Native American Gardening

Native American Gardening: Stories, Projects and Recipes for Families was written by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. Caduto is a well-known gardening expert and Bruchac is a prolific and talented children’s author of Abenaki  and European descent. The book was published in 1996 by Fulcrum Publishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The book has a few stories from the Tuscarora, Zuni, Lacandon Maya, Arikara and the Tutelo. “The Bean Woman” a tale from the Tutelo was my favorite as Bean Woman must find a suitable husband and she finds him not in Mountain Lion Man, or Deer Man, or Bear Man but in Corn Man. Bean Woman and Corn Man become intertwined for as Bean Woman said, “The Great Creator made us to be with each other.”

It is in this book that I was taught to fully comprehend how planting pole beans at the base of corn feeds the nitrogen-needy corn with the nitrogen heavily produced by beans. When I went to Conner Prairie Museum in Indiana last summer, the Leni Lennape gentleman took the time to show me how to plant my beans and corn the Native way. The corn is planted in a circle and when it grows several inches high, the pole beans are planted around the corn. The pole beans then climb and intertwine themselves around the corn. He had planted seeds that had been saved for many many generations and his corn was enormously tall. He then had his squash nearby.

In the book, squash, corn and beans are called the Three Sisters. Squash is planted amongst the corn and beans and its large leaves keep weeds to a minimum and its prickly vines keep raccoons and other animals from walking amongst the corn. So, I had already re-designed this season’s garden to plant my corn, beans and squash as the Leni Lennape do. Native American Gardening gives excellent instructions on how to plant a Wamponoag Three Sisters Garden and a Hidatsa Three Sisters Garden. I am going to use the mound instructions when planting my corn and beans and also I will try and see if I can honor the Four Directions when planting the seeds. I will also relocate my sunflowers to line up against the North.

My daughter and I will use the directions on how to dry gourds and create rattles, storage jars and birdhouses with them. We will also make corn husk dolls with the excellent directions in the book.

                                                

The book reads a little choppy, but it’s not annoying. There are good sections on storytelling, buying Native seeds and harvesting and storing seeds, starting a garden from scratch and traditional Native food recipes. Often, we are reminded to plant extra crops for our friends the animals and for the insects. I am planting as much as possible to try and share with my local food bank also.

Sources for Native seeds: http://www.nativeseeds.org/Home

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/browse_category.aspx?id=123

The writing of the book is aimed at the entire family, and there is a good list of do’s and don’ts :

1. Don’t dress like Indians. But do study Native customs.
2. Don’t use words like “savages”, “war-loving” and “primitive”  or “squaw” to describe American Indians.
3. Don’t say “sit Indian style” or “walk Indian file”.
4. Don’t talk about American Indians as if they existed only in the past.
5. Don’t talk about Native Americans as if they are all of one large culture. Each tribe is unique and different.
6. Don’t belittle sacred ceremonies and beliefs. I would add, make sure you ask before you borrow a tribe’s story also. Many stories are sacred.