The Three Sisters

Welcome to the Haudenosaunee story of The Three Sisters.

This is the traditional Haudenosaunne story of the Three Sisters, Corn, Beans and Squash. The story is widespread on Turtle Island and varies from nation to nation. It talks about how to live in harmony and is an amazing learning opportunity to look at how we can grow our food sustainably.

In this unit there are story questions, a lesson on companion planting, information on world foods that originated on Turtle Island, Three Sisters soup recipe, traditional music as well as the influence of Indigenous people on rock and roll, the history of lacrosse, a peach pit game, a colour painting lesson with Mohawk artist Lee Claremont, how to make Corn Husk dolls and the ever important introduction to another Indigenous language.

A brief description of the Haudenosaunee Culture starts you off, followed by the story and then the learning activities. Don't forget to check out the extras at the end!

Niá:wen (thank you)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pOS7SQrwvs

CULTURE FIRST

The traditional territory of The Haudenosaunee, also referred to as the Iroquois by the French and Six Nations by the English, is in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, but extends well south, west and east in the United States. There are three large communities; Six Nations, Akwesasne and Kahnawake. The six nations are Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga and Tuscarora. There are approximately 33,000 people connected to these communities. For thousands of years the Haudenosaunee people led an agricultural and hunting life with well established homes and villages. In spite of colonization and the repressive efforts of the Canadian government throughout the past century the people and culture of the Haudenosaunee is rich and beautiful.

In terms of size and population compare that to the roughly 2,000 syilx/Okanagan people. The territory of the syilx/Okanagan people is about 96,000 square kilometers with the syilx people who traditionally moved seasonally hunting, fishing and working with nature to maintain food sources. Although the syilx/Okanagan people have been deeply effected by colonization, the syilx/Okanagan people continue to persevere in protecting their land rights and in passing down their cultural way of knowing from one generation to the next, orally, through storytelling known as captíkʷɬ.

Excellent video on Haudenosaunee (7:00) - https://etfofnmi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Book_Land-Acknowledgement.pdf

Another video on ceremonies (6:41)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e2fTA957Mk

Here is our story! - The Three Sisters

http://www.birdclan.org/threesisters.htm

The three sisters are Corn, Beans, and Squash. They are seen as the three beautiful sisters because they grow in the same mound in the garden. The Corn provides a ladder for the Bean Vine and Squash provides shade for the soil.

The Native American story of the Three Sisters vary from nation to nation. This story below is taken from an oral account by Lois Thomas of Cornwall Island, compiled by students at Centennial College and found in "Indian Legends of Eastern Canada."

The Three Sisters

A long time ago there were three sisters who lived together in a field.

These sisters 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.

Here are a few different videos that tell and animate the Three Sisters Story

Odawa Boy, images that go with the story, flute music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qIYzqGFTJU

Story Questions

Important Understanding of Indigenous stories - It is important to know that Indigenous stories do not always follow the same pattern and rhythm of European stories. Often stories start and stop in different ways, often because they exist as a set of stories and understandings rather than as a single entity.

Pre-reading thoughts and questions

We know that the story of the Three sisters is about Corn, Beans and Squash. What sort of human characteristics could you apply to those vegetables? Not just physical appearance but also how they might behave, what kind of person would they be?

During the story

As you listen to the story being read by the student, imagine you have a television inside your head. What images are created on your brain's tv screen?

Try to imagine the story comes with sounds and smells! After the story is finished, what sounds did you hear, what did you smell? What would their voices sound like?

Listen to the clues in the story and figure out which sister is which vegetable.

After the story questions

Which sister is which vegetable?

Sometimes humans don't see themselves connecting to the natural world or the agricultural world. How does this story help to change this?

Growing the Three Sisters together is called companion planting, do you know of any other companion planting for vegetables, flowers or even in nature?

Who are the people in your life that make you stronger? What is it about them that makes you stronger? How do you make them stronger?

The Three Sisters - why companion planting is so amazing!

Companion Planting - resources to create your own Three Sisters garden! Companion planting is the practice of growing plants together for mutual benefit. It is the opposite of modern industrial agriculture known as monoculture where a single crop is grown which is supposed to be more efficient for planting and harvesting. One of the risks of monoculture is that it can increase disease, pest outbreaks and usually requires chemicals to counteract those risks.

By using Companion Planting you can attract beneficial insects and pollinators, deter pests and repel unwanted insects. Companion Planting can also improve soil conditions, provide shade and even suppress weeds.

Website for Companion Planting - https://www.thespruce.com/companion-planting-with-chart-5025124#:~:text=Companion%20planting%20is%20the%20practice,prevent%20disease%20and%20insect%20infestation.

Three Sisters Companion Diagram - Create a drawing of the Three Sisters in a garden and add text to the diagram that describes what each plant offers the others. You can also assign students to do similar diagrams for other Companion Plantings.

Grow you own Three Sisters - you will need a little bit of room to do this, you need between 10 and 20 corn plants.

