Exploring Native American Cultures

Fourth graders are learning about Native American tribes in Ward Russell’s social studies class this term. To give students an understanding of the diversity of the different tribes, Ward balances deep dives into the unique characteristics of individual tribes with an emphasis on the connection to nature and thread of spirituality that runs across many Native American cultures. 

Recently, fourth graders enjoyed a presentation from Pamela “Screeching Hawk” Massey, Traditions and Outreach Specialist for the Mohegan Tribe. Pamela shared the tribe’s origin story of the earth being created on the back of Grandfather Turtle. She explained how the Mohegan tribe used the thirteen sections on a turtle’s shell to track the thirteen new moons in the lunar calendar. Pamela showed students different handicrafts created by the tribe, like baskets made by present-day members of the tribe and wampum from the tribe’s Tantaquidgeon Museum. Pamela’s visit illuminated the history and present-day experience of belonging to the Mohegan Tribe. “So much of what we read and how we talk about native cultures places them in the past, but I want students to understand that these are cultures that are also very much in the present,” says Ward. A highlight of the visit was the opportunity for students to ask Pamela questions, and their curiosity spanned the long history of the Mohegan people. Students asked where the tribe’s creation story came from, what kinds of games Pamela’s ancestors played, how she got her name in the tribe, and how the tribe felt about having its first female Chief.

Students created class totem poles this week, inspired by the Haida tribe of the northwest. For the project, each student had to choose a spirit animal, an essential concept to the indigenous people of the northwest. Ward shared a description of each animal and what it symbolized to the Haida. Once students selected the adjectives they thought best reflected them; Ward revealed their spirit animal. For example, whales are “family-oriented” and “wise.”  The salmon represents the qualities of “persistence” and “dependability”. Each student drew and colored their spirit animal onto brown paper, then wrapped it around an oatmeal canister. The canisters were connected by fishing string to form the totem poles. The totem poles are an example of a tradition and belief based on faith within the Haida culture and fourth graders connected to the idea by discussing traditions within their own families that are based on faith. The completed totem poles will be placed outside the fourth grade classroom just as the Haida placed theirs outside the entrance to their home. 

Students will finish the unit with a research project where they will work in groups to learn about a specific tribe within the context of the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. Each group will create a presentation for the class and an artifact specific to their tribes, such as a longhouse or a teepee.