St. Ignace in Mackinac County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Anishinaabe Garden
gitigaan
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 2, 2023
1. Anishinaabe Garden Marker
Inscription.
Anishinaabe Garden. gitigaan. The Three Sisters garden gitigaan was a traditional way of planting three main agricultural crops: corn mandaamin, beans mashkodesimin, and squash okanakosimaan. Each crop benefitted from one another. The corn seed was planted in a mound. As the cornstalk began to grow the beans were planted. The stalk created a structure for the bean vines biimaakwad to climb. The beans provided a source of nitrogen to enrich the soil. The squash seeds were planted and began to spread along the ground. Their large leaves helped retain moisture and provide a natural sunblock thus preventing weeds from taking over the garden., Further research on the three sisters can reveal several legends about the origins of the garden and their connection with the physical and spiritual well being of the village.
The Three Sisters garden gitigaan was a
traditional way of planting three main agricultural
crops: corn mandaamin, beans mashkodesimin,
and squash okanakosimaan. Each crop
benefitted from one another. The corn seed was
planted in a mound. As the cornstalk began to
grow the beans were planted. The stalk created a
structure for the bean vines biimaakwad to climb.
The beans provided a source of nitrogen to enrich
the soil. The squash seeds were planted and
began to spread along the ground. Their large
leaves helped retain moisture and provide a
natural sunblock thus preventing weeds from
taking over the garden.
Further research on the three sisters can reveal
several legends about the origins of the garden
and their connection with the
physical and spiritual well
being of the village.
Location. 45° 52.316′ N, 84° 43.904′ W. Marker is in St. Ignace, Michigan, in Mackinac County. It is at the intersection of North State Street (Business Interstate 75) and Marquette Street, on the right when traveling south on North State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 North State Street, Saint Ignace MI 49781, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and on the Straits of Mackinac. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France and also the Northwest Territory.
Anishinaabe Garden is one of the outside exhibits at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 16, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 16, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
