Long ago there were three sisters who lived together in an endless field. To look at them one could see that they were very different from each other in every way, yet they were Sisters none the less.
The youngest of the three was very young and was only able to crawl. They had dressed her in the bright and beautiful color of green.
The middle sister could be seen to wear a bright yellow dress and she often would run off to play when Father Sun shared his light and gentle winds raced the lands.
The oldest sister could be found standing straight and tall above her sisters in order to keep watch over them. She was dressed in a pale green shawl and her hair that was a soft pale yellow could often be seen gently blowing across her face as she stood high upon the field.
The one way in which they were all the same was how they were connected. They loved each other with all their hearts, they were family and they stayed together as such. This created a bond that made them very, very strong.
One day a stranger happened along and came to visit the home of the Three Sisters. It was a young boy from the nearby village. They watched him as he spoke with the winged ones, the four leggeds and others that were Sacred to the Sisters. This warmed their hearts and made them smile.
That summer the young boy returned, spent the day and when he was gone the youngest sister had disappeared. Her sisters cried and didn’t know what had happened to her. In the days to come the young boy of the village returned to gather the sacred sweetgrass that grew at the water’s edge. The two remaining sisters watched as his feet left their trail in the soft earth back towards his village.
That evening as Grandmother Moon spread her blanket across the sky, the oldest sister discovered that her middle sister had disappeared as well. She stood and wept for her loss. Now the older sister was left alone but she continued to stand tall in the field.
Soon the young boy came back and upon seeing how much she missed her sisters he gathered her up and took her to be back with her sisters, understanding that together the love they had for each other was strong and it was what created family.
The Three Sisters are represented as…
Sister Bean
Sister Bean is dressed all in green. At first when she was young she could only crawl. Now as she grows, she clings to and leans on her Sister Corn for support. In return, Sister Bean gives her sister the nutrients she needs to grow.
Sister Squash
The middle sister is Sister Squash although sometimes she is called Pumpkin. She wears a bright, sunshine yellow dress and a golden crown and sits at the feet of her older sisters. She is much shorter than her sisters and her large leaves help keep the weeds away and the soil moist. Her vines are prickly and help to keep unwanted animals away from her sisters.
Sister Corn
The eldest is Sister Corn. She wears a pale green shawl and has silken hair that rustles when the wind blows through it. She grows tall and strong and allows her sister to lean on her for support. She keeps watch over her sisters, looking for danger and warning them.
This also creates a strong foundation for our gardens, the mainstay staples that will provide nutrition to our families.
Mitakuye O`yasin
~ bear Medicinewalker
Three Sisters by Jonny Lipford available at and from Rhythm of the Rain Horse CD
