|
You may want to use the following discussion points to begin
a dialogue with your class:
Did
you know? Today there are 559 tribes recognized by the federal
government in the United
States. Each tribe has its own culture,
beliefs, and practices. In Central and South America,
approximately 65% of the population is indigenous.
Did
you know? According to the 2000 United States census,
2.5 million individuals identified as Native American. This constitutes 0.9%
of the United States
population. There are 87,241 Native Americans in New York City.
Did
you know? Many Native American communities have their own schools and
colleges where indigenous cultural traditions and languages are taught and
spoken.
Did
you know? Most Native people identify themselves with a word from
their language generally meaning “the people.” For example,
|
|
|
INDIGENOUS
NAME
Lenape
Aniyunwiya
Diné
Tohono
O’odham
Lakota
|
MEANING
Original
People
The
Principal People
The
People
Desert
People
The
People
|
COMMONLY
KNOWN AS
Delaware
Cherokee
Navajo
Papago
Sioux/Dakota
|
|
Activity 2: What do you know now/later?
Have
students take a sheet of paper, fold it in half vertically to create two
columns, and make an Experience Chart for
their visit to the AICRC:
- Before your
visit to the museum, instruct your students to make a
heading on the left side of their sheet of paper that says, “What I know
about American Indians.” Make a list.
- After your
visit to the museum, instruct your students to make a
heading on the right side of the same sheet of paper that says, “What I
learned about American Indians.” Make a list under this heading.
- Compare the ideas
in the left and right columns of the papers. Have the students identify
one perception that was changed during their visit to the museum
|
|
Exhibitions
and public
programs
explore the
diversity of
the Native
peoples of the
Americas and
the strength
and continuity
of their
cultures.
|
Upon Arrival
at the AICRC
ARRIVE
AT LEAST 10
MINUTES before your scheduled program.
ENTER
THE LOBBY via the front entrance to the abbey, located off the parking
lot.
Please
allow ample time. It is strongly advised that students leave backpacks and
other bags at school.
THE CULTURAL
INTERPRETER will meet your group at the
scheduled
time in the abbey lobby.
|
|
Admission is free.
The Center is open by appointment only.
Keep in mind, while admission
to the Center is free, there
may be a materials fee. The center’s entrance, exhibitions, program
spaces, and rest rooms are all fully accessible.
|
GUIDELINES - While You’re at the AICRC
THE
CENTER requires one chaperone for every 10 students.
CHAPERONES
are
required to supervise their group and remain with them at all times and in
all locations.
THE
CENTER reserves the right to refuse or terminate a program that is
inadequately supervised or that fails to conform to standards of good
behavior.
SILENCE is
expected when walking in the halls outside the Center as the Center is
located in a Benedictine Monastery.
EATING,
drinking, and gum-chewing are not permitted in the center.
STORAGE
is
available for school groups’ coats and lunch bags.
GROUPS
are
free to visit the center on their own after their scheduled programs.
Lunch or snacks may be eaten in the
Guest Dining Room. A reservation
should be made with registration.
|
■ Have
students complete Activity 2 above.
■ Have
students choose an object they saw at the Center, draw it, and describe what
they learned about it.
■ After
your visit, ask students if they have any questions about Native Americans.
Assist them in locating the answers in books or on the Internet.
■
Have students produce a scrapbook of
images and articles about Native Americans from magazines, newspapers, and the
Internet. What ideas about Native Americans are conveyed in what the students
have collected? Encourage students to find images and articles about Native
Americans that are written by Native Americans.
■ Have
students research and compare value and cultural differences for Native
Americans vs. European Americans.
NOTE: Concepts of time,
work or responsibility have different understandings in different cultures.
Isolated peoples (such as we Americans are) will not understand the world until
they are rescued from their isolation. Indian thought can guide us to new
understanding. For Native Americans "time" is a Presence, not a
commodity to be sold. For Native Americans "work" is a Burden, not a
consuming Way of Life. For Native Americans "responsibility" is a
duty to family and community, not a debt to a paymaster.
