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 ᓀ 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.
| sîwâkamisikêwin | ᓰᐚᑲᒥᓯᑫᐏᐣ | Birch 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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