laurel), ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp sage.
Garnish:  cilantro and scallions

HOW TO:
In large  (At least 1 gal.) pot, sweat the trinity in a tbspn of butter or oil, for 3 min. Then add the broth and an equal amount of water and the spices. Add all the cut squashes and bring to a boil. Add all the beans and lower to simmer (15-20 min.).  You do not want mushy veggies or beans. Once the squashes are softened, it is ready.  
ADJUST SEASONING: Soup will naturally be on the sweet side. Broth and pre-cooked beans will add other flavors.  To your taste, add salt or other seasoned salt mix if you want less sweet. ADJUST THE CHILI SPICE if hotter is desired. 
ADJUST THICKNESS: Use a hand blender and liquefy 2 cups of the mixed veggies and beans and return to the pot, or thicken with dehydrated potato flakes to your taste, from liquiddy soup to thick pottage.   
Before serving, garnish on top of each cup/bowl a tspn of chopped cilantro and green onion tops (green).
ENJOY.

TO BE MORE AUTHENTIC:
The cream corn and the tender sweet corn are modern varieties of corn.  Only fresh cut corn would give you a similar result, but it was not common for the ancients. Most likely, all their soups were made with hominy style corn (pozole).  Try and add one can of this type of corn, or just use "pozole" style corn instead of the ones listed.  The soup will require a different balance since it will not be naturally sweet.   Pozole soups are very traditional in Mexico and many recipes can be found.  Every family has its own "secret abuelita's" pozole recipe.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

ON U. S. TERRITORY

Our heritage is our past;

it is what those who lived before us 

left for us to improve upon and never forget.

Our heritage is our present.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING WAS HISPANIC

The southwest of the United States had been explored before, but it was not until 1598 that the first European settlers arrived to establish towns along the Rio Grande.

Don Juan de Oñate's expedition was the first attempt to create them. More than 500 people and 7,000 domestic animals crossed the Chihuahua Desert to arrive in the Piro Indian villages of what is today’s El Paso, in Texas.

After 50 days in the desert, many people and animals had died. Food and water ran out in the last five days. The Rio Grande was their salvation, where they were helped by the Indians who gave them food and water.

  

After 10 days of resting, Oñate ordered a Day of Thanksgiving. They had a feast, supplied with game by the Spaniards and fish by the natives of the region. Finally, Oñate read “La Toma” (The taking) declaring the land drained by the Rio Grande to be the possession of Spain.  After the celebration, the settlers continued travelling north and eventually founded the city of Santa Fe in 1607.

The place where they celebrated the first Day of Thanksgiving became known as El Paso del Norte. Plymouth, Massachusetts, was not established until 1620, where a few years later they also had a Day of Thanksgiving after the hardships encountered in the New World. 

Oñate's historical opening of the southwest is recognized in several monuments. This photograph shows a life-size bronze sculpture of Don Juan De Oñate near the City of El Paso, Texas, International Airport.

CORN, BEANS AND SQUASH  -  I I

Fig.1 - Corn, beans and squash
the New World Trinity

Beans, the Third member of the
New World Trinity 

Fig. 2 - A Mayan "milpa", a family plot where
corn, beans and squash are interplanted

This is the third posting devoted to the ancient Native American tradition of inter-planting corn, beans and squash. 

a "Mayan milpa", where this tradition originated in Mesoamerica, is still the common method of cultivation in many parts of the New World. These are small family plots that produce the main source of sustenance for a year. They are small enough that the whole family can work on it at different times of the year.  In addition to the basic staples, mango and papaya trees surround the planted field in the lowlands, and avocado trees do the same in the highlands.  Each family may have more than one plot, in different soil or micro-climatic conditions to reduce risk, and a vegetable garden may surround the place of residence.

Fig. 3 - Beans come in many colors

Beans such as pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans and black beans are all known scientifically as Phaseolus vulgaris. 

They are all referred to as "common beans" probably owing to the fact that they derived from a common bean ancestor that originated in the Andean region of South America.  Just as maize traveled south, beans and potatoes traveled north along ancient trading or migrating routes.

