from The MAILBOX® magazine

Thematic Units…Thematic Units…

from The MAILBOX® magazine

of the Pacific Northwestof the Pacific Northwest

“Tree-mendous” Transportation Canoes,carvedfromlargecedartrees,werethebasicmethodoftransportationinthePacificNorthwest.Anocean-goingcanoemightmeasuremorethan60feetinlengthandholdmorethanadozenmen!Togivestudentsanideaofthesizeoftheseking-sizecanoes,takethemintothehallwayandhavethemsitinastraightline—onebehindeach

other.Inviteyoungsterstoestimateifthelinetheyhaveformedislongerthan,shorterthan,orequalto60feet.Thenplacealengthofmaskingtapenearthefrontoftheline,anduseatapemeasuretomeasurethelengthofthestudents’lineandadistanceof60feet.Placeasecondpieceofmaskingtapeatthelatterlocation.Nextdiscusspossibleseafar-ingscenarioswithyourstudents:fromridingoutaroughstormina60-footcanoetopaddlingitforhundredsofmilestokeepingthecanoeuprightduringthecaptureofa200-poundhalibut!Thentakeaclassvotetofindouthowmany

studentsareeagertosetsailinahugehollowed-outlog!

Towering totem poles, jumbo canoes, and elaborate celebrations are all part of the rich culture of the Native Americans who made their home in the Pacific Northwest. Use the following activities and literature suggestions to supplement an investigation of truly remarkable people. ideas contributed by Stacie Stone Davis

Picturing The Pacific Northwest TheNativeAmericansofthePacificNorthwestlivedinthenarrowbandofcoastallandthatstretchesfromthesoutherntipofAlaskatonorthernCalifornia.Themild,moistclimatemadetheregiononeofdensemists,lushever-greenforests,abundantvegetation,andnumerousgameanimals.Richfreshwaterfishingandavarietyofseaanimalsprovidedmostofthefoodsupplies,whilehugetreesfurnishedthepeoplewithmaterialsfortools,clothing,transpor-tation,andshelter.Enlistyouryoungsters’helpinlocatingthePacificNorthwestregiononaU.S.map.Describetheclimateandnaturalresourcesofthearea,andaskstudentstocontemplatehowtheseelementsmayhaveaffectedtheday-to-daylivesoftheNativeAmericanswholivedthere.Followuptheclassdiscussionbyhavingstudentscompletethereproducibleactivityonpage9.Thepictureisclear:theenvironmentofthePacificNorthwestgreatlyinfluencedthelifestylesoftheNativeAmericanswholivedthere.

Teaching Tips AsyoupreparetoteachaboutNativeAmericanpeopleandtheircultures,rememberthatgoodinformation,commonsense,thoughtfulness,andsensitivityareyourbestguides.Alwaysdifferentiatebetweenthepastandthepresent.Avoidactivitiesthatperpetuatestereotypes,suchasrole-playingorthechoosingof“Indian”names.Constantlyaskyourselfhowyouareincreasingyourstudents’knowledgeoftheserichcul-turesandwaysoflife.AndalwaysrespectthesacrednatureofobjectsandpracticesassociatedwithNativeAmericancultures.Ifyouareunsureifanactivityisappropriate,thebestthingyoucandoisconsultaNativeAmericanforadvice.

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Under Construction Buildingawoodenhousewasoftenanelaborateprocessmarkedbyceremoniesandfeasts.Haveyourstudentsenlistthehelpoftheirfamilymembersingettingstartedonthishome-buildingproject.Inalettertoparents,askthateachchildbringtoschoolaboxwitharemovablelid,suchasashoebox.Foreasymanagement,requestthattheboxanditslideachbewrappedwithbrownpaperandthatasmallhole(aboutone-inchsquare)bepokedinthecenterofthewrappedlid.Whenyouhaveawrappedboxandlidforeverystudent,celebratewithafewextraminutesofrecessorfreetime. Forthenextstageofconstruction,havestudentscompletetheinteriorsoftheirhomes.Providetissuepaperformakingflamesandbrownpaperformakingpartitions.Plananothercelebrationwhenthisstageofconstructioniscomplete. Finallyhaveeachchildcompletetheexteriorofhishome.Todothis,hedrawsplanksontheoutsidewallsandtheroof.Nexthedesigns,colors,andcutsoutaposter-boarddoorwaypostandattachesittothefrontofhishouse.Tocompletetheroof,hegluesoverlappingpaperstrips(planks)andsmallrockstothelid.Encourageeachchildtoshareafactortwoaboutthehomeheconstructedbeforeputtingtheseprojectsondisplay.