Corn - sow seeds outdoors May 8th-15th

Beans - sow seeds outdoors May 30th -June 5th

Squash - sow seeds outdoors once the beans emerge

Here is a great website on planting your own three sisters! https://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/how-to-grow-a-three-sisters-garden?_pos=1&_sid=ea0167c8c&_ss=r

Vegetables and fruits from North America - plants that originated with Indigenous agriculture from Turtle Island

Vegetables - sweet potatoes, artichokes, pumpkins, beans, squash, peppers

Fruit - avocados, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, gooseberry, saskatoon, some grape varieties, black cherries, huckleberries,

Grains - corn, wild rice

Veggies, Fruits and Nuts cultivated by Indigenous people on Turtle Island

Vegetables and fruits from North America - plants that originated with Indigenous agriculture from Turtle Island

Vegetables - sweet potatoes, artichokes, pumpkins, beans, squash, peppers

Fruit - avocados, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, gooseberry, saskatoon, some grape varieties, black cherries, huckleberries,

Grains - corn, wild rice

Some plants of note!

Candy Roaster Squash - Originally cultivated in the Eastern United States by the Cherokee nation. I vote to change the name to Cherokee Squash! https://simpleseasonal.com/how-to/all-about-north-georgia-candy-roaster-squash

Roy's Calais Abenaki Flint Corn - Originally came from Central America and Mexico, was then cultivated by the Abenaki people because it grew so well in cold soil climates and would ripen early. It's current name refers to the farmer, Roy Fair, who nurtured the last remaining fields of this corn in Calais Vermont. It was the only corn that survived the "year without summer", 1816. That year there was a volcanic eruption halfway across the globe the plunges summer temperatures enough for it to snow in June. I vote for this corn to just go by Abenaki Corn (but a special thanks to Roy for saving a corn variety that existed for thousands of years) https://trueloveseeds.com/products/roys-calais-abenaki-flint-corn?variant=738919415821

Anishinaabe Manoomin Wild Rice - This rice grows naturally in the Great Lakes Basin of Ontario. The Anishinaabe people followed a shell in the sky thousands of years ago to find a place where food grows on

water*. Manoomin means "the good berry". It is important as a food source but is also important spiritually, a food source for animals and a medicine. An excellent respectful name already! https://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/manoomin-taming-wild-rice-great-lakes-region *

Let's do some cooking! - Three Sisters Soup

Three Sisters Soup recipe - There are tons of recipes for this soup on the internet. They are all pretty much the same, save a few spices. They will mention hominy instead of corn, hominy is just dried corn kernels that have been soaked in an alkali solution. Here are a few recipes but feel free to look up ones that you like!

https://library.rrc.ca/c.php?g=709597&p=5055778 https://onlineculinaryschool.net/three-sisters-soup/

Native Women's Assosciation of Canada - Understanding traditional foods, great resource! https://www.nwac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2012-Diabetes-Traditional-Foods-and-Recipes.pdf

Here is a recipe for Bannock if you want to add this to your soup meal! https://calgaryherald.com/life/swerve/recipe-bannock-that-is-elder-approved

Learning about Nutrition - Why is Three Sister Soup classed as a complete meal? This is a great opportunity to look at what all those nutrition surrounding food words mean. This can be done individually or you can split the task up into groups to be presented! For each of the following nutrition words write down what it is, how does it help your body, what are the best foods for it, what is a good amount per day, what happens if you have too much or too little? You can tailor this activity to the age and maturity of your group, think how much time you have and how it might fit into other learnings for your year. Proteins, Minerals (as a group or individual vitamins), Carbohydrates (fiber, sugar), cholesterol, trans fats, saturated fats.

Incredible article on teaching nutrition to kids, do's and don'ts to improve how they understand how they relate to food. With many students struggling with eating issues and body imagery this is very important. A must read before you teach nutrition - https://yourkidstable.com/teaching-kids-about-nutrition/

Understanding nutrition for kids, lots of great diagrams! http://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-education-printables/category/12-nutrition-vocabulary-words-definititions-food-facts

Other Indigenous soup recipes:

Kanuchi Cherokee Nut soup - https://www.seriouseats.com/kanuchi-cherokee-pureed-nut-soup

Metis Boulettes - meatball soup - https://www.cbc.ca/life/food/metis-boulettes-1.5044911

Haudenosaunne music - from traditional to a rock and roll guitar great!

Haudenosaunne Music - Listening and learning about is an incredible way to connect with the culture. Below there are several great videos from traditional music to contemporary music. These videos are also great ways to add to the other learnings.