From Central America beans were introduced into Europe in the 15th century by Spanish explorers returning from their voyages to the New World. Beans were not alone. Maize, tobacco, tomatoes, potatoes, chilies, and cocoa were soon impacting the world economy. Today we think of anything Italian as having tomato sauce, everything Irish as having something to do with potatoes, and chocolate must be Swiss. Is it not? Spanish and Portuguese traders took them to Africa and Asia. The advantage of maize, beans and cocoa over the others is that dried seeds can last many years and remain fertile. Today, the largest commercial producers of dried common beans are India, China, Indonesia, Brazil and the United States.

Fig. 4 - Beans in different stages of drying

As beans are a very inexpensive form of good protein, they have become popular in many cultures throughout the world. Pinto beans are the most highly consumed dried bean in the United States. 

Beans have remained a basic staple in many countries.  Black beans are popular in the Caribbean and Central America. Pinto and red beans are popular in Mexico and in the U. S. south.  White beans were popular in the northern states. They were adopted a long time ago by the U. S. Navy for their sailors.

Beans and maize have a great value in addition to their nutritional and horticultural values. They can preserve well over time.  This means that they allow a process of accumulation or savings. In economics this is the source of capital formation.  Food security immediately allows other possibilities of human behavior. Food surpluses are one of the primitive forms of wealth and well being. They also allow the group to face hardships, such as drought, destructive storms or floods. Surpluses reduce the time needed to find food, hence allowing time for other creative human activities.  But these seeds need a secure place for storage.

Fig. 5 - Ancient pre-columbian "olla" for beans
Note the line at the waist. Indicates origin of
bottom molded inside basket or another pot

Beans and maize also have a great quality. They have visual indicators such as size, shape, color and hardness. This allows human intelligence to select and save the best seeds for future harvests.  A process of selection eventually improves plant and fruit size, nutritional value, resistance to plagues or drought, adaptation to soil conditions and type, or any other desirable quality. Over thousands of years, the ancient natives genetically modified these plants and "gifted" them to the world.  



Their knowledge has now become science, and genetic manipulation in the laboratory with technology has allowed the process to be shortened, but its essence is the same.  We should not be afraid of knowledge.




Beans and maize are also different from other foods.  They can not be eaten to their full value raw.  They require cooking. A lot of cooking.  The ancient Mayas discovered that maize could be cooked in lime.  This breaks the protective coat of the grain and softens the kernel. The result is "hominy", "pozole" or "nixtamal".  The lime in water boils naturally and with little heat the process is done. The softened maize is easily turned into dough: "masa".  This is the origin of tamales, tortillas and atole.  Where lime was not available, lye and ash were used with somewhat different results, such as blue bread among the Pueblo people.  But, beans are different.

Fig. 6 - Primitive pre-columbian bean pot

Ancient cooking methods past the "primitive man" grilling, smoking, or toasting by the fire do not work with beans.  Boiling bags or boiling baskets do not work either.  The process of dropping highly heated rocks on water is effective only if done for a few minutes, such as doing a stew, or a soup. Cooking beans takes many hours of simmering.  Even if beans are pre-soaked (re-hydrated), they take more than one hour in a slow boil.  This required a new technology.  Beans are the mother and father of pottery in the New World.

Fig. 7 - Classical Mayan storage vases

The ancients must have discovered that there was a physical change in the dirt that surrounded the fires.  Some of if got cooked, hardened and changed color.  It almost became stone. This allowed the emergence of ceramics, first taking the forms of gourds and baskets, even to the details of their decorative designs.  Pottery was born functional to cook beans for a long time in a slow fire with few embers.  There must be something magic too in the clay pot.  Beans cooked liked the ancients did it, in clay pots, definitely taste different than those cooked in a modern glazed ceramic, cast iron, enameled or glass cookware.