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|
BLUE
CLOUD ABBEY
In the critical year of 1876 Benedictine Monks came to Dakota Territory and set up the first of several
schools.
Blue Cloud Abbey was founded
in 1950 by St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana
and was built in Marvin, SD by the monks themselves. In 2006, the monastery consisted of a
community of 20 Benedictine Monks. Where invited, Benedictine Monks opened
missions and schools across the Great Plains.
Four Native American Tribal Colleges flourish today having grown out of these
early endeavors.
|
About and the American Indian
Culture Research
Center
|
|
THE AMERICAN INDIAN
CULTURE RESEARCH
CENTER (AICRC)
AICRC, established in 1968,
is built on a foundation of a profoundly respectful, relationship between
Native Americans and Benedictine Monks dating back to the late 1870s.
The founder, Reverend
Stanislaus Maudlin, “Wambdi Wicasa" (Eagle Man) as he is called by
native people, established the Center for two purposes: to support Native
Americans in achieving greater empowerment in the management of their
respective reservations; and "... to teach the public to respect the
culture and world view, the philosophy of life, and the spirituality of
Native People..."
For over 40 years, AICRC has
pursued these goals with humble diligence, cultivating trusted relationships
with Native American peoples, other Great Plains
monastic organizations, local communities, educational institutions, and the
federal government. Reverend Maudlin brought a lifetime of understanding and
appreciation of the Native American heritage to project.
The current Director of AICRC is Colleen
Cordell, member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota/Sioux
reservation, President of Wilmot Board of Education, and business owner of
Colleen’s Gardens & Native American Products.
Researchers are invited to use the facilities of the
Center which includes a library of 1000s of books -- appointment required.
|
A Short Quiz on Facts and
Attitudes about Native American People
Following are two quizzes to be used for
helping identify stereotypes that your students may have regarding Native
Americans. It is suggested that Pre-Quiz
#1 be used with grades 5-6 and Pre-Quiz #2 be used with younger grades. Use one or both as you feel appropriate for
your class.
These quizzes will help students identify some
stereotypes about Native Americans and prepare them for specific and accurate
information. Despite its name, these brief activities are not really quizzes; they
are intended to start discussion. The questions and answers in these quizzes
can also help focus students’ attention during their AICRC visit as they look
for examples of objects or exhibition text to support or contradict the quiz
statements.
You may want to have students complete the quiz as a
class, in small groups, or individually. The answers to the quiz following the
pre-quiz activity sheet are for the teacher; they will help guide the post-quiz
discussion.
|
Note:
It must be emphasized that no
one person speaks for Indian People. There are over 500 distinct American
Indian Nations in the present United
States. Each has its own language and
history, its own sacred places and rituals. Each is rooted in and part of the
land out of which it grew.
We hope you enjoy your tour
through the various pages and will benefit from this site. If you care to
call or write, we will do our best to introduce you to Indian Scholars in any
discipline of your interest.
American
Indian Culture
Research Center
P.O. Box 98
Marvin, SD 57251
605-398-9200,
Colleen (abbey@bluecloud.org) ext
100 or
Rebecca (aicrcproject@bluecloud.org)
ext. 149.
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|
Circle the proper answer:
|
|
1. The proper name for Indian people in South Dakota is . . .
|
DAKOTA
|
SIOUX
|
|
2. Indians are not full citizens of the United States.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
3. Because of poor educational opportunities, Indians have made
no important achievements in our society.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
4. Indian people have been on this continent approximately
20,000 years.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
5. Indians were excellent horsemen even before the coming of the
white man.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
6. Indians were great mathematicians and architects before their
civilization was destroyed.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
7. Indians do not now pay taxes.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
8. Each enrolled Indian receives a monthly check from the
government.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
9. Tribal society was communal. This makes the transition from
their society into an economy that is competitive very difficult.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
10. The Indian population is decreasing rapidly.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
11. The sacred Black Hills were
given to the white man through Treaty.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
12. The major Indian languages are unrelated, thus showing their
great antiquity.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
13. Sitting Bull was a prayer leader--not a war leader.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
14. On most Reservations there are Christian churches and
Christian Indians.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
15. If Indians could be prevailed on to go to work, they could
easily get out of their poverty.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
16. Indians do not have the concepts of time, work or
responsibility.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
17. Indians had no understanding of religion before the white
man gave it to them.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
18. Indian society had strong identification in family, clan and
nation (or people).
