Sigewigus
Seismo'qonapu

Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, including the Mi'gmaq, have harvested maple sap to transform it into syrup. This sap, or seismo'qonapu, carries 46 nutrient elements essential to life, growth, and the protection of the tree from which it is drawn, and the Mi'gmaq were already well aware of its great energy and nutritious.

Among the Mi'gmaq of Gespe'gewa'gi, it was by observing squirrels chewing the branches of the snawei (sugar maple) that the idea of tasting the sap was born. Under a “V” notch, a small piece of bone or concave wood was inserted into wegilat (the bark) to make seismo'qonapu flow into a basket of bark placed at the foot of the tree. For evaporation, large bark baskets full of seismo'qonapu were placed inside holes in the earth, and hot stones were plunged into them so that the liquid heated and thickened.

Sigewigus Tepgunset, or the spring moon, represented the beginning of the annual cycle of the Mi'gmaq way of life, during which sugar was produced for the coming year. Even today, we honor Sigewigus Tepgunset in our customs and traditions.

The meaning of our logo

Sigewigus: Spring season. For the Mi'gmaq, this period is synonymous with renewal, celebration, and the start of a new annual cycle.

Traditional knowledge adapted to today's methods

It is to the Aboriginal people that we owe the discovery of maple syrup. Our project aims to revive the ancestral traditions of maple syrup making. The Micmac Nation of Gespeg has been producing and consuming maple syrup for thousands of years and knows its virtues very well.

Even today, the Mi'gmaq honor Sigewigus Tepgunset in their customs and traditions by making maple syrup from sismo'qonapu. Naturally, practices have been adapted to contemporary innovations and methods.

Team work!

The maple grove project is ambitious, and it also maintains a community spirit. It ensures that the Micmac Nation of Gespeg can contribute to the local food supply for its members and for the population of Gaspé, in addition to adding a tourist offer and creating good, captivating jobs in the heart of nature.

The involvement and passion of our team makes all the difference in the success of this project.

Without them, this delicious project would not have seen the light of day.