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3 Native American Storytelling

4 Choctaw Activity

5 Beadwork as Storytelling

6 Delaware Bead Activity

7 Citizen Potawatomi Nation

8 Star Chart Activity

9 Apache Sunrise

10 Te Ata

11 Tipi with Battle Pics

Educational Services & Digital Audience Development Manager Ashley Howard

NIE Programs Manager Bailey Huntsman

Graphic Designer Jennifer Holmes

Native American Storytelling

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Do you like to tell stories? What types of objects around your room or house have stories connected with them? Explore the many examples of objects, dances, and skills on exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center provided in this curriculum to inspire you.

For more information on Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, please visit: https://www.choctawnation.com and http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CH047

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How have Native Americans communicated with each other through history? Native Americans have used objects, dances, songs, and many other ways to tell stories about their people, history, and culture. In these ways they passed on stories, life lessons, morals, history, and heritage. Have you ever been to your grandparents or another relative’s house, picked up an object in the house, and they started to tell you a story about how they obtained the object or how it is important to your family? Native Americans use storytelling to pass history and culture from generation to generation. Many times when they look at objects or perform dances, they are able to relive stories and explore further into their culture. Each tribe has stories about where they come from and how they got to where they are, among many others. There are stories that teach lessons, pass on the culture of the tribe, or explain good behavior.

Here is a list of several other types of stories: •Lessons – teach the listener a moral

or lesson

•Descriptions of natural processes – how the world works

•Survival accounts – hunting, gathering, and farming stories talk about how to collect, prepare, and eat foods

•Oral maps used for travel

•Romance – stories of love, marriage, and adventure

Here are three examples of modern Choctaw storytellers from Oklahoma:

Jerry Fuller is a Choctaw tribal member who lives in Porter, Oklahoma, and is a true storyteller by nature. He always has a story and loves to share them with everyone with whom he comes in contact. “Grandpa” Jerry is a joy to visit with and is so full of fun and spirit! He portrays Uncle Sam in parades, travels to schools and various events to speak, entertain, inspire, and share his military poetry; has a ton of original one-liners that he uses in his conversations; has written a children’s book; and has made his living through the art of taxidermy. You can see more on him by going to http://bit.ly/2d2YY55.

Tim Tingle is a well known Choctaw storyteller and author. He travels extensively for storytelling and speaking engagements and has written a number of books for which he is widely known. His website is www.timtingle.com. His contact information is on his webpage.

Dr. Deana Ward is an excellent storyteller. Dr. Ward previously taught for several years at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in the Psychology Department. She is a Choctaw registered artist (beadwork) and tribal member. She can be contacted at chatasia@yahoo.com.

Many traditional Native American stories have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. Sometimes these stories help explain the world around us, why animals act a certain way, or how the earth was created. Other stories might help explain the history of the tribe or family, or might be used to teach children a valuable lesson. These traditional tales are repeated over and over by members of the tribe, especially to the young children. Since many tribal languages are spoken, most of these stories were passed down through oral storytelling or song. This tradition of telling stories aloud is a very important part of the tribal culture for many Native Americans.

Activity 1: Tell Your StoryWe all have stories that our families share with one another. Maybe it is a story about a relative. In this activity, you will need to think about the stories that your family likes to tell.

Materials needed:

•Pencil/pen •Paper

Activity:

1. Think about a story that your family likes to tell.

2. Write it down just as you remember it.

3. Share these stories with the rest of your class or in small groups.

4. Listen to each story and try to determine why the family might have told that story. For example, maybe it is a story about their past or reminding their children to behave.

Activity 2: Why Does the Rabbit Have a Short Tail?A traditional tale of the Choctaw tribe tells the story of why rabbits have short tails. In this activity, you will come up with your own story about why rabbits’ tails are short.

Materials needed:

•Pencil/pen •Paper

Activity:

1. Have students work either individually or in small groups.

2. Read the Choctaw version of “Why Rabbits Have Short Tails.”

“A very long time ago it is said that only the Red people and wildlife were on this land. It is also said at that time the rabbit had a long tail. Early one very cold morning he was out hopping and playing. He looked toward the trail and saw a fox coming up the trail. The fox had some fish with him. Wow, I’ll ask him where he caught those fish. When the fox got there the rabbit said, “Fox, where did you get those fish?” The Fox said, “I caught them at the branch.” The branch is frozen over, however, I dug a small hole in the ice and put my tail down through the hole and I sat there for quite a while. My tail began to get heavy so I pulled my tail out and the fish were hanging on my tail.

