November 1, 1998

Harvest, Gratitude, Sharing

Highlight include: N.W. Cultures, Totem Poles, Potlatch-Give-Away, Chief Sealth’s Speech

This month’s activities will culminate with a popular N.W. tradition,

the potlatch or “give-away.” The various N.W. coastal tribes have unique

traditions, but all include sharing with each other and “give-away” as well as

feasting. I like this very much because it may introduce students to the idea

that special times of gathering are an opportunity to give as well as to get

gifts or “pig-out.”

Before I describe the activities and materials, let me say that you’ll need to

start making connections in the community now. Community help-lines and

centers, food banks, churches, or government programs are all wonderful

connections, but usually understaffed and need plenty of time to organize.

When I started this activity, the students brought food, clothing, books, and

gifts. Then, a parent or I delivered, but later I found that students really

need to help take items, prepare or serve food, and meet the people who are

receiving their gifts to truly feel involved in the community. If you can get

help with transportation such as parents, the bus, or chaperones for a walk

there, the gift of the students’ stories, drama, music, and movement projects

may bring joy to a senior center or hospital. “Sometimes we need a story as

much as food to survive.” (Crow and Weasel, Barry Lopez in September issue).

Most of these activities could be re-structured to fit your schedule

and students’ ages. I begin visually by having the students look through

books that show different totem poles; several are listed below in resources,

but many more are available. I think it’s a good idea to introduce the

meaning of the poles themselves as well as samples of what various individual

totem animals may represent. Sometimes the poles are used to tell the story

of an important event in the community or in a

family. Sometimes they are used to mark an important person’s residence or

grave. Another interesting point is that while respected artists create the

poles, it may take the entire community to raise and stabilize them. Several

books are listed at the end of the column.You may like students to draw or

sculpt their own poles with animals that are significant to them, then write

its story, and finally dramatize.

I enjoy starting with the drama and movement first, simply as a change-up in

the writing process. I have students take animals’ names that are written on

small pieces of paper from a basket. Then, I randomly have them get into

groups of four-five and take the shape of the animals. Somehow, they have to

figure out how to get these shapes into a totem pole shape from the floor

level up. The person on the bottom may need to lie down and the top person

may need to carefully stand on a chair behind the rest of the group. Then, I

have them shift through placing their shapes in different heights on the pole.

We discuss how it feels to be in different positions on the poles. Then I

ask them to problem solve which animal shape to place where in order to

tell a story that begins with the shape on top. As each character comes to

life from top to bottom, the story unfolds. As the story concludes, one

character at a time returns to the totem pole from bottom to top. This order

is less cumbersome and somewhat safer, more balanced. I encourage them to try

various events, shapes, movements, and order of shapes on the pole as they

create their story.

I also allow them to change animals from the ones they originally drew, if it

helps create an interesting story. Each animal should either represent a

different value, or as a group, they may show how all of the characters helped

each other or one character with one value. You may like to make connections

with this to the Crow and Weasel story (September column) or Jumping Mouse

(October).

They use the movement work as their pre-write

so that while they rough draft in groups, each student may write his/her own

part of the story. It is convenient to have the written story so someone from

another group may narrate it and everyone in the group may participate in the

dramatic expression later, or the narrator could memorize the story.

Hopefully, it will help the performers get into the movement more so that

they’re not as tempted to just recite the story or freeze-up by forgetting

their parts. They may also enjoy having someone

from another group drum softly during their narrated presentation, compose or

select soft Native American music to play in the background. Later, the

students might enjoy publishing an illustrated class collection of totem pole stories.

Another piece of the gratitude/harvest unit is reading and respondingto a

version of Chief Sealth’s (Seattle) speech. It is published in varying translations. Listed below is the one that my fourth-graders read and discuss, How Can One Sell the Air? Chief Sealth made the speech to the Governor of Washington Territory for him to later convey to the President. Sealth accepted the terms offered to him to move his tribe to a reservation, and he speaks of what the land means to him, his people, his ancestors. You may need to tell your students that it is one of many translations; at the actual time it was given, the speech was translated at least twice because of dialects in the area.

You may also be able to find information about the history of Sealth and the Duwamish if you teach social studies and it is appropriate for your age group. I only touch on this with younger students because some of the history such as smallpox epidemics is too much for my nine-year-olds.

Sealth’s speech itself speaks of taking what is needed, not more; gratitude and responsibility for what we have, and a profound sense of belonging with one’s home and community, even one’s ancestors. One passage reads, “All things are bound together. All things connect. What happens to the Earth happens to the children of the Earth. Man has not woven the web of life. He is but one thread. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

TOPICS FOR WRITING ABOUT SEALTH”S SPEECH:

(taxonomic levels with voice, audience, purpose, form)

1) You are Sealth’s older son or daughter. Your little brother or

sister wants to know what your father said during the speech. Write an

explanation of it for him/her.

2) You are a reporter and just attended the speech. Write a column with some

brief commentary for your newspaper column so that your readers understand

both Sealth’s message and your opinion.

3) You are an artist, poet, or musician. Write a brief description of the

piece that you plan to create that was inspired by Sealth’s speech.

