The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-05-22
INDIAN MAPLE SUGAR
THE RED MAN TAUGHT THE WHITE
MAN TO MAKE THE DAINTY.

Very few of the people to whom ma
pie sugar Is an entirely familiar ana
commonplace thing are aware of the
fact that the method of making sugar
was taught to the white people by the
Indians and that they made sugar long
before the discovery Of America. This
is only one of the many things that the
white people learned from the Indians.
Others were the weaving of cotton. the
cultivation of Indian corn and the use
of tobacco.
Some of the early writers tell us that
the French were the first to make this
sugar and that they learned how to
make II from the Indian women. The
sap was collected in rude way, n cash
being cut In the tree, and into this
stick was thrust, down which the free.
ly flowing sap dripped into n vessel Of
birch bark or n gourd or into wooden
troughs followed out by fire or the Az
Then into larger wooden troughs full
of the sap redhot stones were thrown,
just as In old times they used TO be
thrown into the water In which food
was boiled, and by constantly throwing
In hot stones and taking out those that
had become cool the sap was boiled
and evaporated and at length slrup
was made. which later became sugar.
This manufacture of the sugar was
not confined to any one tribe. but was
practiced by all northern Indians and
was known to those living rs far south
as Florida and Texas. Among the
sugar making tribes special festival
was held, which was called the maple
dance. which was undoubtedly n re-
liglous festival in the nature of a
prayer or proptiatory ceremony, ask
ing for an abundant flow of sap and
for good fortune in collecting it.
Among many If not all the Indians
Inhabting the northern United States
maple sugar was not merely n luxury.
something eaten because II was tooth
some. but was actually an important
part of their support Mixed with
pounded. parched corn, II was put up
I'm small quantities and was n concen-
trated form of nutriment not much
less valuable In respect to its quality
of support than the pemmican which
was used almost down to our own
times.
Among all the older writer's who had
much familiarity with the customs of
the Indians accounts are given of the
manufacture of sugar. and this custom
was so general that among many
tribes the month In which the sap ran
best was called the sugar month. BY
the Iroquois the name Ratirontaks,
meaning tree eaters. was applied to the
Algonquin tribes, and an eminent au-
thority, DR.. Brinton. has suggested
that they were probably 80 called
from their love of the product of the
sugar maple" On the other hand,
A. II. Chamberlain has very plauslbly
said "that 1t Is hardly likely that the
Iroquois distinguished other tribes by
this term, II Its origin be as suggested,
since they themselves were sugar max
ers and eaters"
A more probable origin of the word is
that given by Schoolcraft, In substance
as follows: "Ratlrontaks, whence Adj
r0ndacks, was applied chiefly to the
Montagnais tribes, north of the st
Lawrence, and was n derlsive term in
dlcating well known habit of these
tribes Of eating the inner bark Of trees
In winter when food was scarce oil
when on war excursions"
This habit of eating the inner bark OF
trees was, as Is well known, common
to many tribes OF Indians. both those
who inhabit the country where the sug
ar maple grows and also those in othei
parts Of the country where the maple
is unknown.
On the western prairies sugar wa'
made also from the box elder. which
trees were tapped by the Indians ant
the sap boiled down for sugar. and to
day the Cheyenne Indians tell us tha
It was from this tree that they derived
all the sugar that they had until tn,
arrival of the white man on the plains
something more than 30 years ago.
1t Is interesting to observe that II
many tribes today the word for suga
is precisely the word which they ap
piled to the product Of the maple tre
before they knew the white mans sug
ar. 1t Is interesting also to see tha
among many tribes the general tern
for sugar means wood or tree water
that Is to say, tree sap. This is true o
the Omahas and Poncas, according t
j. o. Dorsey, and also of the Kansas
Usage and Iowa. Winnebago. Tuscarc
ra and Pawnee. The Cheyenncs. o.
the other hand call II box elder water
A. r. Chamberlain. who has gone wit
grent care into the question of tn
meaning Of the words which deslgnat
the maple tree aud it's product. is dis
posed 10 believe that the name of th
maple means he tree-in other words
the renl or actual tree or the tree whic
stands above all others.--Forest an
Stream.