By Charlene Sacher
Three Sisters Gardening
Four years ago I had the opportunity to meet Elder Audrey Logan during our school’s Indigenous Connections Evening (I.C.E.) where she shared the story of the Three Sisters. The Métis, Nehiyaw Elder refers to herself as an urban bush woman who forages, grows and dehydrates all the food she needs from the neighbourhood around her West Broadway apartment. They are techniques she learned as a ’60s Scoop survivor and traditional practices she later reclaimed from relatives who lived off the land. She paid close attention to the farming practices used on the farm and came to the conclusion that most western methods, like monoculture planting, did more harm than good. At 13, she ran away from the home and used what she learned about plants to survive while evading child and family service agents. (Wasley, 2020)
This is the story that she shared that day in June and she has given her permission to share it here. As she explained this is not just a story on how to plant, but also how to live with one another.
Many years ago, there were three sisters who loved one another very much and lived together in a field. The youngest was so small that she crawled upon the ground, dressed in dark green. The middle sister would dart across the field in her yellow dress. The eldest sister stood tall and straight, but her body bent by the wind. They loved one another very much and could not imagine being apart.
One day a boy came into the field. He was a kind child who could talk with all of the animal relatives. The sisters were interested and watched him closely as he collected stones and bones for carving.
Late in the summer of the boy’s first visit to the field, the youngest of the three sisters disappeared. She could only crawl along the ground and could only pull herself up if there was something to cling to like a stick or a tree. She was now gone and her two sisters missed her terribly.
The boy once again visited the field, this time to gather reeds to make arrow shafts. The two remaining sisters watched him again, fascinated. Later that night the second sister disappeared.
Now only the eldest sister was left. She was tall and straight and did not bend, even in her sorrow, although she missed her sisters and could not bear to be alone. As the days passed and grew shorter, her green shawl lost its colour and her hair became wild. She cried out for her sisters.
One day, the boy came back and heard the eldest sister crying and he took her in his arms and carried her home. When she arrived, she found her sisters there waiting for her. They told her that they wanted to learn more about this boy so they followed him home and decided to say as it was warm.
They helped the boy and his family by feeding them all through the winter months. In the spring, the sisters once again shared their gifts with the family by growing strong near one another and sharing in their gifts. (Logan, personal communication, 2017)
“Together these plants- corn, beans, and squash - feed the people, feed the land, and fee our imaginations, telling us how we might live” (Kimmerer, 2013, p. 129). Using polyculture these plants grow better when they are together when they are apart. Elder Audrey says that “she works with nature instead of against it, trusting it to provide for her needs” (Heidenreich, 2020). In this way she is able to feed herself and her community. The eldest is the corn, direct and upright but with shallow roots and in need of some extra nitrogen. This is where the beans come in. They are able to create the nitrogen that is needed and in return, the corn allows the beans to grow up their stalk as they reach up to the sun. The squash, moves around her oldest two sisters and goes out on her own, and in return, she provides ground cover that prevents water loss and reduces weeds (Logan, personal communication, 2017 & Kimmerer, 2013, pp.130-134). Together these plants provide most of the nutrients to survive a long winter, protein, carbohydrates, and various vitamins.
This story does more than teach us how to grow more effectively. It also teaches us how to live in relationship with one another. Together they use their gifts to take care of one another, work together (Kimmerer, 2013, p. 139) Just as we are to share our gifts. Elder Wanbdi Wakinta shared how, “We need to step into generosity and share our gifts” (Wankinta, 2021).
We are just at the starting point of students learning about the Three Sisters. Our school division has a team of elders who is doing the teaching in a good way with the my children and all of them at the school. Together, they will be planting the seeds that have been grown together for so long and to “just guide along and enjoy” (Hobson & Logan, 2019). The students will be able to have these plants flourish “into a green space rich with food and teachings” (Hobson & Logan, 2019) just as elders such as Elder Audery Logan have taught us, how the plants have taught us, from so long ago; and this still remains true to day.
References
Heidenreich, C. (2020, March 28). Audrey Logan - 'The Garden Trapline': Poverty and the barriers and solutions to urban food security. Fireweed Food Co-Op. https://www.fireweedfoodcoop.ca/post/audrey-logan-the-garden-trapline-poverty-and-the-barriers-and-solutions-to-urban-food-security.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions.
Logan, A., Nehiyaw (Cree)/Métis. Treaty Territory One. Lives in Winnipeg, MB. Three Sisters’ Gardening - Oral Teaching. Personal communication. June 21, 2017.
Hobson, B., & Logan, A. (2019, August 9). Community garden in Winnipeg seeds hope and nurtures tradition. other, Winnipeg, MB; APTN.
Wasney, E. (2020, August 14). Living in the city, living off the land. Winnipeg Free Press.
Wakita, W., Sioux Valley Nation. Treaty 1. Lives in Winnipeg. Indigenous Education Keynote and Acknowledgement: Oral teaching. personal communication. May 31, 2021.