St. Regis Mohawk School Pre-K students were able to go on a short field trip to the newly built sugar shack across the street from the school building.
Owners Stacey and Gabe Oakes welcomed the students to their sugar shack this month to help them learn about the tradition of maple sugaring. Dean and Doogie George spent time teaching students about how maple syrup is made and the traditional teachings behind the process.
The children learned about how the season is always opened with the burning of sacred tobacco.
Students were asked to say “niawen,” which means to give thanks in Kanien’kéha, to the sap before they had a taste. From there, they were able to see how sap is turned into maple syrup with the use of a boiler.
The classes were also told the legend of “wâhta ôhses,” which means maple syrup, and how we look for signs of spring to know it is time to tap the trees.
At the end of each presentation, all students were able to participate in the “tsiskokoˀnêha,” which means Robin Dance. Each student was given a small bottle of maple syrup to take home with them.