Colossal Canoes Inadditiontotransportation,thecanoewasusedforfishing,whaling,trading,potlatches, andwar.Itwasnotuncommonfornativegroupstomakedifferentkindsofcanoesfordifferentpurposes.Themostimpressivecanoesweretheceremonialonesthatwereusedforwarorpotlatches.Haveeachstudentmakeanddecorateacolossalcanoeforaspecificpurpose. Tomakeacanoe,cutawayeachsidepanelofalarge,brownpapergrocerybag;thenfoldtheresultinglengthofpaperlength-wiseandtrimeachendofthepapertocreateadesiredcanoeshape.Nextflattenthecutout,andusecolorfulpaintstodecoratethecutoutwithsymbolsorillustrationsthattellastory.Whenthecutoutisdry,refoldit,andeitherstapleorgluetheendstoformthecanoe.Cutcrossbarsfromtheremainingpaperscrapsandgluetheminsidethecanoe.Setasidetimeforeachchildtopresenthercolossalcanoeandtellitsstory.Thendisplaythesevesselsaroundyourclassroomorintheschoollibrary.

Very Big Houses ThepeoplesofthePacificNorthwestbuiltmassivewoodenhousesthatwereevenmoreimpressivethantheircanoes!Eachpermanentmultifamilyhomemeasuredatleast40feetby30feet.Therewerenowindowsandonlytwosmallopenings:oneintheroofforsmoketoescapeandoneatthefrontofthehome.Thefrontentrancemayhavebeenpartofanelaboratelycarvedanddecorateddoorwaypost.Togivestudentsafeelforthelargenessofthesehomes,arrangetwo30-footandtwo40-footyarnlengthstoformalargerectangle.Askyourentireclasstositinsidethisrectangleandimaginelivinginastructurethissizewith40ormorefamilymembers.Explainthatinsidethehome,wovenmatspartitionedoffeachfamily’slivingquarters.Eachlivingspaceopenedintothecenterofthehomewherefiresforheat,light,andcookingwerekeptburning.Askstudentstodiscusswhattheythinktheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthislife-stylemightbe.Thensee“UnderConstruction”forahome-buildingproject.

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Towering Totem Poles Morethananyotheritem,thetotem poleisthesymbolofthePacificNorthwest.UnfortunatelymanytotempolesweredestroyedwhenmissionarieswhomovedintotheareabelievedthattheNativeAmericansworshippedthepoles.Thiswasnotthecase.Thepoles—whichportraysomeanimals,birds,fish,heavenlybodies,andpromi-nentlandmarks—symbolizethehighlightsofafamily’sancestralhistory.Helpstudentslearnmoreabouttheseawe-inspiringartformsbyreadingaloudthephoto-illustratedbookTotem PolebyDianeHoyt-Goldsmith(HolidayHouse,Inc.;1994).Then,asafollow-uptothebook,haveeachchildbringtoschoolanempty(andclean)16-ouncecanforatotem-poleproject. Tobegin,divideyourstudentsintogroupsoffourandassisteachgroupintapingitsfourcanstogethersothattheclosedendsareexposed.Nexthaveeachgroupwrapa12”x18”sheetoftancon-structionpaperarounditsproject,securelytapethepaperinplace,andlaytheprojectdownsothatthepaperseamisattheback. Explainthateachchildinthegroupwilldecorateone-fourthoftheprojecttosymbolizeanimportanteventofhislife.Thengiveeachchildafour-inchsquareofblankpaperonwhichtodrawhisidea.Re-mindtheclassthatactualtotem-polecarversdrawtheirideasonpaperfirsttoo.Whenthegrouphasagreedontheplacementofeachchild’scontribution,eachmemberofthegroupusesconstructionpaperand/ormarkerstodecoratehisportionofthepole. Plantoraisethesepolesataclasspotlatch(seepage7).Orhaveeachgroupinturnraiseitstotempolefortheclass;thenaskeachchildinthegrouptosayafewwordsabouthiscontribution.