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
|
19. The Indian system of education stressed, above all, wisdom.
|
TRUE
|
FALSE
|
1.
The proper name for
Indian people in South Dakota
is . . . DAKOTA
All communities
(peoples) concretize their ideals in the names they call themselves. Like-wise,
enemies denigrate their foes by the names they attach to the "hated
ones". The Ojibwa Indians called the Dakota "Nadowessioux",
meaning "little snakes". This word was shortened by the newly arrived
French Traders to the term Sioux. But DAKOTA, truly, is the proper name. It
means "allies" or "friends". Lakota is what the western
Bands call themselves; it has the same meaning as Dakota. cf, Dictionary by
Paul War Cloud, Sisseton, SD 57262
2. Indians are not full
citizens of the United
States. FALSE
By joining a group
(or government) a person voluntarily gives up some of his independence. No one
should be forced to give up his independence. But in 1924, without requesting
it, and without knowing of it, American Indians were "declared"
citizens of the United
States. To some this would seem a great
glory. For Indians it is associated with a Trail of Tears. cf. A Century of
Dishonor by Helen H. Jackson.
3. Because of poor
educational opportunities, Indians have made no important achievements in our
society. FALSE
Indian men and women
are in every profession. See : American Indian Historical Society, 1415 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117 . The Association of American
Indian Physicians, University of Oklahoma, Norman,
OK 73069.
Institute for Development of Indian Law, 927 15th Street NW, Suite 612, Washington,
DC 20005
. The National Indian Education Association, 2675 University Ave., St. Paul,
MN 55114.
4.
Indian people have been on this continent approx. 20,000 years. TRUE
"Radio carbon
dates are not always infallible, but enough have been accumulated, in
conjunction with other archaeological and geological evidence, to place man
unshakably in America well before 10,000 years ago, and probably before 20,000
years ago; a recent discovery near Pueblo, Mexico, may push back the horizon to
well before 30,000 years ago." cf. American Heritage Book of Indians by
Alvin Joseph.
5.
Indians were
excellent horsemen even before the coming of the white man. FALSE
Misinformation is often romanticized. The Red Man of the
Plains, in the imagination of the non-Indian, has become THE American Indian.
And he is always seen on horseback. In the ancient past, small horses did range
the west, but these have long been extinct. The Conquistadors brought the
present horse. To native people they seemed like invincible centaurs -- they
were called "Wakan", i.e. Holy. But soon the Indians of the Plains
did become some of the greatest horsemen the world has ever seen. cf. They Sang
for Horses, by LaVerne Harrell Clark.
6.
Indians were
great mathematicians and architects before their civilization was destroyed TRUE
It is not possible
for 20th Century technologically-dependent people to grasp the achievements of
early Indians. Indian architecture is unexcelled. Indians' perception of the
relations of the stars created their extremely accurate calendar. They used the
zero in mathematics before it was discovered by the Arabs. Six hundred years of
recorded Peace gave the Aztec and Mayan peoples leisure for experimentation and
communication of ideas. This all came to an end in the 16th century. cf.
Catholic Encyclopedia.
7.
Indians do not
now pay taxes. FALSE
Indian people pay
every kind of tax that immigration brought to them -- personal property, income,
sales, excise, etc... Although Indians have title to some reservation land,
they are not allowed to administer that land. On this land they do not pay tax.
8.
Each enrolled
Indian receives a monthly check from the government. FALSE
This is a canard that
seems impossible to correct. Tell your friends that it is not true. (If it were
true, then the Postal Department is much slower in delivery than we had
believed.)
9.
Tribal society
was communal. This makes the transition from their society into an economy that
is competitive very difficult. TRUE
Some people feel
that sharing and being helpful to one's relatives is a kind of divine command.
