The archaeological controversy over maple sugaring lies in whether Native Americans and First Peoples tapped sugar maple trees before the Europeans got to the Americas. Although different levels of investigations have been undertaken for some 300 years, archaeologists and historians have not come to any consensus.
There is no doubt that maple sugar products were of importance to many Native American groups in North America by the 17th century. Native American groups report and ethnohistories from the 19th century agree that maple syrup and sugar loaves were traded and given as gifts, among other things. Apart from the sweet rush, maple syrup and sugar preserve well and can be easily transported, making maple products useful foodstuffs for anyone early in American history.
But did Native Americans begin harvesting sap from maples prior to European colonization? To solve this puzzle, investigators have looked at early descriptions of Native American activities, as well as at established traditions and mythology, and terminology for sugaring tools, and the results are equivocal.
Archaeological Evidence of Maple Exploitation
The problem really rests on the archaeological evidence. What would be considered archaeological evidence of prehistoric sugar processing?
Archaeological investigations into sugaring activities are hampered by preservation issues--anything used prior to European colonization would of necessity be of perishable wood or bark materials. And even if they did survive, the tools might not look any different from other types of tools used for other things. Writers in the 17th century argued that the process required metal kettles for boiling. Experimental archaeology recreating the techniques has shown that you don't need metal to process maple sugar, that stone boiling and direct heating of saps in pottery vessels and birch bark trays works perfectly well.
The tools associated with processing--troughs, axes, bark trays--could be used for any number of things. The presence of large amount of fire-cracked rock (needed for processing) is compelling, but not really convincing. Residues recovered from the bottoms of pots might work--but so far, maple sugar signatures have not been different enough from other residues to make a convincing argument.
So Who Tapped First?
So we don't really know who had the idea first; and I'm not sure it really matters. What makes the most sense to me is that Native Americans and First Peoples knew about maple sugaring, but it was never a major subsistence source or economic trading force until the sugar-loving Europeans landed.
Sources
Mason CI, and Holman MB. 2000. Maple sugaring in prehistory: Tapping the sources. In: Nassaney MS, and Johnson ES, editors. Interpretations of Native North American Life. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. (main source)
A bibliography of Maple Sugaring sources has been collected for this project.
