Mythology: North American
DISCLAIMER!! It is important to know that
not every tribe had the same beliefs, not every tribe had the same roles
for their shamans or Medicine men. Each one had their own traditions
and stories. Please be sure to convey this to your students. I am for
the purpose of this introduction lumping them together, however I WILL
be making sure that they understand that this is just a small look into
the Native American life and beliefs. If you would like your
class/children to have a more in depth study, please feel free to change
this to fit your needs!
Sticks and Stones, Totems & Poles: Just as the Shamans have their spirit helpers, all members of the tribe can have their own spiritual guide, or totem. They are animals that usually appear at a time of need, during a vision quest or spirit walk. Totem poles are made to tell stories often of totems that have helped the tribe. This part of the lesson is going to be a little bit like 2 parts. The first part will be about totems. The kids will all get to choose totems. They will pull them out of a bag. No one will get to pick their totem. The next part will be to create totem poles to tell a story. They will get to pick their their pictures for the totem pole.
Here are some instructions and ideas that you can use to create yours in your class.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/na/totempole/
http://www.animaltribe.com/TotemPole-LessonPlan.pdf
Below is the page that I will use to have the kids not only pull out their totems, but also to create their poles. This file has 16 critters for them to pick from.
Totems: http://www.mediafire.com/?ho6r7yhm270pjya
Here is the mini-book for the totems and a blank “totem pole” It’s simple and not all that involved. But it will give them something to put the totem on. I personally would have them draw it if you have the time to.
mini-book/pole: http://www.mediafire.com/?q7sd1kb5rbl8mtx
Inuksuk–These stone monuments are used through out the region as important markers. They not only mark out trails, where people live, or carabou migratio, they are also for communication. In the arctic, these stones are of vital importance. If you look in the following .pdf on pages 6 & 7 you will find a set of paper stones that you can use as a craft project. Glue them on WHITE cardstock or construction paper.
http://www.pocketwatchgames.com/d/Lesson%202%20-%20Inuit.pdf
There is also an art project for Scrimshaw using a bar of soap and tooth picks included in this .pdf as well. I haven’t decided if we are going to do the scrimshaw project or not. It will make a large mess with 13- 14 kids. And clean up would be very difficult in our class (CARPET!). So unless the weather is looking very nice at that point (MARCH) we will probably not get this task done.
Shamanism
Through out the North American Tribes, there have been shamans or Medicine Men. Shamans are their spiritual leaders but that isn’t their only responsibility. The following pdf has a great explanation of the Shamans, their duties, and even the spirit helpers. Check out page 3 of the .pdf. Keep in mind this pdf is about Inuit Shamans. Other Native North American Tribes would be slightly different as to their tribes beliefs, but this will give you a place to start.
http://www.sila.nu/pub/lessons/SILA_Shamanism1.pdf
Shaman mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?jaq0q7wfqi5posi
Medicine Wheel mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?hdxedak8wvpzz8e
Legends Untold
Each Tribal Nation has their own set of tales and legends. If you would like to research specific Nations you can find many here:
http://www.native-languages.org/legends.htm
For our folder we will use some from my Grandfather’s Tribe–Cherokee. These are some of the tales he told.
The first Fire: http://www.shadowwolf.org/first_fire.html
The Ice Man: http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/motc/motc071.htm
Dream Catcher What Native American Mythology study would be complete without creating a Dream Catcher? Dream Catchers are believed to catch the good dreams and have them spiral through to the center and back down to the sleeper. For our study we will make one for our books.