Others feel that competition for goods and inheritance, and accumulation of
goods, is a divine command. Perhaps both groups have the right to think as they
choose, but the difference in thinking does make it difficult for the Indian to
move into non-Indian society.
10.
The Indian
population is decreasing rapidly. FALSE
The Indian
population is the "youngest" on this Continent. (It is also the
oldest, cf. no. 4) Over 60% of Indian people are under 19 years of age. Once it
was said very pragmatically, "Every buffalo killed is an Indian
gone". So the slaughter of buffalo went on. Between 1980 to 1990, the
Indian population grew by 35 percent. cf. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Building,
Aberdeen, SD.
11.
The sacred Black Hills were given to the white man through Treaty. FALSE
When the Treaties
were written, and lands were shared with the needy immigrants, the Sacred part
of the land -- called the Black Hills -- was
specifically excluded from occupation by non-Indians. But Gold was discovered.
12.
The major Indian
languages are unrelated, thus showing their great antiquity.
"A greater
variety of languages existed in North America than in all the Old
World put together. The most conservative guesses put the number
of mutually unintelligible languages at from 500 to 1,000. Whatever root, or
roots, these languages might have had were totally lost during the passage of
so many centuries." cf. Elijah Black Thunder, Dakota language teacher, Sisseton, SD
57262
13.
Sitting Bull was
a prayer leader--not a war leader. TRUE
Because he was a
Prayer Leader, the Dakota man, Sitting Bull, stood over the field at the Little
Big Horn and prayed during the battle . Sitting Bull was sharing his power with
his people by his contact with Wakantanka. cf. Exodus 17:8.
14.
Indians had no
understanding of religion before the white man gave it to them. FALSE
For Indians
"Religion was Life". They lived in the presence of the Holy.
Unfortunately, through Science this awareness -- especially among the young who
have been "educated" -- has to a great extent been destroyed. Lacking
a compatible Religion, Indian young people, like so many others, often turn to
dependence on chemicals and drugs.
15.
Indian society
had strong identification in family, clan and nation (or people). TRUE
For the people in
the United States,
whose ties to Family, Clan and Community are diminishing, it is difficult to
understand the value that others see in these institutions. Non-Indians are a
very nomadic people. Indians are stable. Non-Indians prefer to use the land;
Indians identify with the land. Non-Indians are progressive (??) and break with
the past; Indians are conservative and choose to remember the past. Non-Indians
"leave home"; Indians prefer to "build home".
16.
The Indian
system of education stressed, above all, wisdom. TRUE
Since the non-Indian
system of education is directed toward the manipulation of things, events and
persons, SKILLS are important, and they are taught extensively in the various
kinds of institutions. In the Indian system of education WISDOM is important --
the WHY of things and events and persons. Relationships are, therefore, very
important. Unity is sought -- and Community.
_________________________________________
|
Circle “TRUE” or “FALSE” to
these statements about Native people.
|
|
1.
Any one of
these three terms—American Indians, Native Americans, or Native peoples—is acceptable and respectful.
|
True
|
False
|
|
2.
Native
Americans speak one language.
|
True
|
False
|
|
3.
All Native
Americans live in tipis.
|
True
|
False
|
|
4.
All Native
Americans are noble, humorless, and respect Mother Earth.
|
True
|
False
|
|
5.
All Native
Americans live on reservations.
|
True
|
False
|
|
6.
Native Americans
have a similar appearance: high cheekbones, black hair, dark skin, prominent
nose.
|
True
|
False
|
|
7.
These phrase
might be offensive to Native Americans: “You act like a bunch of wild
Indians!”
|
True
|
False
|
|
8.
Native
Americans wear beaded dresses, moccasins, or buckskin pants every day.
|
True
|
False
|
|
9.
All Native
Americans participate in powwows.
|
True
|
False
|
|
10.
To be
considered a Native American, a person must have a mother, father,
grandmothers, and grandfathers who are Native Americans.
|
True
|
False
|
_________________________________________
1.
