WISDOM OF THE ELDERS RADIO: SERIES 3, PROGRAM 5
HONORING THE UMATILLA NATIONS
Lesson plan written by Wren Christopher, Eastern-Band Cherokee Heritage.
SUBJECT AREAS
Arts and culture
Petroglyphs
Rock art
SKILLS
National Standards for Arts Education – Visual Arts Standards
Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas
Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and culture
Oregon Common Curriculum Goals – Benchmark 2 for the Arts
Aesthetics and art criticism
Historical and cultural perspectives
Student will create, present and/or perform
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- Younger students will correctly label by tracing the names of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla on a map. Teacher note: download a map of the tribal homeland of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla and write in the names for the students to trace correctly. Make sure to add other important information such as the Columbia River. Have students use the maps to draw in their favorite petroglyph designs and write/draw important information as the lesson progresses.
- Older students will be able to identify the different names and locations of the original homeland of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla and what reservation they live on today (go to “Our History” at http://www.umatilla.nsn.us for maps and tribal history of the three tribes)
- Describe the difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph
INTRODUCTION
“It is characteristic of Native people to artfully embellish the mundane, transforming everyday items into objects of beauty. Today, some Native people are given to learning an array of tribal skills, to help sustain their living culture.”
Arlie Neskahi (Dine)
Overview
This lesson provides information about the three peoples that make up the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation of Oregon: The Walla Walla, The Cayuse and The Umatilla. (http://www.umatilla.nsn.us)
By listening to Umatilla artist, Thomas Morning Owl, students will be introduced to what is a traditional artist and a contemporary artist, and will learn about petroglyphs and rock art.
Students will also be introduced to the history and the geographic areas of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla and the importance of ancient rock art along the Columbia River areas of Oregon and Washington.
The lesson will provide students k to 4th grades with art activities, such as painting a rock, printing either a card, a shirt or book bag with petroglyph designs reminiscent of the rock art created long ago in the Columbia River Region.
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Cultural History of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Lesson 2: Identify Petroglyphs and Pictographs in the Columbia River Region
Lesson 3: Print a Card with a Petroglyph Design
Lesson 4: Explore Key Questions
GUIDING QUESTIONS
Before presenting the lessons the teacher will create a KWL learning poster (K is for what we know, W is for what we want to learn and L is for what we have learned) for the classroom:
· K—What does homeland mean? Where were the Walla Walla, the Cayuse, and the Umatilla Nations original homeland?
· K—What is a reservation? Where do these three tribes live today?
· K—What do we know about rock art called petroglyphs? What is a pictograph?
KWL questions and answers are generated daily by students and are written by an older student and/or teacher.
Younger students can use their map to add information, also.
More questions to ask after listening to the radio segment:
- W—is for what the students want to learn about the petroglyphs of the Columbia River Region. How old are they? How were they made? What was used use for paint? What do the petroglyphs represent?
- W—why do the petroglyphs inspire contemporary and traditional Umatilla artist, Thomas Morning Owl? Would ancient drawings from your ancestors inspire you to create something of beauty?
- L is for what the students have learned about ancient rock art and about traditional and contemporary Native artist, Thomas Morning Owl.
Revisit these questions after the lessons using a different colored pen to answer the original questions. Allow students to write down second go-around answers to the questions asked in class.
PREPARING TO TEACH THIS LESSON
- Writing and drawing paper, pencils, erasers, paint brushes, tempera paints and permanent markers in brown, red, white and black, cookie sheets, colored pencils, brayers (art roller with a handle for rolling paints), pencils, popsicle sticks, tooth picks, scissors, fabric crayons, iron and everyday items made of synthetic materials such as book bags and shirts; also, card-size tan or white art paper, newspaper, small smooth rocks, poster board and materials for KWL board, card-sized art paper, CD player, CD of traditional flute music, dictionary.
- If time permits, conclude each lesson with a “Talking Circle” (see glossary for definition).
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Lesson 1: Introduction to the Cultural History of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
- EL.04.RE.03—Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text.
