The Electa Quinney Institute’s Field to Fire internship, with a cohort of four interns, are using traditional methods to grow the three sisters (beans, corn, and squash) in gardens both on and beyond campus!
Ukwakhwa: Tsinu Niyukwayayʌthoslua (in Oneida, this means ‘Our Foods: where we plant things’) is a farm on the Oneida reservation which incorporates traditional Haudenosaunee growing methods. Ukwakhwa donated the seeds to Field to Fire as part of their annual seed giveaway. Specifically, the interns are growing Canada crookneck squash, Kanʌstóhale teyotyehst osahé·taʔ (old style cornbread bean), Owiske osahé·taʔ (Oneida white kidney bean), King Philip corn, and Yelanókwa (bear bean).
To kick off the internship, students traveled to Ukwakhwa in late May to participate in the farm’s annual field day and to help plant beans. A few weeks later, the interns returned to the farm to help clear weeds around their corn, as well as to receive a tour of the farm and share a meal.
Back on campus, the interns spent days weeding out a gardening space in front of the Physics Building. They took careful precaution to research various weeds present in the space before pulling, and to leave alone plants with potential benefits for the garden and the community, such as dandelions. Rowan, one of Field to Fire’s interns, gathered various edible plants to bring home and use in her cooking. The remaining weeds were donated to the UWM Office of Sustainability for composting.
The internship also utilizes the rooftop garden above the Sandburg Residence Halls, which was originally built in 2012 and has served a variety of purposes over the years, including growing produce for the campus food pantry. Today, the rooftop garden features 37 Three Sisters mounds, created using traditional Haudenosaunee planting methods. In this tradition, corn, beans, and squash are planted together in small mounds, with corn planted first and beans and squash added once the corn reaches approximately six inches in height. Utilizing traditional planting methods such as the three sisters mounds not only keep cultural practices alive but also benefits the local ecosystem in which is home to these plants.
Field to Fire’s crops have sprouted and are growing steadily with no complications. They are also taking care of wild strawberry plants sprouted on the rooftop from previous gardeners, which they intend on harvesting later in the season.
On September 29th at 12 PM, the internship will conclude with a gathering at the EQI Fire Circle where the interns and our community can share a soup made from their harvest. The Field to Fire interns are excited to continue developing their relationship with the seeds, and to see how they can nurture our community during the fall harvest.
– Written by Silvia Steffes