Native Americans did eat squash but not butternut squash as butternut squash is a modern variety of squash.
Butternut squash was developed in the 20th century, although Native Americans ate the ancestor varieties of butternut squash.
Squash was a staple of the Native Americans diet and also a key part of the Three Sisters agricultural system.
Squash was a fundamental food source for many Native American tribes for thousands of years, which was long before Europeans arrived.
And squash was one of the 3 main crops, along with corn and beans that were traditionally planted together.
Ancient methods of preparing squash also included baking the squash whole in coals, slicing the squash and boiling the squash and drying the squash for winter storage.
The seeds of the squash were also roasted or dried and eaten.
Butternut squash is a modern hybrid squash that is a descendant of the winter squashes, like Cucurbita moschata, which were cultivated and eaten by Native Americans across the continent.
The three sister rule is an ancient Native American companion planting method for growing beans, corns and squash together.
The three sisters rule is a symbiotic relationship that works for planting the beans, corns and squash together because the corn provides a stalk for the beans to climb, the beans help by fixing the nitrogen in the soil for other plants and the squash vines also spread out to shade the soil, retain moisture and suppress weeds.
For the corn, the sturdy corn stalks acts as a natural trellis for the climbing beans, creating a good supportive structure for the climbing beans.
The beans or legumes like pole beans are nitrogen fixers, that mean that they pull nitrogen from the air and then convert that nitrogen into a usable form in the soil, which then fertilizes the other plants.
And the large, low lying leaves of the squash plants shade the ground and help retain the moisture and suppress the weeds, reducing the need for watering and weeding.
Planting and growing the corn, beans and squash together is a very beneficial way of growing the corn, beans and squash.
The nitrogen fixing beans enrich the soil for the other crops.
The plants benefit from each other's presence, leading to better yields.
And the three sister rule method also allows for a diverse and productive garden in a single area.
It's an ancient practice that has been used for many years and reflects a deep understanding of ecological balance and is also a cornerstone of many Indigenous farming traditions.