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1
Drain the soaked beans and place them in a heavy pot, cover with 1.5 litres of cold water, and bring to a full boil before reducing to a steady simmer — starting in cold water rather than hot draws the starch out gradually, so the cooking liquid builds into that lightly gelatinous broth that will carry the whole stew. Cook uncovered for approximately 90 minutes, skimming any foam that rises in the first 10 minutes so the broth stays clear and clean-tasting. The beans are ready when they are completely tender throughout and the broth coats the back of a spoon.
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2
Add the rendered fat to the bean pot and stir to incorporate, then add the cedar tip or dried sumac if using — the fat binds the starchy broth and the herb into something richer and more coherent than either would achieve alone, rounding out what would otherwise be a one-dimensional flavour. Stir until the fat is no longer visible as a separate slick on the surface. The broth should smell faintly of smoke or resin from the cedar or sumac.
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3
Add the large cubes of squash to the simmering broth and cook for 15–20 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the cubes must soften until a skewer meets only slight resistance at the centre, but must hold their shape intact — if they are cut too small or cooked too long, they dissolve into the broth and the stew loses its structure and the vegetable's distinct sweetness. Taste a cube at 15 minutes; it should be yielding but still hold a clean edge when lifted on a spoon.
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4
Add the corn rounds to the pot and simmer for 10–15 minutes, so the starch at the cut faces of each round has time to soften and release its faint milky sweetness into the broth without the kernels going slack and starchy. The corn is done when the kernels are tender and bright. Taste the broth to confirm that quiet sweetness has come through — it should be clearly present but not cloying.
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5
Remove the cedar sprigs if used. Season with cedar-smoked salt or wood ash in very small increments, adding little by little so the mineral, slightly alkaline character lifts the other flavours without announcing itself — the vegetables' natural sweetness and earthiness are the flavour statement, and salt here is there to bring them forward, not to dominate. The stew is ready when the broth is savoury and round and no single ingredient dominates; serve from a communal vessel with frybread or corn mush alongside.