Green Spaces Project of
the Month
March
2003 - Three Sisters
- Good Road Community Gardens, Newcastle
upon Tyne
Contact: Steve Tinling, tel. 0191 278
1969
The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Native
American tribe were the first to tell the
story of Three Sisters, who grew up
together in harmony – corn, beans
and squash. It is a story that is shared
by people in the Caribbean, and one we
can learn from here in Britain. In
Newcastle upon Tyne in the cold North
East of England, an innovative project
aims to investigate how different Native
American cultures have developed
sustainable horticultural methods and
demonstrate how these principals can be
applied over here.
Good Road community garden is an
experiment in ecologically sound
approaches to vegetable gardening, such
as organic composting, companion planting
and biological control of pests. This is
a wonderful urban green space, which can
be used as an inspiration and a resource
by community groups interested in food
growing or in cultural diversity.
Meanwhile, visits from Native American
teachers introduce school children to
accurate information about the lifestyles
of First Nation peoples, who often lived
in harmony with nature, and whom the
children may otherwise never have the
chance to meet. This project highlights
the fact that interest in different
cultures is not about focussing on the
countries of origin of local ethnic
minority groups. For there is no
significant community of Native Americans
living in Britain; yet through projects
like Three Sisters, white children are
able to learn about the richness of other
cultures, and how this can be drawn upon
to enrich their own culture.
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