Native American Unit Study - Lesson 5a: Midwestern Tribes

My daughter made maple candy.

Midwestern tribes who lived in the forests of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota were dependent on the trees. They made containers such as pouches, and boxes to store food from birch bark. Canoes were made from birch trees and the bark covered the exterior of homes. Sweetener was made from maple tree sap.

They were fishermen and hunters sneaking up on ducks by swimming underneath using a hollow reed as a snorkel. The book The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering (We Are Still Here : Native Americans Today) describes how boys became men after participating in the annual wild rice harvest.

After reading about birch bark containers, wigwams, duck decoys, wild rice and maple sugar candy in the book More Than Moccasins: A Kid's Activity Guide to Traditional North American Indian Life (Hands-On History)my daughter was thrilled to make her own maple sugar candy.


Maple Sugar Candy
The treat was made from butter, powered sugar and maple syrup, so it was more like a candy bar than a cookie.  

My son was very happy to try her candy too.

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