Any one of these three terms—American Indians, Native
Americans, or Native peoples—is acceptable and respectful. TRUE.
Although some Native people prefer
one term over the others, most feel that any of these terms is acceptable and
respectful. These terms include peoples indigenous to North, Central, and South America. The Native people of Alaska are generally referred to as Alaska Natives (not
Eskimos) and Canadian Natives as indigenous,
aboriginal, or First
Nations. In South America,
Native peoples are most often referred to as Indigenous
Peoples. Whenever possible, it’s best to use
the specific tribal name, such as White Mountain Apache, to affirm the
diversity of Native peoples and to honor the group’s or individual’s heritage
and identity.
2.
Native Americans speak one language. FALSE.
Before Columbus
arrived, the Native people of North, Central, and South
America spoke more than 1,000 different languages. Most Native
cultures preserved their traditions orally, but a few had written languages as
well. Although attempts were made by colonizers and missionaries to destroy
Native language, more than 700 Native languages are still spoken today.
Preserving and revitalizing Native languages are issues that many people are
becoming concerned about. Visit these websites to learn more about language
preservation efforts: the Native American Language Center at http://nas.ucdavis.edu/NALC/home.html
or Native Languages of the Americas
at http://www.native-languages.org
3.
All Native Americans live in tipis. FALSE.
Historically, Native
people lived in many kinds of dwellings, including tipis, which were favored by
nomadic hunting tribes such as the Plains peoples. But Native Americans in
other parts of North America also lived in
igloos, pueblos, hogans, and longhouses, among other types of dwellings. In
some instances, people’s housing organization reflected clan or kinship systems
and familial relationships. Although most contemporary Natives live in
contemporary dwellings, many still use traditional building techniques in their
cultural or spiritual lives, in much the same way that they would have in the
past.
4.
All Native Americans are noble, humorless, and respect
Mother Earth. FALSE.
These kinds of
generalizations reinforce stereotypes. A stereotype is a generalization that is
applied to all members of a group. Have your students discuss why such
statements can’t possibly be true. Ask if they can think of books, movies,
television shows, or other sources of these stereotypes. Then ask them to think
of images of Native people that combat this stereotype. Use your AICRC visit to
collect more examples.
5.
All Native Americans live on reservations. FALSE.
Today, nearly 70% of
Native people do not live on reservations, although reservations remain at the
center of many Native traditions, customs, and festivals. In the U.S.,
reservations were created in the 1800s and, in most cases, Native people were
forced to live on them after the federal government removed them from their
traditional homelands to make the land available to non-Native settlers. Some
tribes, however, were able to maintain their original homelands, which
constitute their reservations today. But reservations also arose when tribes
purchased land from other tribes or entered into agreements with the U.S.
government (federal or state).
6.
Native Americans have a similar appearance: high cheekbones,
black hair, dark skin, prominent nose. FALSE.
This is a stereotypical
expectation of what Native Americans might look like. No single physical
description can define Native people—all Indians do not look alike. Some have
curly hair, others have straight; some may have green or blue eyes, others have
dark brown. Native people can be tall or short and can have very fair or darker
skin.
7.
This phrase might be offensive to Native Americans: “You act
like a bunch of wild Indians!” TRUE.
A phrase such as this
implies that Native American people are wild or savage, without manners, and
uncivilized. People sometimes unknowingly use stereotypes and hurtful language
when talking about Native Americans. Some books use loaded words. They may
refer to Native people as savages or to a Native war victory as a massacre,
while not describing the killing of Natives as a massacre. The terms squaw,
papoose, and redskin are commonly used by the dominant society, but not by
Native people, who consider them derogatory. Other phrases further instill
misguided understandings. When someone says “low man on the totem pole,” they
may not realize that totem poles tell important stories and the bottom figure
is often the most important one (and usually not a man). Using the term “Indian
giver” implies that Indian people are dishonest or thieves. Help students better understand the historic
negative attitudes of the U.S.
government toward Indians, and discuss how those attitudes may have shaped
stereotypical ideas still prevalent today.
8.
Native Americans wear beaded dresses, moccasins, or buckskin
pants every day. FALSE.