Fig. 9 - Tripod votive pot for storage

Fig. 8 - Votive "olla" found in tomb with grain

Pottery also solved the problem of storage.  Grains and beans have been found in archaeological caches, safely stored inside clay pots dating to 3,000 b. C. They have also been found in tombs as ceremonial or votive containers for use in the underworld or as gifts to the gods.  Pots decorated on the outside are not for cooking.  Cooking pots may have a few decorations near the top, around the lip, or inside. 

Fig. 10 - Ancestral Pueblo bean pot

Fig. 11 - Modern Pueblo pot

WATCH THESE VIDEOS

THE HANDS OF MARIA MARTINEZ, POTTER PART 1

MARIA MARTINEZ - FAMOUS PUEBLO POTTER, Part 2

Fig. 12 - Modern Pueblo pottery of New Mexico

With maize, beans and squash - the civilizing force of agriculture- the ancient people of the United States also received the technology of pottery from the Mesoamerican civilizations. 

THE NEW WORLD TRINITY

CORN, BEANS AND SQUASH - I

Fig. 1 - Maize, beans and squash

Organic Native American Horticulture
The wisdom of the aborigines

     The French gave us "mirepoix" (celery, carrots and onions), the Cajun gave us "trinity" (green peppers, celery and green onions), and the Mayans gave us maize, beans and squash. This New World Trinity spread from Mesoamerica north and south and became the foundation of the diet of the aboriginal people of this hemisphere. With it came civilization: transforming the hunters into farmers, builders, astronomers, mathematicians, and artists.

Fig. 2- Combined planting diagram

Fig. 3 - A traditional Mayan milpa

          

   

Ancient legends of the Americas, north and south, demonstrate the importance of corn in the form of allegories. These themes are repeated over and over, with local variants, by every different tribe.   Corn, Indian corn, or maize, nevertheless, is seldom the only character in the stories.  It is usually accompanied by beans and squash.

Fig. 4 - A variety of heirloom Guatemalan dried beans

This trinity comes from a tradition of inter-planting these crops in the same mounds. The knowledge of this technology and its benefits was widespread among Native American farming societies when the first Europeans arrived. This basic combination created a sophisticated, sustainable system that protected and enhanced the plants during their growth and provided long-term soil fertility.

Fig. 5 - Varieties of squash

Fig. 6 - Yellow squash and calabash

Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. 

Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. 

The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the soil at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter and improve its structure.

Fig. 7 - Calabash pumpkin drying

Fig. 8  - Harvest of gourds drying

Corn, beans and squash also complement each other nutritionally. Corn was the primary crop, providing more calories or energy per acre than any other. Corn provides carbohydrates, the dried beans are rich in protein, balancing the lack of necessary aminoacids found in corn. Beans, more than corn, reduce the need for hunting for meat. Finally, squash yields both vitamins from the fruit and healthful, delicious oil from the seeds. Corn, beans and squash were among the first important crops domesticated by ancient Mesoamerican societies. Of these, squash was probably domesticated before the others as many varieties of the gourd family are also found around the world, and gourds have been incorporated as a resource for human use since before the migrations into this continent began. 

Fig. 9 - Bowls made of dried gourd bottoms

Fig. 10 - Containers made of dried gourds

Fig. 11 - "Tecomates" - water containers out of dried gourds

Dried gourds, particularly calabash (opo squash, long melon or bottle gourd) have been used as liquid containers since time immemorial. They are also the source of many domestic utensils and tools (bottles, spoons, ladles, scrapers, bowls, cups, drums, string instruments, and rattles) and most likely, the inspiration of early pottery shapes. In many parts of the world they are still being used in the same way and are the basis of admired handcraft art.  As archaeological artifacts they are not as lasting as pottery.  Their organic nature makes perishable in most conditions after only a few years.

Not all gourds/squash can be dried to take advantage of their skin and shape. Not all are edible. Most can be used in diverse ways.  Common varieties in America's modern diet are the traditional pumpkin, yellow squash, zucchini, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash. The tender leaves and tendrils are also edible and their blooms are a delicatessen.

For the ancients, gourds were not only a food staple. They were an important source of almost ready made utensils and tools growing nearby on their garden plots.

Fig. 12 - Gourds crafted into decorated utensils in an African market