Learn about the water drum (4:51) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zehwo1A9LRE

Youtube videos to watch and listen to -

Iroquois Social Dance (42:27) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfKi8CdxPwY

Six Nations Singers (47:54 ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIRmpcTNgsM

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World – Official Trailer *F word shows up at the beginning (3:32) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hovJUoyxulc&t=27s

Link Wray (11:27) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EroOvpqYmYQ

The great Robbie Robertson - classed as one of the most influential guitarists in American rock and roll history. Interesting that American rock was so influenced by a Canadian, whose mom was Cayuga and Mohawk and learned to play guitar from his cousin who lived on the Six Nations reserve. Ghost Dance album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoDYyzqz8m8&list=PLX66jEixZe1wrJxYALU_p92hzuF_Eb0cj

Mohawk games

The most famous Haudenosaunee games is Lacrosse, a traditional game played for hundreds if not thousands of years with deep spiritual significance to Indigenous people. It is one of two national sports in Canada. Modern day lacrosse descends from and resembles games played by various Native American communities. These include games called dehontsigwaehs in Oee ("they bump hips"), Tewaaraton in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), baaga`adowe in Ojibwe ("bump hips")^[3]. This is from a good article on Lacrosse from Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_lacrosse

The Peach Stone game - https://www.dufferinmuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/Dish-Game.pdf

Other Names: Game of Dish, Peach Stone Game, Peach Pit Game, Plum Pit Game, Pit Game, Seed Game Materials:

• A shallow dish or basket

• 5-7 seeds, flattened plum pits, small flat stones, or similar item

• Counters such as sticks, seeds, or similar token for scoring.

Origins: This game was played by longhouse dwelling peoples such as the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations), Wendat, and Tionontati (Petun).

This game is purely one of chance: they play it with six plum-stones, white on one side and black on the other, in a dish that they strike very roughly against the ground, so that the plum-stones leap up and fall, sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other.

The game consists in throwing all white or all black; they usually play Village against Village.”

This game was played during celebrations, parties, feasts, and healing rituals. While it may seem like a simple game of chance, it seems to have spiritual meaning and significance for the people who played it historically. At the very least, it brought communities together for fun and games.

Today, it is a good game for teaching children how to count and add.

The opportunities to build in Math into this game is endless!

A colour lesson with Mohawk artist Lee Claremont

in progress

adding video interview, lesson from Lee, written lesson and examples

How to make a traditional Corn Husk Doll

This is a great video on how to make a Traditional Corn Husk Doll. It is simple and quick, also shows to not waste food by products!

You will need twine (or string, or rafia), scissors, corn husks, water and trays for soaking the corn husks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_w71JzalGc

Corn husk video with the Cherokee Corn Husk Children Story from the Gilcrease Museum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cknaga6Mqjo

Haudenosaunee Elder telling the Why Corn Husk dolls do not have a face - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWtyHyrWLxg

Language lesson- how to introduce yourself in Cayuga, counting and more

Learning some basics of any language honours a specific nation's language but also reinforces that Canada is not made up of just two languages, English and French, but in fact has over 70 Indigenous languages. Add to that all of the families that speak close to 200 other languages brought from distant shores, with about a dozen well represented like Hindi, Italian, Mandarin languages.

How to incorporate the Cayuga language: There are many dialects in and around the Haudenosaunee nations. You may have a student that has already been taught by their family how to say something, I would adapt this for the class to honour that student's learning and heritage. Once students have had the chance to practice the old school rote learning of some of the words (a few each day) then they can apply them to real contexts. Here are some suggestions how they can be used:

start and stop any activity from reading to PE
morning welcome as they come into the room
students can access the Cayuga audio dictionary and teach a partner then the class
incorporate counting into PE games like Go, Go Stop, Simon Says

Cayuga dictionary with audio! - http://www.ohwejagehka.com/cayuga/

Hello, how are you? - vhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHRv0Mhhnko

Cayuga, greetings and replies - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zv6kpGdKUQ

Counting to 1-10 in Cayuga - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Wj1hk0fU4

Counting to 1-10 in Cayuga and then Mohawk with explanation to understand how to pronounce written words - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdMYXvkau-A

Robert Munch's Love You Forever in Cayuga (9:35) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BdW-2_-Wr4

Do you understand, what do you say for...? (5:58) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-dP7J6593k

Other language resource websites:

Cayuga workbook with phrases for introductions, good written information but difficult to know how to pronounce the words - https://onlc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Cayuga-language-Work-Book.pdf

Learning Extensions/Resources

Smoke Dance/Women's Shuffle Dance (2:45)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvX4Y2nXYQc

Women's Smoke Dance, Tuscarora - (3:21) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvX4Y2nXYQc

Iroquois Stick Dance (5:19)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvX4Y2nXYQc

Iroquois or Haudenosaunee (4:47) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHOem_7Re5E

Famous People:

Robbie Robertson - musician - https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/robbie-robertson-9681.php

Tammy Beauvais - fashion designer - https://nativedesignclothing.com/

Pauline Johnson - writer from the late 1800s

Tom Longboat - athlete - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Longboat

limləmt -

This lesson was curated on the traditional and unceded territory of the syilx/Okanagan people. I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the elders and cultural leaders at Westbank First Nation and the Indigenous Education Department with School District 23. A special thank you to Coralee Miller for her guidance and inspiration.

I consider this a living document that will grow and change. If you see any content that needs to be re-evaluated, if you have any teaching ideas to add please email me at james.elwood@sd23.bc.ca . I would also love to hear how this learning experience was for you and your students!

I would also like to create a photo album of classes working on these lessons. Send me some of your photos and I will post them in the photo album!

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