Birch Syrup Video: Solomon Ratt (y-dialect)

Making birch syrup is a great traditional way to greet the spring. Christine Ravenis’s photos are the next best thing to being there (if only they could include a taste.)

This presentation by Solomon Ratt is equal parts dialogue-style text, and land-based tutorial. Scroll way down for a read-along video with more photos). For those who like to take their time with the text, a table is also provided, so you can also try the click-in-text lookup tool (start it by clicking the at the left margin, then choose your language combination).

While Sol uses the word sîwâkamisikan for ‘birch syrup’ here, others may use the word waskwayâpoy.

sîwâkamisikêwinᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑫᐏᐣBirch Syrup Making
tânisi mâna kâ-itahkamikisiyan ispîhk kâ-sîkwahk?
nikî-sâh-sîwâkamisikânân mâna ispîhk kâ-sîkwahk.
ᑖᓂᓯ ᒫᓇ ᑳ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᔭᐣ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᓰᑿᕽ?
ᓂᑮ ᓵᐦ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑳᓈᐣ ᒫᓇ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᓰᑿᕽ᙮
What do you do when it is spring?
We made birch syrup when it was spring.
kicihkêyihtên cî ta-sâh-sîwâkamikisiyan?
âha, nicihkêyihtên ta-sâh-sîwâkamisikiyâhk.
ᑭᒋᐦᑫᔨᐦᑌᐣ ᒌ ᑕ ᓵᐦ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᑭᓯᔭᐣ?
ᐋᐦᐊ, ᓂᒋᐦᑫᔨᐦᑌᐣ ᑕ ᓵᐦ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑭᔮᕽ᙮
Do you like to make birch syrup?
I liked for us to make birch syrup.
tânitahto kîsikâw ispîhk kâ-nâh-nitawi-sîwâkamisikiyan? tânisi kâ-kî-itahkamikisiyan?
pêyakwâw ê-niyânano-kîsikâk nikî-pôsinân opahkopîwinihk isi, êkotê ê-kî-nitawi-mânokiyâhk ta-sîwâkamisikiyâhk.
ᑖᓂᑕᐦᑐ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᓈᐦ ᓂᑕᐏ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑭᔭᐣ? ᑖᓂᓯ ᑳ ᑮ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᔭᐣ?
ᐯᔭᒁᐤ ᐁ ᓂᔮᓇᓄ ᑮᓯᑳᐠ ᓂᑮ ᐴᓯᓈᐣ ᐅᐸᐦᑯᐲᐏᓂᕽ ᐃᓯ, ᐁᑯᑌ ᐁ ᑮ ᓂᑕᐏ ᒫᓄᑭᔮᕽ ᑕ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑭᔮᕽ᙮
What day did you do the activity? What did you do?
One Friday we embarked (by canoe) to The Wading Place to set up a tent to make birch syrup there.
tânisi kâ-kî-itahkamikisiyan?
nikî-nâh-nawasônânânak waskwayak ta-mîstasoyâhk.
nikî-mâh-mîstasonân waskwayak. pihcipacikan êkota nikî-astânân êkwa sîpâ pihcipacikanihk nikî-ahyânanak askihkosok ikota ta-isi-ohcikawik waskwayâpoy.
ᑖᓂᓯ ᑳ ᑮ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᔭᐣ?
ᓂᑮ ᓈᐦ ᓇᐘᓲᓈᓈᓇᐠ ᐘᐢᑿᔭᐠ ᑕ ᒦᐢᑕᓱᔮᕽ᙮
ᓂᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒦᐢᑕᓱᓈᐣ ᐘᐢᑿᔭᐠ᙮ ᐱᐦᒋᐸᒋᑲᐣ ᐁᑯᑕ ᓂᑮ ᐊᐢᑖᓈᐣ ᐁᑿ ᓰᐹ ᐱᐦᒋᐸᒋᑲᓂᕽ ᓂᑮ ᐊᐦᔮᓇᓇᐠ ᐊᐢᑭᐦᑯᓱᐠ ᐃᑯᑕ ᑕ ᐃᓯ ᐅᐦᒋᑲᐏᐠ ᐘᐢᑿᔮᐳᕀ᙮
What did you do?
We chose birch trees to tap.
We tapped birch trees. We put a funnel there and under the funnel we placed little pails to catch the birch sap.
tânispî isko êkosi kâ-itahkamikisiyan?
kapê-kîsik kî-ohcikawin waskwayâpoy.
ᑖᓂᐢᐲ ᐃᐢᑯ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑳ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᔭᐣ?
ᑲᐯ ᑮᓯᐠ ᑮ ᐅᐦᒋᑲᐏᐣ ᐘᐢᑿᔮᐳᕀ᙮
For how long did you do that?
The birch sap dripped all day.
tânisi kâ-kî-ay-ati-itahkamikahk êkwa tânispîhk?
kihtwâm kâ-kîkisêpâyak nikâwiy êkwa nimisak kî-kisâkamisamwak waskwayâpoy ê-kî-sîwâkamisikêcik.
ᑖᓂᓯ ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᔭᑎ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑲᕽ ᐁᑿ ᑖᓂᐢᐲᕽ?
ᑭᐦᑤᒼ ᑳ ᑮᑭᓭᐹᔭᐠ ᓂᑳᐏᕀ ᐁᑿ ᓂᒥᓴᐠ ᑮ ᑭᓵᑲᒥᓴᒷᐠ ᐘᐢᑿᔮᐳᕀ ᐁ ᑮ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑫᒋᐠ᙮
What happened then and when?
The next morning my mother and older sisters boiled the birch sap making birch syrup.
wihkasin cî sîwâkamisikan?
âha, wihkasin sîwâkamisikan.
ᐏᐦᑲᓯᐣ ᒌ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑲᐣ?
ᐋᐦᐊ, ᐏᐦᑲᓯᐣ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑲᐣ᙮
Is the birch syrup tasty?
Yes, the birch syrup tastes good.
kiwihkistên cî sîwâkamisikan?
âha, niwihkistên sîwâkamisikan ta-aspahcikiyân napaki-pâhkwêsikanisihk.
ᑭᐏᐦᑭᐢᑌᐣ ᒌ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑲᐣ?
ᐋᐦᐊ, ᓂᐏᐦᑭᐢᑌᐣ ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑲᐣ ᑕ ᐊᐢᐸᐦᒋᑭᔮᐣ ᓇᐸᑭ ᐹᐦᑵᓯᑲᓂᓯᕽ᙮
Do you like the taste of birch syrup?
Yes, I like the taste of birch syrup on pancakes

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