Although many Native
people have incorporated elements of their cultures into their clothing styles,
most Native people wear regular, contemporary clothing daily. But tribal and
ceremonial dress are worn during important events or ceremonies and express the
significant role of culture to Native people living in a contemporary world.
Styles, colors, and designs of regalia or dress signify age, status, region, or
spirituality to people who understand and recognize what they are looking at.
Accoutrements such as feathers, jewelry, or headdresses also have special
significance. Some Native people, however, wear elements of traditional-style
clothing today for practical reasons. For example, to keep warm, Igloolik hunters
still wear sealskin mitts and boots when hunting walrus or caribou. Or, for
comfort, some Native people wear moccasins with blue jeans.
9.
All Native Americans participate in powwows. FALSE.
The idea that all Native
Americans participate in powwows is a misconception. Historically, powwows
began as intertribal gatherings among Plains tribes. Today, many Native people
do attend powwows all around the country in urban, reservation, and rural
settings. Powwows serve many purposes, including entertainment, renewal of
friendships, dancing, singing, and celebrating identity. Powwows are social
gatherings, but many also include dance competitions where dancers are judged
on their regalia, dance styles, and ability to stay on beat with the drum
music. Powwows promote respect and understanding among people of different
tribal backgrounds.
10.
To be considered a Native American, a person must have a
mother, father, grandmothers, and grandfathers who are Native Americans. FALSE.
Tribal governments often
use racial and political considerations to determine that a person is a tribal
member and may identify as a community member. Tribes’ requirements for
ancestry and affiliation with a tribe or community often pre-date European
contact. However, there is no single established standard to determine who is
Native American. While degree of Native blood is a common determinant, “blood
quantum” requirements for membership vary from tribe to tribe and are
influenced by the U.S.
federal government’s forced definition of Native people in some instances. Each
particular tribe, village, nation, and community has established their own
criteria for their citizenship. Although these criteria may be cultural and
traditional, they may also change with time or the needs of the community.
Cultural identity is just as important to being “Native American” as the
government’s designations.
■ http://www.bluecloud.org/indian/
American Indian Culture
Research Center
■ http://www.nativeweb.org/
An electronic database project providing information on Native
cultural groups, laws and literature, languages, education, and publications,
plus many links to Native sites.
■ http://www.hanksville.org/NAresources/
Index of Native American resources. This searchable site
provides links to many sources of information about Native Americans. The links
are organized into a number of categories.
■ http://www.iroquois.net/
Provides information and links concerning the Iroquois people.
■ http://www.oyate.org/
Oyate is a Native organization working to see that Native
American lives and histories are portrayed honestly. Visit the site to purchase
good books for children or to see reviews of children’s books about Indians.
■
http://www.AmericanIndian.si.edu
National Museum of the American Indian
website in New York
■ Bigelow,
Bill, & Bob Peterson, editors. Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years,
1998. Milwaukee:
Rethinking Schools. Resources for teaching about the impact of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.
■ Caduto,
Michael J., & Joseph Bruchac. The Keepers Series. Golden,
CO: Fulcrum, Inc. Series includes Keepers of the Earth (1988),
Keepers of the Animals (1991),
Keepers of Life (1994), and Keepers
of the Night (1994). Collections of traditional stories
with related hands-on activities for children, 5 –12. Bruchac is of Abenaki
descent.
■ Hirschfelder,
Arlene, & Yvonne Beamer. Native Americans Today.
2000.
Englewood, Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press (a division of
Libraries Unlimited). Resources and activities for educators, grades 4–8.
Beamer is Eastern Band Cherokee.
■ Russell,
George. Native American FAQs Handbook.
2000. Phoenix: Russell Publications. A brief, useful digest,
emphasizing contemporary demographics. An information-packed wall map showing
U.S. Indian Reservations is also available. Russell
is Saginaw Chippewa.
■ Slapin,
Beverly, & Doris Seale, editors. Through Indian
Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. 1998. Los Angeles: American
Indian Studies
Center, University of California.
An excellent guide, written by Native people.
