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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that Native American peoples found and continue to find ways to express their cultural identity. Students will understand this by studying 5 specific artifacts from the on-line collection, 2 maps, answering questions and a discussion based on these objects. By viewing the maps students will understand that a number of distinctive Native groups populated our region, the Northeast prior to the 17th century. By studying the online artifacts and sharing their findings with each other students will understand that Native Peoples continue to use materials available to them to express themselves and their cultural perspective.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Students are shown 3 maps, The Massachusett Alliance, 1600 A.D. from 1491:NEW REVELATIONS OF THE AMERICAS BEFORE COLUMBUS, page 40 by Charles Mann, 2006 and Map 1, The Northeast, circa 1660-1725 from CAPTIVE HISTORIES, by Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney, 2006.
Students are shown the local places: Northampton, Deerfield/Pocumtuck, and where the Mohawks or Kanien'kehaka can be found. Students will understand how populated the region was prior to 1620. The third map can be found on the Deerfield 1704 website: go to maps, then "Settlement Patterns of the Connecticut River Valley". By displaying all the options students can see the same geographic area from different time periods and from the European Settler's focus as well as the Native Settlements.
Step 2.
Students will form smaller groups and each group will be assigned to research one of the selected artifacts from the online collection. Each group will have to study their primary source and answer the following questions.
Step 3.
What is a primary source? Are the artifacts you see on your computer a primary source? Why and why not? (Class discussion will follow)
Step 4.
List 5-10 elements that you notice about your artifact. Choose 2-3 that you believe to be significant, why are these elements significant and what do they mean?
Step 5.
Read all the information available about your object and write significant facts. Who made it and when? What was, or is it used for? What is it made of? What can you say about the person or people who made this object, think like a detective or an Anthropologist when answering this question. How can you support your ideas or assumptions? Is your object a work of Art? Why or Why not?
Step 6.
Choose a spokesperson from your group. Once you have completed the questions each group will present their artifact and the information to the entire class for discussion.
Step 7.
Each group will present their findings and students will respond. Two additional questions will be asked of the students to respond to in writing and then discussed if time allows. 1. What, if anything surprised you about any of the artifacts you were introduced to today?
Step 8.
We studied a functional object- a bowl (in shards), objects of adornment, (jewelry, armor or clothing: a gorget, pendants, headdress), and a sculpture. All of the objects we studied were made by hand.
2. Can you think of 1-2 things in your world that were made by hand that fit in the same categories as the artifacts we studied? Write it down and please hand in all written work.
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