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The Three Sisters |
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Before Europeans
, the Iroquois were farmers, and hunters. The main crops
were corn, beans, and squash and were considered
special gifts from the Creator. The Haudenosaunee
called them the "three sisters" and imagined them as beautiful women clothed
in the plants.
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To Native Americans, however, the meaning of
the Three Sisters runs deep into the physical
and spiritual well-being
of their people. Known as the "sustainers
of life
," the Iroquois consider corn, beans and squash to be special gifts from
the Creator. The well-being
of each crop is believed to be protected by one of the Three Sister Spirits.
Many an Indian legend has been woven
around the "Three Sisters" -sisters who would never be
apart
from one another- sisters who should be planted together, eaten together
and celebrated together.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
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separated
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plants that are grown and used for food
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people who live or lived in Europe
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another name for the Iroquois people that
they call themselves
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something that you can see, hear, taste,
touch or smell
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a healthy or happy feeling about a religion
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the ones that supported life and helped
it to survive
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health
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people thought they were
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past tense of weave, it means "interlaced
together"
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