Wooden Wonders Nearlyeverythinginthevillagewasmadefromwood.Thatincludedhouses,totempoles,canoes,dishes,ceremonialmasks—and clothing!Howwasclothingwovenfromwood?Firstasectionofouterbarkwascarefullyremovedfromacedartree;thenthesoftinnerbarkwascutintolongstrips.Backinthevillage,thisbarkwassoaked,beatenintosoftshreds,andpreparedforweav-ing.Apopularhatoftheregion,calledaspruce root hat,waswovenusingtherootsofasprucetreethatwereheatedandthenpreparedinasimilarway. Studentswillenjoymakingthesemockspruceroothats.Tomakeahat,cutawaythecenterportionofanine-inchpaperplate,leavingonlytheplate’srim.Placetherimoveraninverted16-ounceChinetbowl;thenstapletherimtothebowlasshown.Usecrayonsormarkerstodecoratethehat.

A Taste Of The Pacific Northwest FortheNativeAmericans,salmonwasbyfarthemostimportantfishofthisregion.Toshowtheirrespectandappreciationforthebountifulfish,thebonesofthefirstsalmonoftheyearwerereturnedtotheriverwherethefishwascaught.Thisfirstsalmon,calledChief Salmon,washonoredinprayerandsonginhopesthatthesalmonwouldreturntothesameriverthefollowingyear.AddsomeflavortoyourstudyofthePacificNorthwestbygivingeachstudentaportionofcookedsalmonatopacracker.Sinceberrieswerealsoanimportantpartoftheirdiet,considerservingafewfreshberriestoo.Or,ifyou’reabitmoreadventuresome,bakeaberrycobblerforyourstudentstosample.Yum!

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Sharing Their Culture NativeAmericancultureisanimportantpartofourcountry’spastanditsfuture.Explaintostudentsthattraditionsineveryculturemustbepassedalongfromgenerationtogenerationtoavoidbeingforgotten.Askstudentstodescribetraditionsthattheirfamiliespractice;thenhelpthemrealizethatonedaytheywillpassthesetraditionsontoayoungergeneration.Anexcellentexampleofthistransferofinformationisdescribed(andphotographed)inA Story to Tell: Traditions of a Tlingit CommunitywrittenbyRichardNichols(LernerPublica-tionsCompany,1998).Inthisstory,amodern-dayTlingitgrandmothersharesthehistoryandtraditionsofherpeoplewithher11-year-oldgranddaughter.Bytheconclusionofthebook,youryoungsters—likehergranddaughter—willbemoreknowledgeableaboutTlingitcultureandtraditions,andtheywillhaveamuchbetterunderstandingoftheimportanceofsharingknowledgewithothers.

Fun And Games OneofthegreatestadvantagesoflivinginthePacificNorthwestwastheavail-abilityoffood.BecausetheNativeAmericanslivingtherecouldgatherayear’sfoodsupplybetweenMayandSeptember,theyhadmoretimeduringtherestoftheyearforfunandgames.YourstudentswillenjoyplayingthesetwogamesthathavebeenpasseddownfromNativeAmericansofthePacificNorthwest.

JustforLaughs:Playedbybothadultsandchildren,theobjectofthislarge-groupgameistomaketheopponentlaugh!Dividetheclassintotwoequalteams:AandB.Askonestu-dentfromeachteamtocometothefrontoftheclassroom.Onyoursignal,theplayerfromTeamAhas15secondstomaketheplayerfromTeamBlaugh.Theremaybenophysicalcontact.Ifshesucceeds,sheearnsonepointforherteam.Ifshedoesnot,theopposingteamearnsonepoint.Thentherolesarereversed.Whenthisroundisover,selecttwomoreopponents.Continueplayinthismanneruntileachplayerhastakenatleastoneturn.Theteamwiththemostpointswinsthegame!

HowManyGroups?:Thisguessinggameisgreatforsmallgroups.OneplayerisItandisgiven20ormoresmallsticks(ordriedbeansorpasta).TheremainingplayersclosetheireyestightlywhileItarrangesthesticksinaseriesofgroupsontheground.WhenItcalls“Ready!”,theotherplayers—keepingtheireyesclosed—guesshowmanygroupsofstickswereformed.ThefirstplayertoguesscorrectlybecomesthenextIt.