CD Segments to Play
For this topic, go to Wisdom of the Elders Radio Series 3, Program 5, Track 11 (with traditional artist Thomas Morning Owl).
Background
Suggested Strategies
- Obtain and display pictures of petroglyphs along the Columbia River from the websites listed in the references at the end of this lesson.
Activities
1. Read
Have a variety of books on Native rock art for students to look at and use. Create a comfortable working library for the students to quietly sit and draw ideas and to use as a reference station for KWL questions.
2. Listen
Have a CD player with head-phones and the Thomas Morning Owl segment available as well as a computer with internet and the websites listed for older students.
Lesson 2: Identify Petroglyphs and Pictographs in the Columbia River Region
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
- EL.04.RE.05—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.
- EL.04.RE.18—Find information in specialized materials.
- EL.04.SL.07—Ask thoughtful questions and respond orally to questions with appropriate discussion.
CD Segments to Play
For this topic, go to Sacred Landscape (features Judy BlueHorse-Skelton, who shares a story about the Columbia River petroglyph known as “She Who Watches”).
Background
Suggested Strategies
- The teacher could play some traditional flute music for the students during their research time. Music is a nice way to open and close class time and during the studio time, also.
Activities
1. Discuss
After listening to this segment, ask students to find out if “She Who Watches” was a petroglyph or a pictograph, could it have been both?
2. Research
Older students can use internet access, if available, to do research either working independently or in teams. Use the websites listed in the references, students will need to access the teacher created resource library and audio center for the Thomas Morning Owl radio segment and the Yakama Program.
Younger students: need printed materials on petroglyphs and pictographs already downloaded from the websites listed in the references. The students could choose an easy- to- read articles and picture cards to share with a partner and in the Talking Circle.
3. Talking Circle
At the end of the student research period, allow time to go to the Talking Circle to share their findings. Have students sitting in a circle with a student or teacher scribe recording the students’ findings on what is a petroglyph and pictograph on the KWL board.
Lesson 3: Print a Card with a Petroglyph Design
Standards
THE ARTS
- AR.03.CP.02—Explore aspects of the creative process and the effect of different choices on one’s work.
- AR.03.CP.03—Create, present, and/or perform a work of art that demonstrates an idea, mood, or feeling.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Research what is a mono print technique at http://www.kinderart.com/printmaking/mono.shtml.
Suggested Strategies
- Have on hand tempera paints, brayers, cookies sheets, white drawing paper cut to fit a cookie sheet, tools to draw in the wet paint—pencils, toothpicks, popsicle sticks
Activities
1. Art project
Students will use lesson number two and pictures of rock art to design and print a card. The teacher will prep the student studio and demonstrate a mono print card.
- Squeeze a small amount of tempera paint onto the cookie sheet.
- Quickly, roll the brayer through the paint creating a smooth even layer of paint across the cookie sheet.
- Using different “tools” such as the toothpick, pencil, and/or popsicle stick, scratch away a petroglyph design. Remind the students that their artwork will print reversed from what they are drawing.
- Wash and dry hands! Carefully place a piece of art paper over the wet drawing on the cookie sheet. Do not wiggle the paper! Firmly, yet gently, rub with the flat of the hand across the entire paper.
- Lift the paper up and peel carefully away from the cookie tray. The design has transferred to the paper. Place the paper in a safe place to dry. Repeat the process.
Lesson 4: Explore Key Questions
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
- EL.04.RE.05—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.
- EL.04.SL.07—Ask thoughtful questions and respond orally to questions with appropriate discussion.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Suggested Strategies
Activities
1. Discuss
What did the radio announcer mean in his introduction by stating that, “It is characteristic of Native people to artfully embellish the mundane, transforming everyday items into objects of beauty?”
The teacher should ask the question, What does “mundane and transforming” mean?
For older students, the teacher should ask two students to use the dictionary and read aloud the definitions to the class.
For younger students, the teacher should read aloud the definitions.
Make a list of what everyday items that traditional Native artists embellished and transformed into an item of beauty.
Next, have the students make a list of everyday items that could be artistically embellished, such as school notebooks, sneakers, a cloth bookbag, etc.
