St. Regis Mohawk School students visit newly built sugar shack

On Friday, April 1st, St. Regis Mohawk School students were able to go on a short field trip to the newly built sugar shack across from the school. Stacey and Gabe Oakes welcomed the rest of the students the following week to their sugar shack.

Dean and Doogie George spent the next week teaching the students about how maple syrup is made and traditional teachings to go along with it. Students learned about how the season is opened with the burning of sacred tobacco and to say "niawen" to the sap before they were all able to have a taste.

At the sugar shack, they were able to see the boiler, and how sap is turned into maple syrup. They were then told the legend of wâhta ôhses (maple syrup) and how we look for signs of spring to know it's time to tap. At the end of the presentation, all the students were able to participate in the tsiskokoˀnêha (robin dance) and received a small bottle of maple syrup before finishing up. Niawen to Stacy and Gabe Oakes for making this trip possible.