A Pacific Northwest Potlatch Apotlatch—aChinookwordmeaning“togive”—wasanenormousfeastheldbyafamilygrouporclantohonoranotherclan.Mostpotlatcheswerehelddur-ingthewinterwhentherewasverylittleotherworktobedone.Thepurposeofthepotlatchwastoconfirmaclan’ssocialstatusandshowtheirwealth.Toac-complishthis,thehostclanshoweredtheirguestswithfood.Theyalsogaveeachvisitor(oftentotalingseveralhundred)agiftrangingfromacedar-barkblankettoacanoe!Itoftentookyearstoprepareforapotlatch,partlybecausesomanygiftsneededtobemade. AsaculminationtoyourstudyofpeoplesofthePacificNorthwest,holdavariationofthetraditionalpotlatch.Forthisclassroomcelebration,haveyourstudentssharetheirwealth of knowledgeabouttheNativeAmericansofthePa-cificNorthwestwiththeirfamilymembers.Planforstudentstosharetheprojectsthey’vecompletedduringtheirstudy,alongwithadditionalfactsthey’velearnedaboutthenativepeoplesofthisregion.Then—afterasnackofberrycobbler,crackersandsalmondip,andspringwater—readaloudoneormoreofthelitera-turesuggestionsreviewedonpage8.Nowthat’simpressive!

Pam Crane

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Stories To ShareTales From The Pacific Northwest

ThenativepeoplesofthePacificNorthwestwereextremelygiftedstorytellers.Fromtheirtalesemergedthecharacterandspiritofacommunalpeoplelivinginconstantawarenessoftheworldaroundthem.Richwithwisdom,fundamentalvalues,andanutmostrespectfornature,theirstoriesandvariationsofthemcontinuetoteachtoday.Usethissamplingoffolk-loretopromoteabetterunderstandingofamostrespectedculture.

By Deborah Zink Roffino

Coyote And The Fire Stick:A Pacific Northwest Indian TaleRetold by Barbara Diamond Goldin & Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

Gulliver Books, 1996 ProudCoyoteagreestohelpthePeoplebybringingthemwarmthandlight.Withthehelpofhissisters,hecontrivesanelaborateplantostealFirefromtheevilonesatthetopofthemountain.Playfulillustrationstrans-portarelayteamoffire-carryinganimalsdowntheruggedpeak.It’sagroupeffortuntiltheveryend—whencleverCoyoteretrievesFirefromatreeandtakesfullcreditfortheentirefire-stealingevent.

Storm BoyWritten & Illustrated by Paul Owen Lewis

Beyond Words Publishing, Inc.; 1995 Inthissimpletale,ayoungHaidaboyisthrownfromhiscanoeduringaviolentstormandfindshimselfinastrange,exoticlandunderthesea.Here—inalandoflargeness—hecomestounderstandtheimportanceofculturalexchange.Vividpaintingsbrightenthepagesandprovideculturallysignificantdetails.Aninforma-tivenotefromtheauthorsuppliesadditionalinsightintothecultureandartofthenativepeoplesofthePacificNorthwestCoast.

The Eagle’s Song: A Tale From The Pacific Northwest

Adapted & Illustrated by Kristina RodanasLittle, Brown And Company; 1995

Inaplaceedgedbymountainsandshoreline,aseparatedpeoplelearnhowtobecomeavillage,celebratetheirgifts,andbethankful—allbecauseofonesmallboy.Guidedbythewisdomofaneagle-manandhisancientmother,theboyuseshisartisticsensitivitytounleashanewspiritoftogetherness.IntenseillustrationswithmesmerizingdetailcapturethecoolcolorsofthePacificNorthwest.

Frog GirlWritten & Illustrated by Paul Owen Lewis

Beyond Words Publishing, Inc.; 1997 WrittenasacompanionstorytoStorm Boy,thisdramaticaccountofayounggirl’seffortstosavetheFrogPeoplefromaneruptingvolcanocaneasilystandalone.Well-writtentextandpowerfulartworkpromotetheimportanceofmutualrespectamongalllivingthings.Superb,faithfulrenderingsoftotempoleswithtraditionalexaggeratedfeatureswillfascinateandinspirestudents.Anauthor’snoteatthebook’sconclusionfurnishesfascinatingdetailsaboutthestory.

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