There area couple of items that you could do, the first is made with a metal hoop or wooden one. Here is the original website: http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects/dream_catchers.htm. I have created a pdf of this webpage for your convenience:
Dream Catcher #1: http://www.mediafire.com/?6yki7fy4477h41y
The second option is made out of a paper plate. This is the one that I will be doing. I will use a small “Snack” size plate so that they will fit in our books. You can find the original Directions here: http://www.dream-catchers.org/make-dream-catchers-kids.php. I have of course made a .pdf of this page too:
Dream catcher #2: http://www.mediafire.com/?y1wvj47ob7r0x91
Sticks and Stones, Totems & Poles: Just as the Shamans have their spirit helpers, all members of the tribe can have their own spiritual guide, or totem. They are animals that usually appear at a time of need, during a vision quest or spirit walk. Totem poles are made to tell stories often of totems that have helped the tribe. This part of the lesson is going to be a little bit like 2 parts. The first part will be about totems. The kids will all get to choose totems. They will pull them out of a bag. No one will get to pick their totem. The next part will be to create totem poles to tell a story. They will get to pick their their pictures for the totem pole.
Here are some instructions and ideas that you can use to create yours in your class.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/na/totempole/
http://www.animaltribe.com/TotemPole-LessonPlan.pdf
Below is the page that I will use to have the kids not only pull out their totems, but also to create their poles. This file has 16 critters for them to pick from.
Totems: http://www.mediafire.com/?ho6r7yhm270pjya
Here is the mini-book for the totems and a blank “totem pole” It’s simple and not all that involved. But it will give them something to put the totem on. I personally would have them draw it if you have the time to.
mini-book/pole: http://www.mediafire.com/?q7sd1kb5rbl8mtx
Inuksuk–These stone monuments are used through out the region as important markers. They not only mark out trails, where people live, or carabou migratio, they are also for communication. In the arctic, these stones are of vital importance. If you look in the following .pdf on pages 6 & 7 you will find a set of paper stones that you can use as a craft project. Glue them on WHITE cardstock or construction paper.
http://www.pocketwatchgames.com/d/Lesson%202%20-%20Inuit.pdf
There is also an art project for Scrimshaw using a bar of soap and tooth picks included in this .pdf as well. I haven’t decided if we are going to do the scrimshaw project or not. It will make a large mess with 13- 14 kids. And clean up would be very difficult in our class (CARPET!). So unless the weather is looking very nice at that point (MARCH) we will probably not get this task done.
Shamanism
Through out the North American Tribes, there have been shamans or Medicine Men. Shamans are their spiritual leaders but that isn’t their only responsibility. The following pdf has a great explanation of the Shamans, their duties, and even the spirit helpers. Check out page 3 of the .pdf. Keep in mind this pdf is about Inuit Shamans. Other Native North American Tribes would be slightly different as to their tribes beliefs, but this will give you a place to start.
http://www.sila.nu/pub/lessons/SILA_Shamanism1.pdf
Shaman mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?jaq0q7wfqi5posi
Medicine Wheel mini-book: http://www.mediafire.com/?hdxedak8wvpzz8e
Legends Untold
Each Tribal Nation has their own set of tales and legends. If you would like to research specific Nations you can find many here:
http://www.native-languages.org/legends.htm
For our folder we will use some from my Grandfather’s Tribe–Cherokee. These are some of the tales he told.
The first Fire: http://www.shadowwolf.org/first_fire.html
The Ice Man: http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/motc/motc071.htm
Dream Catcher What Native American Mythology study would be complete without creating a Dream Catcher? Dream Catchers are believed to catch the good dreams and have them spiral through to the center and back down to the sleeper. For our study we will make one for our books.
There area couple of items that you could do, the first is made with a metal hoop or wooden one. Here is the original website: http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects/dream_catchers.htm. I have created a pdf of this webpage for your convenience:
Dream Catcher #1: http://www.mediafire.com/?6yki7fy4477h41y
The second option is made out of a paper plate. This is the one that I will be doing. I will use a small “Snack” size plate so that they will fit in our books. You can find the original Directions here: http://www.dream-catchers.org/make-dream-catchers-kids.php. I have of course made a .pdf of this page too:
Dream catcher #2: http://www.mediafire.com/?y1wvj47ob7r0x91
