Search

This book describes the traditional method of making maple syrup and maple sugar as practiced by the Anishinabe people in Minnesota. It begins with the Ojibway story of Ininatig "the man tree" and how Native Americans have relied on the sugar maple tree for food. It then tells how an Anishinabe man named Porky White continues his people's traditions by teaching students to tap trees and make maple sugar. Each spring, hundreds of children from schools in the Minneapolis area come to his sugar bush camp to learn about sugar making. Friends and family live at the camp during the 2-3 weeks of sugar making. Porky tells traditional stories and remembers his boyhood when birch bark, rather than plastic, containers were used. Respect and thankfulness for the trees is a theme that is present throughout the book. Includes many color photographs, a word list, and recommended further reading list. (TD)