Brother Crow, Sister Corn

Brother Crow, Sister Corn: Traditional American Indian Gardening was my first book. It came out in 1997.

From the back cover:

Brother Crow, Sister Corn explores early American Indians' centuries-old gardening traditions. The gardens that native people tended were often crucial components of their cultures and the subject of myths, songs, and legends. In addition to Sister Corn, they cultivated tobacco, geans, squash, rice, watermelon, sunflowers (for both seeds and tubers), sweet potato, peanuts, lima beans, tomatoes, peas, maple syrup onions, wheat, grapes and apricots, to name just a few.

Additionally, gardening formed the basis of trade relations among the tribes. The book traces a circle of trade that encompasses the entire West of what is now the continental US.

Review from Booklist as quoted on Amazon.com:

Buchanan's book seeks to shed light on the American Indians' style of gardening and how gardening connected them with the earth. She explains the two types of gardening they practice: the first method is cultivating vegetables and tobacco for food, religious purposes, and trade; and the second is harvesting native plants, then saving enough seeds for the next year. She describes what they grow--corn, beans, and squash were the basic foods--and their methods for harvesting and storing the crops. Buchanan also explains the American Indians' traditional view of sacred plants and colors, their first fruits and tobacco ceremonies, and their trading practices. The book includes ancient American Indian songs and myths and 19 illustrations. Buchanan's is more than a gardening book; it offers a fascinating look at American Indian cultures and their spiritual relationship with the earth. George Cohen

Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but I own the rights and can have it reprinted if there is enough interest.

 

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