The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14
THE MAKING OF MAPLE SUGAR.
It's Manufacture Taught Ia Whites
by Indians.
tFrom Forest and strcanD

Very few OF the people to whom maple
sugar il an entirely familiar and common
place thing are aware sf the fact that the
method OF making sugar was taught to the
white people 10y the Indians, and that they
made sugar long before the discovery OF
I America. This Is only one OF the MANY
things that the white people learned from
the Indians Others were the weaving al
cotton the cultivation Of Indian corn and
the use OF tobacco.
Some of the early writer's tell Us that The
French We're the first 10 make this sugar.
ana that they learned how to make il from
the indian women. The sap was collected
IN a rude way. cash being cut in the
tree and into this q stick was thrust,
down which the freely flowing sap driDped
into vessel of birch bark or a gourd or
into wooden trOughS followed out By fire
or the ak Then into larger wooden
( tr0ughs full of the sap red hot stones
were thrown-iust as in old times they
used 20 be thrown into the water in
which food was boiled-and " con-
Stantly throwing in hot stones and taking
out those that had become cool the sap
was boiled and evapOrated. and at length
the syrup was made, which later became
sugar
This manufacture Of the sugar was not
confined 10 any one tribe, but was prac-
ticed by all Northern Indians. and was
known 10 those living as far south as
Florida and Texas. Among the sugar
making tribes special festival was held.
which was called the maple dance. which
was undoubtedly a religious festival in
ceremony, asking for an abundant flow OF
sap and for good fortune in collecting il.
Among many If not all the Indians in
habiting the Northern United States
maple sugar was not merely luxury
something eaten because il was tooth
sOme-but was actually an important part
Of their support Mixed with pounded.
parched corn IL was put up in small guam
titles and was a concentrated form of
nutriment not much less valuable in re-
spect 10 its quality of support than the
FVnr ~ .H ffi 4.
10 our own times.
Among ALI the older writer's who had
much familiarity with the customs OF the
Indians, accounts are given of the manu-
facture 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 GroqIois the name Ratirontaks
meaning tree eaters, was applied 10 the
Algonquin tribes, and an eminent author
ity. Or. Brinton, has suggested that
love Of the product Of the sugar maple "
On the other hand, A. +. Chamberlain
has very plausibly said that il Is hardly
likely that the Iroquois distinguished
other tribes by this term, If it's origin be
as suggested, since they themselves were
sugar makers and eaters. A more prob
able origin Of the word is that given by
SchoOlcraft. in substance as follows:
"Ratirontaks. whence Adirondacks, was
applied chiefly 10 the Montagnais tribes
north OF the st Lawrence, and WAS q
ucfiSlNe term INDICATING Well-knDWn
habit Of these tribes of eating the inner
bark of trees i'm winter when food was
scarce, or when on war excursions This
habit OF eating the inner bark of trees
was. - is we'll known, common to many
tribes Of Indians, both those who inhabit
the country where the sugar maple grows
and also those ia other parts of the coun-
Try whore the maple tx unknown.
On the Western .prairies sugar was
made also from the box elder, which trees
were tapped by the Indians and the sap
boiled down for sugar, and today the
Cheyenne Indians tell as that IL was
from this tree that they derived all the
sugar that they had until the arrival of
The white man on the plains something
more than nifty years ago.
II Is interesting To observe that IN many
tribes today the word for sugar is pre-
csely the word which they applied to the
product Of the maple tree before they
knew the white mans sugar, ii is in
terestinR, also, 10 see that among many
tribes the general term for sugar means
wood or tree water-that is TO say. tree
sap. This il true OF the Omshas and
Poncas according to j. o. Dorsey and
also Of the Kansas Usage and Iowa
Ninnebago, Tusca rors. and PaWnee The
Cheyennesi on the other hand. cali il box
elder water. A. +. Chamberlain who has
gone with great care into the question of
the meaning Of the words which desig-
nate the taDle tree and it's product is
disposed 10 believe that the name OF the
maple means the tree-iff& other words
the real or actual tree. or the tree which
stands above all others