By now, most of you know the intriguing, often messy space beyond the back parking lot at church is the Cherokee Healing Garden. But you may not know the full story of how it came to be.  Several stories come to mind regarding the garden’s beginnings in 2021. 

We are small in number here and the garden has evolved slowly.  Also,  our wild “brothers and sisters” … raccoons, foxes, rabbits, and the most passionate about our crop, the woodchuck, all feel welcome here.  Hence, there are summers when our seed has been scarce. 

– Some trees at the back of our property needed removing, which left an area without purpose.

– Meantime, the parish took part in a book study,  “Braiding Sweetgrass”, in which there was mention of the “Three Sisters” gardening method used by the Cherokee people. 

Bude shared this with his mother who is Cherokee, and she confirmed that the three sisters method of gardening was commonly used. 

– In the midst of these events, Bude had a conversation with a peer regarding healing, which included a personal story about how gardening promoted his healing.

-By now,  Bude began to see a vision about such a garden behind the church, and on a spiritual whim, applies for a grant through the “United Thank Offering” to build such a garden. To his surprise, he is awarded the grant. 

– At some point, a beautiful prayer written by Bude was added to our “prayers of the people.”

“We remember and honor the indigenous people of North America, in particular the Cotaco, Kisati, Cherokee and Yucci  people. We acknowledge that the land we now occupy was their home. We give thanks for them and confess our regret for how this land was taken. May we always remember that the earth does not belong to us, that we belong with the earth, to you. Help us to learn from our past mistakes and grow us to be instruments of justice, peace and sustainability for all people.”  

More of the garden’s story is coming soon.


Here is some more information about the techniques and history of Cherokee gardens.

Three Sisters Legend

There are many stories, legends, and traditions surrounding the three sisters across the Americas. This method of intercropping was prevalent across the indigenous populations due to the inter-supporting structure. This structure commonly caused the depictions of corn to be sturdy and supporting, bean to be nurturing, and squash to be strong and protective.

Three Sisters Method

There are three stages of planting: First Corn, then beans, and finally squash. The planting takes place over approximately one month.
#1 Sister Corn
Corn is planted first. This is for the corn to grow tall above the other crops and provide a sturdy foundation.
#2 Sister Bean
Approximately one to two weeks after the corn is sown the beans are planted. The tendrils of the beans grow on stalks of the corn. This holds the beans off the ground to protect against weeds. The beans help the corn and squash grow by providing key nutrients to the soil helping the crops grow faster and stronger.
#3 Sister Squash
Squash is planted one to two weeks after the beans, so its large leaves do not smother the bean sprouts! Squash provides protection to the corn and beans by inhibiting the growth of weeds through its large leaves shading the ground. 

The Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears was the forced westward displacement of American Indian tribes from the South and Southeast. The Federal Government consolidated and relocated tribes to reservations, forcing them to surrender their lands in pieces by negotiating one treaty after another with the tribes. The “Indian Removal Act” of 1830 forced many tribes off their native lands and resettled west of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek were among the resettled tribes. Thousands died on the march west due to hunger, disease, and harassment. In the turmoil of being forced from their homes and land, many possessions were lost; although, some corn, bean, and squash seeds were taken on the journey west. These seeds were planted and cultivated and became known as “heirloom seeds” from the original plants east of the Mississippi River.

Education

Demonstration

The Cherokee Healing Garden is the only garden east of the Mississippi River to plant heirlooms seeds in the traditional method of cultivation. This provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the three sisters were planted and cultivated for most of history.

Healing

The garden provides a place to understand the deep-rooted history of the land and environment in which we live. It provides an opportunity to learn the indigenous culture and engage in the conversation of segregation and assimilation to help heal generational pains.

Growth

Through understanding different cultures and methods, it allows growth in our own understanding of the meaning of inclusivity and diversity; in addition, through the growth of the crops it produces additional heirloom seeds thus providing a vector to continue the conversation for years to come.