Wisdom of the Elders

Standards

SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYSIS

SS.05.SA.01—Examine an event, issue, or problem through inquiry and research.

SS.05.SA.02—Gather, use, and document information from multiple sources.

SS.05.SA.03—Identify and study two or more points of view of an event, issue, or problem.

SS.05.SA.04—Identify characteristics of an event, issue or problem, suggesting possible causes and results.

SS.05.SA.05—Identify a response or solution and support why it makes sense, using support from research.

CD Segments to Play

For this topic, go to Elder Wisdom, Sacred Landscape, Tribal Rhythms, and Artists Circle.

Elder Wisdom: Adeline Miller describes how she reminds her children and grandchildren of their special relationship to water and the land and to each other and the importance of song, dance, and laughter.

Tribal Rhythms: Carlos Calica describes how drumming, singing and dancing are important ways of transmitting traditions to new generations.

Artist’s Circle: Pat Courtney Gold describes how she learned her basket making art and how it defines her being.

Background

For more detail in preparing for this unit, and additional student activities, see Indians in Oregon Today, a comprehensive curriculum for middle school/high school teachers on Oregon tribes. The 2004 revision is available from the Oregon Department of Education and developed in collaboration with all nine federally-recognized tribes in the state.  Contact info:  Much of the content for this resource guide is drawn directly from that document and we acknowledge the hard work of the Indian educators and tribal members who compiled this valuable curriculum. To obtain this document, contact the Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol St. NE, Salem, OR 97310-0203 or www.

Suggested Strategies

Activities

1.  Discuss

What is something you and your family could hardly live without? Bread? Fruit? Salt? Sugar? Car? Electricity? TV? Weekends and holidays? Being with your grandparents? Going to church? Going shopping?

Now, what if someone took this away from you?  How would this make you feel? How would it affect your life?  How would you feel toward those persons? Would you try to bring them back?

This happened to the Warm Springs Indians and other tribes in Oregon and Washington when their major food supply and spiritual support, the salmon, was nearly lost forever. Today, the big salmon runs Indian people relied on, which were described by Lewis and Clark, are almost gone entirely. The same is true for places to gather huckleberries and roots.

2.  Reflect

How are traditions passed down in your family? Do grandparents have a particular role in your family? How are they honored and respected? Do crafts, music and dance play a role in your family’s traditions? Do these traditions affect how you look at the world?

EXTENDING THE LESSON/REFERENCES

Publications, Websites, etc.

Death of Celilo Falls (2005).

Written by Portland State University history professor Katrine Barber, this book was published in March 2007, just in time for the 50^th anniversary of the flooding of Celilo Falls by The Dalles Dam.

Clark County Historical Society (Museum)

HYPERLINK “http://www.warmsprings.biz/museum/” http://www.warmsprings.biz/museum/

Provides an excellent exhibit of Chinook Indian artifacts, including examples of baskets from the lower Columbia region.

Chinook-style plank house

To see an authentic Chinookan plank house updated to meet modern-day codes, contact the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington.  This impressive structure provides a first-hand view of how families lived along the Columbia.  This replica was constructed in time for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial and features designs by Tony Johnson, who is featured in the WOTE radio program.

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC)

HYPERLINK “http://www.critfc.org” http://www.critfc.org

The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management policies of the Columbia River Basin’s four 1855 treaty tribes: the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribes.  Its mission is to ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes. Formed in 1977, CRITFC employs biologists, other scientists, public information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination, harvest control and law enforcement. While the Chinook Tribe is not a part of this commission, the work of CRITFC benefits all Indian people of the Columbia River system.

Southern Poverty Law Center

HYPERLINK “http://www.splcenter.org/center/tt/teach.jsp” http://www.splcenter.org/center/tt/teach.jsp

A poster series and Teaching Tolerance magazine are free for teachers.

Elizabeth Furse.  “Indian Tribes, Their Rights and Responsibilities” (1999).

HYPERLINK “http://www.tribalgov.pdx.edu” http://www.tribalgov.pdx.edu

The Institute for Tribal Government was established in the  HYPERLINK “http://www.hatfieldschool.pdx.edu/” \t “_blank” Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. It was founded by its director, former Congresswoman  HYPERLINK “http://www.tribalgov.pdx.edu/bio_furse.php” Elizabeth Furse.  Contact:

Institute for Tribal Government

Portland State University

PO Box 751

Portland, Oregon 97207

503-725-9000

HYPERLINK “mailto:tribalgov@pdx.edu” tribalgov@pdx.edu

Another valuable resource at the Institute: recorded interviews with many Indian leaders from tribes across the country.

Robert J. Miller (Law professor at Lewis & Clark College). Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny (2006).

Foreword by Elizabeth Furse. To order, visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.greenwood.com” http://www.greenwood.com or call 1-800-225-5800.

Josephy, Alvin Jr.  Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes (2006).

New York: Alfred Knopf.

“American Holocaust: When It’s All Over, I’ll Still Be Indian.”

A short film comparing the Jewish Holocaust to the Native American Holocaust.  $30 DVD.  E-mail  HYPERLINK “mailto:spiritworldproductions@worldnet.att.net” spiritworldproductions@worldnet.att.net, or contact:

PO Box 352

Northridge, CA 91324-2974.

Winds of Change.

The only nationally distributed, full-color magazine published by and for American Indians with a focus on career and educational advancement. The magazine is published quarterly.  Its key features include:

American Indian role models

Stories of personal achievement and leadership

Educational programs, scholarship opportunities

Corporate contributions and opportunities

Career development and job position listings

Columns, news, book reviews and articles that bridge traditional and modern perspectives on Native issues.

The Chinook Trilogy

Available from Wild Hare Media, 1-800-WILD HARE, the trilogy consists of a teaching guide, three approximately 30-minute broadcast quality videos and a 20-page booklet with an historical chronology, maps, and charts. The first video in the series, “My Strength Is From the Fish,” contains interviews with tribal elders and members, revealing that the culture and spirituality of the four Columbia River treaty tribes is inextricably tied to the water, which is the support to all life, and to the salmon. The second video, “Empty Promises, Empty Nets,” examines the treaties, landmark legal cases and judgments that confirmed fishing rights of Columbia River tribes. Historical footage and interviews with Federal Judge Robert Belloni and others directly involved in these decisions define the legal foundation on which Columbia River salmon survival may well depend. The final video in the series, “A Matter of Trust,” describes the biological and political strategies the tribes propose to overcome nearly 150 years of river development, habitat destruction and ineffective regional and federal salmon management.