Braiding Sweetgrass. One example she gives is the Three Sisters—corn, beans, squash—and why Indigenous communities planted them, not in discrete, manicured, and monocrop rows, but always bundled together. In this way, each plant ensured the other two sisters could get their needs met; together they flourished. The corn provides the scaffolding; the “curious” bean meanders in many different directions but cannot overwhelm the space the corn has marked for herself. The squash provides shade and a microclimate with her big leaves. The soil thrives, ensuring a healthy environment for the next
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