Database: Haudenosaunee Economy – The Three Sisters

The primary economy of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was horticulture, cultivating what the Haudenosaunee call the Three Sisters - corn, beans and squash. The women of the village were primarily in charge of the community's economy and tended to the fields, while the men supplemented their economy through hunting and fishing.

The Haudenosaunee economy figures prominently in their spiritual cycle of ceremonies as the Haudenosaunee will hold thanksgiving ceremonies to welcome and honor a particular plant or food during corresponding seasons.

When George Washington wanted to neutralize the Haudenosaunee Confederacy during the American Revolution, he ordered General Sullivan to destroy every Haudenosaunee village specifically targeting their cornfields - an act that earned Washington (and succeeding Presidents) the title Ranatakáriias (Town Destroyer).