The rabbit started hopping very fast toward the branch. When he got to the branch he dug a small hole in the ice and dropped his tail through the hole. It was very cold but

the rabbit kept sitting on the frozen ice. He thought he had enough fish so he gave his tail a pull, but it would not come out. He pulled again, but the tail had frozen to the ice and wouldn’t come out. So he gave a hard jerk and the tail snapped off. That’s why the rabbit has a short tail today.”1

3. Create a story that could explain why rabbits have short tails.

4.Eachgroup/studentsharesstorywiththe class.

5. Vote on the best story in the class.

1. Quoted from Mike Boucher, mike-boucher.com/wordpress/?page_id=232

TRADITIONAL STORIES & TALES: AcTIvITIES

Native American Heritage Month

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Beadwork artistry has a rich history in many Native American tribes and is a way to tell stories through art. Not only are the pieces beautiful, they have meaning within their designs. The placement and colors of the beads themselves tell a story as a means of visual communication. In the time of Indian Removal, beadwork kept tribal stories and traditions alive using the old traditions with the new technology and materials.

Native American women were taught the skills to make and decorate clothing from their mothers and grandmothers. As they were teaching a special skill, such as beadwork, the elder women in the family had time to teach young girls the tribe’s traditions and morals.

Beadwork was not reserved for clothing. Bandolier bags and belts were beaded accessories, and were sometimes used as gifts to honor leaders from other tribes and form alliances. Moccasins were also beaded in many tribes. Tribal affiliations could sometimes be identified by the beadwork on Native American’s moccasins.

Native American beadwork today not only incorporates many historic tribal designs and techniques, but also has new stories to tell. For example, Southeastern beadwork incorporates many floral designs. Prairie tribes use symmetrical designs in their bead and ribbon work. Sadly, there was a time when some

Native Americans lost the knowledge to do historical beadwork, but many tribal

members have started a movement to revitalize the skill. One of those

people is Martha Berry, who is a Cherokee national treasure. Through her beadwork, she continues the skills of her

ancestors and uses designs to tell stories, exemplified in the

moccasins pictured here. She tells the story of the origin of fire.

The Origin of Fire (Traditional Cherokee story)

Long, long ago there was no fire and the world was very cold. Then the Thunders sent their lightning and put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree that grew on an island. The animals knew it was there because they could see the smoke, but they could not get to it over the water. They held a council to decide what to do. Every animal that could swim or fly was anxious to be the one to bring back the fire.

Raven offered to go first. Because he was so large and strong, they thought that he could surely do it, so he was sent. He flew high and far across the water and alighted on the sycamore tree. While he was wondering what to do next, the heat scorched all his feathers black. He was frightened and returned without the fire.

Then the little Screech Owl volunteered and reached the place safely. But, while he was looking down into the hollow of the tree, a blast of hot air came up at him and nearly burned out his eyes. He managed to fly back home, but his eyes are red to this day. Next went Hoot Owl and Horned Owl. By the time they reached the tree, the fire was so fierce the smoke almost blinded them. The ashes carried by the wind made rings around their eyes that are still there today, but they had to return without the fire.

Well, no more of the birds dared attempt this great feat, so the snakes decided to give it a try. The Black Racer Snake swam out to the island and crawled through the grass to the tree. He squeezed through a tiny hole in the bottom, but the heat and smoke were too much for him. After dodging about blindly over the hot ashes, he managed, by luck, to find the hole and crawl out again. But his body had been scorched black and, to this day, he darts about as if still trying to escape that first fire. The great black snake, the Climber, offered next. He swam over and climbed up the outside of the sycamore, as was his habit. Predictably, the smoke choked him and he fell into the trunk, burning himself black in the process. He survived but brought back no warmth.

Cold and dismayed, the animals held another council. All the birds, snakes and four-footed creatures came up with good excuses for not venturing back to the tree. Finally, the Little Water Spider said that she would like to try. (Now this was the little spider with black downy hair, who can run over the water or dive under it.) The other animals were relieved for a volunteer, but wondered how she would carry the fire back.

“Don’t worry,’ she said. “I will use thread from my body to spin a tusti (little bowl) and fasten it to my back.”

