Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-07-09
FIRST MAPLE SUGAR.
a CLAIM THAT ITS DISCOVERY WAS
ACCIDENTAL.

The Story Of the Indian squaw who Boiled
Moose Meat For Her Lord In Sep From
Maple Trses-How the Carelessness Of
Moqua Brought Her Praise.
It does not appear that any record was
made of aboriginal methods of tapping the
maple and converting It's sap into sugar,
nor is the Oldest maple old enough to tell
us, though it had the gift of speech or sign
making Ineligible to u.s. We can only
guess that the primitive Algonquin labori-
ously inflicted barbarous wound with his
stone Ratchet and with a stone gouge cut
a place for spout SO far settling the
fashion, which was long followed by white
men with only the difference that better
tools made possible. Or we may guess
that the Indian, taking hint from his lit
tie red brother Niquasese, the squirrel, who
taps the smooth barked branches, broke
these off and caught the sap in suspended
vessels Of birch bark, than which no cleaner
and sweeter receptacle could be imagined.
Doubtless the boiling was done in the
earthen kOkhs, or pots, some OF which had
a capacity Of several gallons. According
to Indian myths, it was taught by Q heaven
sent instructor.
The true story Of the discovery of maple
sugar making is in the legend of Woksis,
the mighty hunter Going forth one
morning to the chase, he babe Moqua, the
squaw of his bosom, to have a choice cut
of moose meat boiled for him when he
should return, and that she might be re-
minded of the time he stuck stake in the
snow and made a straight mark out from
it in the place where it's shadow would
then fall She promised strict compliance,
and as he departed she hewed off the de-
sired tidbit with her sharpest stone knife,
and filling her best kokh with clean snow
for melting hung it over the fire. Then
she sat down on u bearskin and began en-
broidering q pair of moccasins with vari-
ously dyed porcupine quilts.
This was q labor Of love, for the moe
casins, Of the finest deerskin, were for her
lord She became SO absorbed in the work
that the kokh was forgotten till the bark
cord that suspended it was burned off and
1t spilled its contents on the fire with a
startling, quenching, scattering explosion
that filled the wigwam with steam and
smoke. She lifted the overturned vessel
from the embers and ashes by stick
thrust into its four cornered mouth, and
when it was cool enough to handle she re-
paired it with a new bail of bark, and the
kokh was ready for service again. But
the shadow of the stake had swung SO far
toward the mark that she knew there was
not time to melt snow to boil the dinner
Happily she bethought her of the great
maple behind the wigwam, tapped merely
for the provision Of q pleasant drink, but
the sweet water might serve better pur-
pose now So she filled the kokh with sap
and hung it over the mended fire In
spite of impatient watching it presently
began to boil, whereupon she popped the
ample ration OF moose meat into it and set
u cake of pounded corn to bake on the tilt
ed slab before the fire. Then she resumed
her embroidery, in which the sharp point
of each thread supplied it's own needle
The work grew more and more interest
ing. The central figure her husbands
totem Of the bear, was becoming so life
like that it could easily be distinguished
from the wolves, eagles and turtles of the
other tribal clans. In Imagination she al
ready beheld the moccasins ON the feet Of
her noble Woksis, now stealing in awful
silence along the warpath, now ON the
neck Of the fallen foe, now returning jul
bilant with triumph or fleeing homeward
ALOih uCLCiO W CdSO tlC SildIllc VI
by kicking her, in which case she felt her
self bearing, as ever, her useful part. So
she dreamed and worked, stitch by STITCH
while the hours passed unheeded, the
shadow crept past the mark, the kokh
boiled low, and the cake gave forth the
smell of burning. Alas, the cake was a
blackened crisp, and, 10, the once juicy
piece of meat was a shriveled morsel in
the midst of a gummy, dark brown sub
stance
She snatched kokh and cake from the
fire, and then, hearing her husband COM
ing, she ran and hid herself in the nearest
thicket of evergreens for she knew that
when he found not wherewith to appease
the rage of hunger he would be seized with
more terrible one against her. Listening
awhile with quaking heart, and catching
no alarming sound, but aware instead of
an unaccountable silence, she ventured
forth and peeped into the wigwam.
Woksis sat by the fire eating with his
fingers from the kokh, while his face shone
with an expression of supreme content and
enjoyment. With wonder she watched him
devour the last morsel, but her wonder was
greater when she saw him deliberately
break the earthen pot and lick the last yes
tige of spoiled cookery from the shards.
She could not restrain Il surprised cry, and
discovering her he addressed her:
80 woman of women! Didst thou con-
ceive this marvel of cookery, or has Klose-
kur- Beh been thy instructors"
Being woman, she had the wit to
withhold the exact truth, but permitted
him to believe whatever he would
LET me embrace thee," he cried And
upon his lips sho tasted the first maple
sugar.
The discovery was made public, and
kokhs Of sap were presently boiling in ev-
cry wigwam. All were SO anxious to get
every atom of the precious sweet that they
broke the kolhs and scraped the pieces,
just as Woksis the first sugar eater, had
done And that is why there arc SO many
fragments of broken pottery and SO few
whole vessels to be found
Monthly