Activity 1
1. Before reading
Buffalo Dance
, retold by Nancy Van Laan, discuss the meaning of a piskun, used by the Blackfoot Indians of Montana. The piskuns were a trap made of large boulders and brush placed in a "V" at the edge of a cliff. When the buffalo drew near, hunters would jump from the boulders and surprise them, causing them to fall off the cliff.
2. Read the story and discuss the woman's courage in saving her village and how this legend established the Buffalo dance ritual. This dance performed before and after each hunt is the tribe's way of showing respect to the buffalo and thanking them for their sacrifice.
3. Have the children listen to the short story "The Rabbit Dance" found in
Native American Animal Stories
, by Joseph Bruchac. After the story, have the students compare the lessons they learned about the Indian's respect of hunted animals. Have the children break up into groups to research animals hunted by the Indians and show how
all
parts of the animal were used. Possibilities:
|
bear |
beaver |
|
buffalo |
rabbit |
|
deer |
salmon |
Make a class chart entitled "Uses of Animals by the Indian People."
Activity 2
1. Read the story of
The Friendly Wolf
, by Paul and Dorothy Goble and have the children talk about the message in the book.
What is the message about the wolf and his relationship to mankind?
In today's world are there any other animals that we are seeing fewer of?
What are the reasons for this?
What should we do to protect wild animals?
2. This might be a good time to discuss hunting and fishing rules and regulations and also about taking wild animals to be sold in pet stores.
Activity 3
1. Read the Indian legend of how the horse came into their lives in the book
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
, by Paul Goble. This is the story of a courageous boy who went into the hills to pray for help for his starving people.
After the story ask the children to tell you new things they learned about the Indian culture from the pictures and text of the story.
2. What did the horse now enable the Indians to do that they may not have been able to do before? Have groups of children look into the history of the horse in the United States.
Have the children make a travois pulled by dogs and horses. Since the Plains Indians followed the buffaloes, they had to travel a lot. Since they didn't have wagons or carts, they used a travois to carry their belongings. A travois was made by tying two long poles together. The dog, horse or even person would hold the ends on their shoulders. The other ends of the poles would drag on the ground.
Activity 4
1. Read the story
Pueblo Boy: Growing Up in Two Worlds
, by Marcia Keegan. The many pictures in this book show the life of a modern 10-year-old Pueblo boy who lives in two cultures.
2. Children should discuss the conflicts Timmy sees between traditional and modern cultures. They may also wish to discuss how they would react to living in two distinct cultures.
Enrichments and Extensions:
1. Have the children research more Indian legends, games, and sports.
2. Encourage reports on other things such as clothing, crops (corn, squash, etc.), weapons, and houses, so that Indian cultures can be contrasted. As a culminating activity these materials could be displayed on Native American Day. The last Friday in September.
3. Encourage visitations from local Indians who can share their culture with the class. Visit museums and reservations.
Resources:
Bruchac, Joseph.
Native American Animal Stories
. (Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1992) (ISBN 1555911277).
Goble, Paul.
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
. (Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury Press, 1980) (ISBN 0878881654).
Goble, Paul and Dorothy Goble.
The Friendly Wolf
. (Scarsdale, NY: Bradbury Press, 1974) (ISBN 0878881042).
Henry, Edna.
Native American Cookbook
. (New York: Julian Measner, 1983) (ISBN
0671418963).
Keegan, Marcia.
Pueblo Boy: Growing Up in Two Worlds
. (Cobblehill, 1991) (ISBN 0-525- 65060-1).
Mayo, Gretchen Will.
Meet Tricky Coyote
. (New York: Walker and Company, 1993) (ISBN 0802781993).
Mayo, Gretchen Will.
That Tricky Coyote!
(New York: Walker and Company, 1993) (ISBN 0802781993).
Parish, Peggy.
Let's Be Indians
. (New York: Harper and Row Publishing Inc., 1962).
Skemie, Bonnie.
Houses of Back
. (Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra Books) (ISBN 0887762468).
Stevens, Janet.
Coyote Steal the Blanket
. (New York: Holiday House, 1993) (ISBN 0823409961).
Van Laan, Nancy.
Buffalo Dance
. (Boston, MA: Brown and Company, 1993) (ISBN 0316897280).
Van Laan, Nancy.
Rainbow Crow
. (New York: Alfred A Knopf Publishing, 1989) (ISBN 0394995775).
Whitefield, Andrew Hunter.
American Indian Arts
. (New York: Golden Press, 1973) (ISBN 0307635481).