The Daily Press Ashland, Wisconsin, USA January 22nd, 2007
The Three Sisters: Sustaining Americans for centuries By RHEA MARTINEZ Long before western explorers first stepped foot onto the ?New World,? people had already been living on the American continents for thousands of years, managing the forests and plains, utilizing wild plants and animals for food, fiber, and shelter, and cultivating crops to supplement their diets. Native Americans were able to farm successfully long before the development of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This may be due, in part, to their practice of companion planting. Companion planting is the technique of growing two or more crops simultaneously, and has been practiced for centuries around the world. Compared to monocultures, companion planting can increase crop yields, which may be due to a more efficient use of resources by multiple crops. Legumes have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a form that is useable by the plant. Legumes also benefit other plants by increasing soil nitrogen and organic matter. This is accomplished through use of the nitrogen fixed by legumes in the system. Intercropping may also improve resistance to weeds, pests and disease. An ancient agricultural practice called ?three sisters? by the Iroquois combines corn, beans and squash in a polyculture system. ?Diohe?ko? in the Seneca language translates to ?these sustain us,? and refers to the trio of plants. Corn, beans, and squash were important crops in early American agriculture. The three sisters complex was the dominant crop association of every tribe in the Northeast that practiced agriculture, as well as in many other regions in North America. Its adoption has been dated back to 1070 A.D. In the three sisters system, the three plants compliment one another. Corn provides support for pole beans to climb, beans replenish the soil with nitrogen, and squash and pumpkin have large, broad leaves that protect the soil from moisture loss and suppress the growth of weeds. The prickly vines of the squash plants may also repel pests such as deer and raccoons. Numerous gardeners have claimed that when grown together, the three plants produce a greater yield than when grown separately in the same area of land. In the traditional Native American system, the corn and beans are grown on hills, which may improve root growth. Organic material becomes concentrated on the mound when crop and weed residue decompose, increasing soil fertility for subsequent crops. Planting in hills may also increase soil drainage and temperature, thus increasing crop productivity in colder climates and in poorly drained soils. When eaten together, the three plants form a balanced meal complete with vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein. The indigenous knowledge of traditional Native American farming practices such as the three sisters is becoming limited as tribal members leave their reservations for jobs in the cities and adapt to western-influenced lifestyles. Many crop varieties bred for generations to thrive in local conditions have been lost due to abandoning agricultural practices. The replacement of an active lifestyle of hunting, gathering and agriculture with a diet of high-fat processed foods and little exercise has led to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Although uncommon in the past, occurrences of these diseases have risen among Native American populations, and they are now leading causes of health problems and death among Native Americans. In a meeting held in August 2005 with representatives of the Bad River, Red Cliff and Ashland communities, concern was expressed regarding the health and well being of the Native American communities and the loss of indigenous knowledge among their people. The implementation of community organic agriculture was agreed upon as a potential solution to these problems. During the summer of 2005, UWSP student interns had planted a three sisters demonstration garden at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. This garden sparked an interest in the community to investigate the effectiveness of the three sisters in northern Wisconsin, with the potential of adopting the system in community, school and private gardens in the area. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the three sisters garden in relation to monoculture systems in terms of crop yield and caloric value when grown organically. Soil temperature, soil moisture, insect damage, and weed cover among the different treatments will also be compared. The field methods were carried out during the 2006 growing season at both the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center and the Bad River Community Garden. Crop cultivars used were traditional, heirloom varieties that have historical and cultural significance among the Native American communities in the area. This study is being carried out in hopes that it will benefit Native Americans and the organic gardening community by scientifically testing claims to the benefits of the three sisters garden, and by determining whether or not there are advantages of the three sisters garden versus conventional row-cropping systems. Rhea Martinez of Tallahassee, Fla., is a graduate student at The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She is currently working towards her MS degree in natural resources, focusing on sustainable agriculture. Rhea received her BS degree in biology from Appalachian State University in 1999. Her faculty adviser is Professor Mai Phillips, GEM senior scientist.
