Kentucky American Indian Resource and Community Center, Inc
"Native People Building a Strong Native Community"
Medicinal Garden
In May of 2025, Bernheim built five new raised garden beds in front of the Visitor's Center for
Sweet Grass, Prairie Sage, Tobacco
and The Three Sisters
The eldest sister, corn, would be the first to begin her cycle of life.
Growing tall and strong, her stalk would provide a natural trellis upon which her sister, beans, could grow.
Her vines would encircle and gently hug sister corn, while reaching for the sun.
Soon, the youngest sister, squash, would spread out to cover the mound of dirt where they lived together.
Her shady leaves preserved the moisture in their earthly home and would steal away
precious sunlight from weeds and other uninvited strangers.
The prickly stems of squash also provided protection against pests attempting to invade her sisters' home.
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And so, the three sisters would continue to live and grow together, eventually presenting
their own gifts to whomever help tend their mound of earth.
Within their fruits would be offspring for future generations of helpful,
loving sisters, willing to share in the great cycle of life.
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In May of 2025, we launched our first garden at Bernheim Forest with five custom-built planter boxes just outside the Visitor Center, designed and installed in partnership with KAIRCC. This small but powerful space was rooted in Indigenous foodways and community care, offering a hands-on way to reconnect with ancestral knowledge. Each box served as a living classroom, growing native and culturally significant plants while inviting visitors to reflect, learn, and engage. It was a seed of something bigger, grounded in tradition, growing toward shared stewardship.
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In October, we harvested our first Three Sisters crops from the Bernheim garden, corn, beans, and squash grown in harmony, just as our ancestors taught. This harvest was more than seasonal; it was ceremonial. Each ear of corn, each curling bean vine, each sprawling squash leaf told a story of interdependence and care. The corn stood tall, offering its strength; the beans climbed and nourished; the squash spread wide, shielding the soil and protecting her sisters. Together, they embodied a living lesson in balance and reciprocity. As we gathered their gifts, we honored the teachings embedded in their growth, ancestral wisdom rooted in the land, now shared with every hand that helped tend the soil. The garden’s five planters, once bare, became a site of abundance, gratitude, and renewal.
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