The animals watched in wonder as the Little Water Spider crossed the water, found the tiny hole in the bottom of the trunk, put one tiny coal into her bowl, and brought it back. Ever since, we have been warmed by fire and, more importantly, the smoke has carried our prayers to Creator. And the Little Water Spiders still carry the red marks on their backs, lest we forget their grandmother’s great accomplishment.

Quoted from Martha Berry, Cherokee Beadwork Artist, “Moccasins: Fire Carrier’s Footsteps,” www.berrybeadwork.com/moccasins_fire_carriers_footsteps.html.

Beadwork as Storytelling

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IntroductionNative American beadwork is not just for decoration, it also tells a story. Your students will interpret Delaware beadwork designs and create their own designs.

Suggested GradesK through 6

ObjectivesStudents will analyze and interpret pieces of Delaware beadwork and draw their own beadwork design on paper.

Time NeededIntroduction: 15 minutes

Activity: 20 to 40 minutes

Materials NeededPhotos of Delaware beadwork Worksheet

Instructions 1. Share the short description of

Delaware beadwork from Turtle Tales: Oral Traditions of the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma.

2. Show the students photos of Delaware beadwork.

3. Have the students create their own beadwork designs, using the photos as examples.

4. Have the students write a short story about the meaning of their beadwork design.

Additional InformationTo learn more about the Delaware Tribe, visit delawarenation.com.

Delaware Beads (From Turtle Tales)”It is a little bitty bead and oblong; it was blue or green and turquoise with a round hole in it. Used to they had their own church, which the Delawares called – Hengwee-cow-on or

Round House. That is what they used those beads to do. The women cooked out there with the deer meat outside. You had to buy it before you ate that meat.

That was what the beads were used for – to buy it.

They had Indian bread which was cooked with water. You had to buy that with the beads too. I didn’t know where they got the purple beads. That’s what my grandmother said.

A long time ago they had a turtle. They sat all around that

building, and they said you have to get up and tell what you know. When that turtle shook or rattled, you had to tell your story. There were 12 posts with faces cut into them. This was the Delaware church.“

Excerpted from Duane K. Hale, ed. Turtle Tales: Oral Traditions of the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma (Anadarko, OK: Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma Press, 1984).

Delaware Beadwork Examples

Name _____________________________

Create your own beadwork design in the space provided.

Write a short story about the meaning of your design.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Delaware Beadwork Activity

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n Potawatomi means Keepers of the Fire. It refers to the alliance made between the Potawatomi, Ottawa, and the Ojibwa tribes to protect themselves from the neighboring Dakota and Iroquois in what would become modern-day Michigan. Together, the three tribes made up the Council of Three Fires, or the Anishnabek peoples.

Like many other native peoples, the Potawatomi were forced out of their homeland and onto reservations. In 1846, the tribe was forced to break up into smaller reserves in Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. In 1861, the Potawatomi in Kansas became divided by a treaty that required tribal members to become U.S. citizens and give up their Potawatomi citizenship. In response, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation was created as tribal members settled in Indian Territory, or present-day Oklahoma, to maintain their tribal membership and culture.

The Potawatomis and their language are still thriving today in large part because of the tribe’s dedication to conserving their history and culture. Influences of the Potawatomis and other Keepers of the Fire tribes can be found in Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Through art, crafts, music, museums, and, most importantly, storytelling, the Keepers of the Fire have successfully preserved the religions and customs of their past by passing down this knowledge to their children for generations now.

Storytelling is still an important aspect to Potawatomi life today. From November to February, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation practices winter tales, where children gather to learn life lessons and stories of their ancestors. Most of the Potawatomi winter tales involve Nanabozho or Wiske, who is a trickster character, usually in the shape of a man with rabbit ears. In the past, the stories were told in the winter months because the long, snow covered season was when the Potawatomi believed the earth and spirits were asleep, leaving little risk of awakening those mischievous entities that might hear their name spoken. Winter tales are not just stories of morality, though. Today, they provide an opportunity for tribal members to gather together in celebration and for the children to practice the Potawatomi language, an Algonquian spoken language that the tribe preserves through classes at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

In the early years, the Earth was hard on the people. Many died from diseases and others just

passed on from the tough lives they lived. The Seven Grandfathers were powerful spirits given the responsibility to watch over the people by The Creator.

Seeing how hard it was for the people, the Seven Grandfathers sent their helper Shkabwes amongst the people to find one who could be taught how to live in harmony with the world. Six times Shkabwes searched amongst the people and found no one, but on his seventh trip he found a newborn baby who was unaffected by the hardships of the world who would be able to learn from the Seven Grandfathers.

Taking the boy from his parent’s tent while they slept, Shkabwes left gifts of tobacco and a piece of his clothing to show them he had not been taken by a wild animal and would one day return.

When Shkabwes presented the baby to the Seven Grandfathers, they said, “he is too young to hear our teachings or gaze upon us. To do so would be fatal for him. Take him out and show him the four quarters of the universe and then return. When he is stronger, he will learn.”

Shkabwes showed the boy many things across the four quarters of the universe. It took many years, so when they returned to the lodge of the Seven Grandfathers, the boy was seven years old. As they stood before the entrance, the boy realized that Shkabwes had been his uncle all along. Uncles help guide us in our journeys through life, and Shkabwes had done the same for the boy.

The Grandfathers told the boy of his parents and how they expected him to return one day and what he would teach the people when he returned. They then pointed to a water jug, painted for the four directions and colors of people the Creator had made.

“North is white, west is black, red is south and yellow is for the east,” they told him. Then they each placed a gift in the water jug, sharing it just as one does in the peoples’ ceremonies today.

The first gift was wisdom, which would allow people to cherish the knowledge they attained. The second was love, because to know it was to know peace. Then, to honor all of the Creation, they gave respect. Bravery in the face of the foe was next, then honesty to face a difficult situation with pride. Humility to know ones place in the expanse of the Creation came next, while the gift of truth to know and understand all of those things came last.

“But remember,” they warned the boy, “for in the world each gift has an opposite, like evil is the opposite of good. You must teach them carefully in the right way to use each gift.”

Shkabwes took the boy and his water jug back to the people, but by this time the boy was a fully grown man. In the spirit world, time does not pass, but the boy had been gone many years. When he entered his old village, an old couple stood in front of the rest of the crowd and recognized the man as their son. They had understood the gift of tobacco Shkabwes had left when he took the boy and had always known he would return one day.

Then the man taught the people about the gifts of the Seven Grandfathers, and how they had to be careful of their opposites. He also taught them that the physical world also had a twin in the spiritual world, and that a fit body was as necessary to harness one as a strong mind was to harness the other. Using the gifts and understanding of the directions painted on the water jug, the people began to adjust to life and its daily challenges. Diseases and accident didn’t claim as many lives because the people learned to live in the delicate balance that comes in living in harmony with the Creation.

The lesson of the story is that beginning at a very early age, we must teach our children about the world. They are already aware of the things that are happening around them, so we must instill the values provided by the Seven Grandfathers in them that they will need to guide them along life’s uncertain path.

“Culture.” Citizen Potawatomi Nation. 2015. Accessed September 22, 2016. https://www.potawatomi.org/

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Star Chart ActivityRe

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Answer Key 1. Council of the Chiefs 2. Deer 3. 7 Stars of Unity 4. Bow 5. Chief Star 6. North Star

This can be used as a station or group activity.

Using the Pawnee Sky Star Finder from Spirits

From the Sky Thunder on the Land, ask the

students the following:

Imagine you are a Pawnee or staying with a

Pawnee family. Using the Star Finder, what

constellations or stars would you see at the

following dates and times as you were looking

through the roof of the Pawnee Lodge?

1. April 10, 2 a.m. _________________________

2. January 15, 10 p.m. _____________________

3. October 25, 1 a.m. _____________________

4. June 5, 4 a.m. __________________________

5. What star is in the center? _______________

6. What might we call this star in American culture?

___________________________________________

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The Apache Sunrise CeremonyCeremonies are another way of storytelling. Cer-emonies are important stories because they are stories that have been handed down from gen-eration to generation. They are a part of the tribal history that remains unchanged, and connects the tribal members with their tribe’s past. An im-portant ceremony to the Apache, the Apache Sun-rise Ceremony, represents an Apache girl’s journey into womanhood. The cer-emony signifies the connec-tion between the Apache girl and the first woman, White Painted Woman. The ceremony tells the story of White Painted Woman and her role in the Apache Nation and lasts four days.

The Sunrise Ceremony brings together the Apache girl and her tribal heritage. It connects her with the tribal spirit of White

Painted Woman and teaches

her how to become an Apache

woman. The girl learns her

touch can heal and comfort,

she gives and receives bless-

ings, and she receives gifts.