Students will paint and/or draw with a permanent marker on a rock a traditional rock art design using brown, red, white and/or black colors.
The student will use the same design and fabric crayons on a cloth item such as a shirt, book bag, a piece of fabric that can be made into a banner, etc.
For information, adaptive ideas and lesson plans with Crayola Fabric Crayons go to http://www.crayola.com/art_education.
EXTENDING THE LESSON/REFERENCES
Books
Buan, Carolyn M. and Lewis, Richard, Editors. The First Oregonians. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Council for the Humanities,; 1991
Guilliford, Andrew
Sacred Objects and Sacred Places: Preserving Tribal Traditions. University Press Colorado; 2000.
La Pierre, Yvette
Native American Rock Art, Messages from the Past. Thomasson-Grant; 1994.
Loendorf, Lawrence, Chippindale, Christopher, Whitley,David
Discovering North American Rock Art. University of Arizona Press; 2005.
Moore, Sabra
Petroglyphs, Ancient Language/Sacred Art. Clear Light Publishers; 2003.
CDs
Wisdom of the Elders Radio Shows:
Honoring the Umatilla Nation, Series 3, Program 5, Track 11: Artists Circle with Thomas Morning Owl.
Honoring the Yakama Nation, Series 3, Program 4, Track 7: Sacred Landscape with Judy BlueHorse-Skelton.
Websites
For contemporary artists:
Contemporary, Wasco Indian, Lillian Pitt, website with Art Based on Columbia Gorge Petroglyphs at: http://www.lillianpitt.com then go to art based on petroglyphs
Contemporary photograph of and information on a petroglyph of a “River Devil,” Columbia River Gorge, Washington at:
http://www.dmcphoto.com/PetroglyphCRG.html
Crayola fabric ideas on printing techniques and other related lesson plans can be found at: http://www.crayola.com/art_education
Cultural history and map of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians of Oregon:
Dictionary of Native American Art Symbols (Replicas of Native American, Hawaiian and Indian Rock Art) at: http://www.rarepetroglyphs.com
Mono printing techniques can be found at: http://www.kinderart.com/printmaking/mono.shtml
For petroglyph photograph:
http://www.trailtribes.org/umatilla/content/umaancientstoneuosaylor.jpg
Rock art of the Columbia River Gorge site explains the differences between petroglyphs and pictographs with additional resources at:
http://co.essortment.com/rockartcolumbi_rouf.htm
Traditional and Contemporary Native Culture and artist of the Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Cayuse can be found at:
Note, click on tribes and continue to cultural and artist menu.
Information on Thomas Morning Owl for the older student and teacher can be found at the Oral History Archive, Umatilla, Oregon. This site has written transcripts of interviews for the Umatilla Community History Project, including Thomas Morning Owl’s: http://www.ccrh.org/comm/umatilla/oralarc.htm
Attachment
Glossary
Glossary
Ancestor A deceased family and/or tribal member from beyond living memory.
Artist A person who creates something using different types of materials called media, such as watercolors or clay, etc. Usually, the item created is not for everyday use, but is valued for its own sake.
Traditional Artist A person who has learned the proper way to gather the materials of the object to be created. An example of the proper way would be to know the correct season, songs and prayers when gathering the materials. Usually, traditional artists make the utilitarian item beautiful as an embellishment rather than as “art for arts sake.”
Petroglyph A carved design and/or picture on a rock, sometimes called rock art.
Pictograph Also, sometimes called rock art, a painted design and/or picture on a rock. The paint was made with minerals, volcanic ashes, plants, animal blood, etc.
Reservation Land upon which Indians were restricted, relocated, or otherwise confined apart from or much reduced from their original homelands. Today, reservations are thought of as pieces of land in the U.S. where Native Peoples established their Nations through treaties with the U.S. government.
Talking Circle Traditionally used as a speaking forum by tribal members seated in a circle. The speaker holds a talking stick or feather when addressing the other members who listen without interrupting until the stick or feather is passed to the next person seated to the left.
Venn Diagram A drawing of two circles that overlap. The student can compare and contrast two subjects using the spaces inside the two circles.