4) You are Governor Stevens. Write a letter that responds to Chief Sealth’s

speech and the issues he raised.

5) Write a dialogue between Sealth and yourself (or other present-day

person); assume that you could either go back in time, or that he came to

this time). Do you agree or disagree with his idea that the earth cannot be

bought and sold? Why?

6) If you were to leave the area where you live, compose a speech for those

who will be living there in the future. What do you cherish about it? For

what would you like them to be grateful?

*Any of these would lend themselves well to being dramatized or read

aloud and discussed further. I allow students to choose their own topics and

find that these usually gravitate towards the appropriate level for themselves.

PROJECT FOR RETURNING TO COMMNUNITY THAT FOR WHICH WE’RE GRATEFUL

You might want to have students brainstorm in groups or individually, then

compare and contrast some of the following types of topics:

What sustains you? (I accept ideas like food, shelter, fun, exercise,

beauty as well as comfort, friendships, help, understanding, love, guidance,

protection, inspiration).

What gives you a sense of belonging?

For what are you most grateful?

In what ways does your family, school, church, synagogue, activity or

club, neighborhood, community center, or city support you as a member?

In what ways do/can you return to these communities what you receive?

In what ways would you like to give back? Do you know of anyone,

acause, or a special group who helps our community or who needs help?

While we all have special interests and causes, as much as possible, I

allow the students to generate ideas for this project so that they feel it’s

theirs. I try to simply help facilitate it. I have had projects range from

bake and craft sales that raised money for local animal rescue centers to

collecting boxes of food for N.W. Harvest, warm clothes, and once we even made

sandwiches and delivered them to a shelter. There was plenty of follow-up

learning with that one because the students observed the people for whom

they’d made the sandwiches arguing intensely over the food. As these projects

have grown over the years, I have worked more and more with parent-volunteers

and the

community for transportation and help in every way. I believe that the more

everyone is involved, the more the children get out of it. When facilitating

connections between students and others in need in the community, you may like

to touch base with the counselor about working with them both as preparation

and follow-up to support their interactions. While things may get emotional,

this can be a powerful learning for the students.

Several years ago, I had one nine-year-old girl extremely emotional because

the single mother to whom we delivered

a grocery store certificate and a warm coat for her baby wept so hard with

joy. Another year I had a student ask why the hungry people just didn’t

charge food with their credit cards. Get the support that you and the

students need for these projects and touch base with school administration and

parents before organizing the actual projects.

If you want to organize a potlatch, you may be able to incorporate

this community project with it by having the students bring food, clothing, or

money that they’ve raised and put in a special basket or decorated box

center-circle. If they’re old enough, it’s ideal if the food they bring for

themselves is simple, something that they’ve made or selected themselves, and

there should be enough for everyone. You certainly can have a wonderful

potlatch without food (it’s not a pot”luck”) simply by

sharing stories, drama, dance, music, and experiences of the community

project. You may or may not choose to emphasize the Native culture theme.

It’s their potlatch so if you think they’d get more from sharing their own

cultures, stories, performances; go with it.

Art may be displayed, and home-made projects given to each other; organize so

that everyone receives something. Parents and others in the school or

neighborhood might like to attend too. I see it as a circular gathering to

sustain each other, to receive and give in a community that supports everyone

equally. There is more to harvest and celebrate than food and presents. With

my young students, I get away with having them sit in the circle to conclude

and saying at least one thing for which each

person is grateful.

By this time of year, I’m pretty comfortable with getting a little “heavy” and

saying that I’m grateful for having them as students and modeling by telling

each something for which I am grateful

for him/her. I am grateful that they’re part of our community and

world.

RESOURCES AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Books How can one sell the air?: the manifesto of an Indian chief

postscript by Steef Davidson, Book Publishing Co, Summertown, TN

Meet the Totem (good descriptions of history, traditions, and

explanations of each totem animal with large, clear illustrations) by Viola

Garfield, Sitka Printing Co, Sitka Alaska (intermediate-middle school)

Totem Poles, an illustrated guide by Marjorie Halpin, U of BC Press,

Vancouver, BC, Canada and U Of Washington Press, Seattle, WA (middle-high school)

Echoes of the Elders: stories and paintings of Chief Lelooska, edited by

Christine Normander (includes stories on CD and stunning full color

illustrations) DK Publishing, Inc. ’97

American Indian Myths and Legends, editors: Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz,

Pantheon Books, NY (extensive anthology available in paperback) middle school-adult video-American Indian Voices presents Johnny Moses (including potlatch song)

PO Box 1210 LaConner, WA 98257 (intermediate-adult)

www.ArtsEdNet.getty.edu (then go to “Curriculum Ideas,” then to “Wave your

Banner” (Exploring Community through Art)

*also in same site: (also under Curriculum then go to “Celebrating Pluralism,

then choices of “Multi-cultural Approaches,” “Selected American Indian

Artifacts,” or “Questions and Activities for All Grades,” e.g. cultural

context, theme, medium, history: (under themes many values-related topics

like ‘wisdom’ in eight different cultures ).

music suggestions in September and October newsletters

– Dianne Hamry

Tags: Arts, Ethics, Literature