Beans, Corn, and Squash, pioneered by the Indians of central Mexico, were called “The Three Sisters” by many tribes in the Northeast. A narrative in the Curtin and Hewitt collection tells of Bean Woman.

Long, long ago there was a certain village located near a river. The people heard singing coming from downstream. It was Bean Woman who sang, “Who will marry me?” The first to answer her was Panther Man. Bean Woman asked, “If I marry you, what will you give me to eat?” Panther Man’s reply was that he would keep her supplied with meat. But, Bean Woman said, “In that case, I cannot marry you as I cannot eat that kind of food.”

So she again sang, “Who will marry me? Isn’t there anyone who will marry me?” Soon Deer Man drew near and offered to marry her. “What will you give me to eat if I marry you?” she asked. Deer Man replied, “We will have buds and the bark from tender young saplings for our food.” To that Bean Woman sighed, “That will not do. I have never had buds nor bark for food.”

A third time Bean Woman sang out, “Is there anyone who is willing to marry me? Let him come and ask me.” This time Bear Man came and said, “Yes, please marry me.” Once again Bean Woman asked, “What sort of food will you provide for me?” Bear Man told her of all the many baskets of nuts that he had stored away. She could eat as many nuts as she wished. But, Bean Woman rejected his offer as well.

Again, Bean Woman began singing, “Is there anyone who will marry me?” The fourth suitor was Wolf Man, who said, “I am willing. Marry me.” Bean Woman asked Wolf Man the same question that she had asked the others, “If I marry you, what will you bring me to eat?” Wolf Man said, “I will bring meat and venison for you to eat.” But Bean Woman refused to eat that sort of food and sent him away.

Bean Woman sang again, “Is there anyone willing to marry me? Let him ask me.” Corn Man approached and said, “I am willing, if you will accept me.” Bean Woman asked him, “What sort of food would you provide for me, if I marry you?” Corn Man said, “You will have sweet corn to eat always.” This was the answer Bean Woman had been longing for, and when she accepted his offer of marriage, Corn Man said, “Come to me.” Bean Woman rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck. “This is what our Creator meant for us.” Bean Woman and Corn Man continued to happily live together. This is why we find the bean vine embracing the corn stalk even to this day.

Further reading:

• Curtin, Jeremiah, and J. N. B. Hewitt. Seneca Fiction, Legends, and Myths. ThirtySecond Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1910–1911. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1918.

Taken from : Handbook of Native American Mythology written by Dawn E. Bastian and Judy K. Mitchell – Copyright © 2004