The Sunrise Ceremony de-

picts the Creation story; act-

ing it out involves many hours

of dancing and many spon-

sors. A godmother is the

most important support fig-

ure in the ceremony, along

with sisters or female cousins of the

Apache girl. The girl is also covered in paint throughout the

ceremony. The ceremony lasts four days, includes many tribal mem-

bers, and can take months to plan. It has been a memorable tradition

for those involved and is something that brings the families and clans

together.

The Apache Sunrise Ceremony

Apache ceremonies are not just stories, they are rites of passage. Other Apache ceremonies include the cradle ceremony, which is meant to fend off evil; the First Moccasin ceremony, which is done to commemorate a child’s first steps; the Holiness Rite, which tells the story of Bear and Snake to ward off sickness; the Hoop Dance, a healing ceremony; and the Lightning ceremony, which is told to generate rain for the crops and keep lightning at bay.

Photo by James Ayers Studios

cRADLE cEREMONY HOOP DANcE

FIRST MOccASIN cEREMONY

HOLINESS RITE

LIGHTNING cEREMONY

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STUDENTS Grades K through 3

OBJECTIVES •StudentswilllistentothestoryBaby

Rattlesnake.

•Studentswillpredictwhathappensinastory.

•Studentswillbeabletoidentifycharactersina story.

•Studentswillbeintroducedtographingthrough observing the teacher graph responses.

•Studentswillreplicateaphysicalenvironmentsimilar to the one in the story.

•Studentswillformasnakeoutofclay.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS Book – Baby Rattlesnake by Te Ata construction paper Glue Art materials Modeling clay Shoeboxes

ACTIVITIESRead the entire story Baby Rattlesnake to students, or read a portion of the story and allow students predict the outcome. Students will need to listen for the characters, setting, time of day, location, and theme.

•Ifyouhavechosentoreadtheentirestory, when the story is over use demonstrated writing for the following questions:

- What color do you think the snake is?

- What do you think the Indian maiden looks like?

- What animals did the baby rattlesnake tease?

If you have chosen to read only a portion of the story and have students predict, use chart paper to document what the students think will happen next in the story.

•Usepicturestorepresentthestudents’

words if they need the visual.

•Usethequestion,“Whatcolordoyou

think the snake is?” to develop a class

graph. Write the question below the

graph when it is complete.

ADDITIONAL

ACTIVITIES: •Makeashoeboxenvironmentor

research details about the story’s

environment and how it may have

looked.

•Makeababysnakeoranyother

character from the story out of clay.

Adapted from: http://etls.dpsk12.

org/documents/alma/units/

americanindianstorytelling.pdf

Chickasaws: Te Ata

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Paintings are another form of Native American storytelling. Paintings can tell stories on many different canvases. The first Native American paintings were found in caves; the most recent examples we are familiar with are shields, tipis, hides, and modern art. One example is the Kiowa Tipi with Battle Pictures.

Oklahoma Historical Society Curator of American Indian and Military Collections Matt Reed described the tipi in a blog entry on the OHS website:

”The northern half of the tipi is decorated with sketches depicting the war honors of the best Kiowa warriors. The southern half is decorated with alternating yellow and black stripes. The center back of the tipi features a vertical series of tomahawks to mark the war honors of Heart Eater. The front, above the door, features a series of feathered lances to symbolize the war honors of Sitting on a Tree. At the very top is a depiction of two Kiowa warriors besieged but successfully defending themselves against multiple Osage warriors.“1

Tipis could be decorated many different ways. Some Plains tribes decorated their tipis with battle scenes, animals, or other symbols that were sacred or important to the tribe.

Creating the Tipi with Battle

Pictures was an annual tradition among the Kiowas. Kiowa women would sew the tipi, and the men of the tribe would decorate it. Tipis were originally made of bison hide, then canvas. The change was made because of the low buffalo population. The tipi eventually stopped being made yearly. The Tipi with Battle Pictures is made of canvas and was sewn together by Mary Buffalo. The tipi was decorated by Charlie Buffalo and noted Native American artists Silver

Horn and Stephen Mopope.

The Tipi With Battle Pictures was donated to the Oklahoma Historical

Society in the 1920s. It was recently rediscovered, and is now on display at the

Oklahoma History Center.

1. Matt Reed. “Tipi with Battle Pictures.” Found in Collections

(blog), September 28, 2010. http://www.

okhistory.org/blog/?p=214.

Tipi with Battle Pictures

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