The Three Sisters

One of the oldest stories is the tale of the three sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash. The oldest sister is tall and strong, with graceful green leaves and wisps of golden, silky hair that flow out of her wrapped fruit. Her name is Corn. The middle sister is wild and vivacious, with curly vines that climb up and around her sister, Corn, which helps make Corn steadfast in the wind and protected from the elements. Her name is Beans. The little sister is curious and playful, quickly crawling and exploring all over the ground. She has wide leaves and loves to make people smile by showing them her happy yellow flower blossoms. Her name is Squash.
The three sisters love each other in that magical way that only sisters understand. When planted together, their lives are intertwined in ways that reciprocate the love they share for one another – and the abundance of that sisterhood benefits the world around them. Sister Corn not only provides fruit and grain but offers her sturdy form for Sister Beans to climb up and reach the sun that she needs to grow her ample fruit to feed the people of the land. The roots of Sister Beans offer nitrogen to the soil below, and her tendrils stabilize Sister Corn above the ground. Their little sister, Sister Squash, grows at the feet of Sister Corn and Sister Beans, where she shades the ground with her broad leaves to help hold moisture in the soil and protect against the aggressive wees. The bounty of their harvest provides the indigenous people with necessary energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
The Three Sisters teach us the power of reciprocating love in the most grounded way possible.

From the book “Think Indigenous – Native American Spirituality for a Modern World” Author: Doug Goodfeather