Jars of maple candy
A Kanien'kehá:ka man from Brooklyn, Ahnaeiha, stands in front of the Ganienkeh Longhouse sign in 1977. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Mitch Deer
In Ganienkeh, the Warchief, who was the main guy for maple, used to tell me, “Boil it longer”, because he didn’t like the fancy grade A syrup. It’s too light. He would say, “Keep boiling it until it gets darker and more mapley and tasty”. What that does is it concentrates the sugar a little more.
The women take it out of the bucket and put it into jars around the table. You put that in your tea or coffee. There was always syrup around the tables. We all had maple syrup to sweeten our stuff.
When you empty that bucket, because you concentrate the sugar by boiling it longer, it crystallises around the sides. And you know what that is? It’s candy.
I had a big paper out on my porch and would take all that out of the bucket, bust it all up, pour it all out and let it dry, then put it in jars. So I had crystallised candy in one jar, squares in another one and diamond-looking candy in the other. There were different sizes.
We used to go to socials, in Akwesasne and Ganienkeh, and I would bring these jars with me, give them to the kids. They loved it.
They’d come up to me and say, “Hey, you got any more of that candy?”
“Yeah, I’ve got some more”.
I always had jars of rock candy and I used to feed the kids with that.
Katshè:takon wáhta wattsikhe’tateweièn:ton
At the sugar shack in Ganienkeh, three men are seen at work as one of them brings in the maple sap harvest, pulled by two horses. Mitch Deer, who was involved in various tasks around Ganienkeh, worked at this sugar shack from 1977 to 1984. (Courtesy: Mitch Deer)
Mitch Deer roká:raton
Rohsken’rakehte’kó:wa thaia’takwe’ní:io ne wáhta aorihwà:ke ne Ganienkeh, rakhró:ri shes, “Ísi’ nón: nikarì:wes seríha’t”, ase’kén iah tehawé:ka’s thí:ken iotkwénie’s A grade óshes. Sótsi kashestarà:ken. Enhèn:ron’, “Serihà:thak tsi niió:re sénha enkashestahòn:tsi’ne’ tánon’ sénha eniawakon’onhtsheraién:take’”. Nè:’e ne enwáhste’te’ ne sénha taiotsikhè:tara’ne’.
Konnón:kwe tenkontinà:tsahkwe’ thó:ner katshe’takónhshon ienkónweron’ tánon’ atekhwahráhne enkontihrónnion’. Enwá:ton’ ne énhsatste’ tóka’ tí: tóka’ ni’ ohso’kwákeri sahnekì:ren. Tiótkon shes katshe’tahrónnion ne wáhta óshes atekhwahrahnéhshon. Akwé:kon wáhta óshes ionkwaién:tahkwe’ taiakwatsikhè:tarahste’ nahò:ten’k.
Nó:nen enhskahrhaté:ni’ ne kanà:tson, enhsáttoke’ tsi iotsikhe’tahí:ron iotsikhe’tanentá:kon ne kanà:tsakon, ase’kén ísi’ nón: nikarì:wes wahseríha’te’ ne óshes. Saterièn:tare’ ken nahò:ten’ thí:ken? Wahstè:ton nen’ nè:’e.
Akwahskwen’nà:ke kahiatonhserowá:nen wakhiatonhseráhere’ tánon’ akwé:kon nahò:ten’ kanà:tsakon waktáhkwen, tenkhrihtánion’, tánon’ kahiatonhserà:ke entkáweron’. Enwastháthen’, sok katshè:takon enkateweièn:ton’. Né: ká:ti’ katshe’takónhshon wa’ketárion’, énska ne iotsikhe’tahí:ron, énska ne teiotekeronténion ní:ioht, tánon’ énska diamond nikaieron’tò:ten’s. Tekonttihánion tsi ní:wa’s.
Ahkwesáhsne tóka’ ni’ Ganienkeh shes ieniákwe’, nó:nen ion’wesenhtsherá:kon enhontia’tarò:roke’. Ienketshe’ténhawe’ kí:ken, tánon’ enkhé:nonte’ ne ratiksa’okòn:’a. Kwah í:ken tsi wahoné:ka’we’.
Entionkwáttate’ tánon’ enhonnì:ron’, “Hé:, shé:kon ken satsikhè:taien?”
“Hen, shé:kon waktsikhè:taien”.
Tiótkon ketshe’tenhá:wi ne iotsikhe’tahní:ron tánon’ ne’s ne khenón:tens ne ratiksa’okòn:’a.
Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette