USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Iroquois and the Cherokee called corn, bean, and squash “the three sisters” because they nurture each other like family when planted together. These agriculturalists placed corn in small hills planting beans around them and interspersing squash throughout of the field.

Detailed explanation-2: -Anthropologists have found petrified corncobs over 5000 years old in Indian ruins. Columbus took corn back to Spain, and from there, corn was introduced to western European farmers. The Indian name for corn is maize (ma-hiz). Indians helped early European settlers by teaching them how to grow corn to eat.

Detailed explanation-3: -The corn stalk acts as a trellis for the beans. Bacteria that grow on the bean plants feed on sugar from the corn’s roots and convert nitrogen in the air into a form the plants can use, releasing nitrogen into the soil and providing fertilizer for the corn and squash.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or Our Sustainers. The planting season is marked by ceremonies to honor them, and a festival commemorates the first harvest of green corn on the cob.