Buffalo Bird Woman's garden

Buffalo Bird Woman, a Hidatsa Indian born about 1839, was an expert gardener. Following centuries-old methods, she and the women of her family raised huge crops of corn, squash, beans, and sunflowers in the rich bottomlands of the Missouri River in what is now North Dakota. Here she shares her horticultural secrets, describing a year of activities in the garden, from preparing and planting the fields through cultivating, harvesting, and storing foods. She gives recipes for cooking typical Hidatsa dishes and she tells of the stories, songs and ceremonies that were essential to a bountiful harvest.