Overview
Lesson 1: What is storytelling and how it is used to remember traditions
Lesson 2: Stories of the Land (and how it shapes people’s lives)
Lesson 3: European Contact and the Stories of that Er
Lesson 4: Individuals Who Had an Impact on the Tribal Way of Life
Lesson 5: Contemporary stories and why they are important
Standards
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
EL.06.RE.05—Demonstrate listening comprehension of more complex text through class and/or small group interpretive discussions across the subject areas.
EL.06.RE.06—Listen to, read, and understand a wide variety of informational and narrative text.
EL.06.RE.09—Understand, learn, and use new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly through informational text, literary text, and instruction across the subject areas.
EL.06.RE.26—Draw conclusions about reasons for actions or beliefs based on an analysis of information in the text.
THE ARTS
AR.05.CP.0—Create, present and/or perform a work of art and explain how the use of essential elements and organizational principles shapes an idea, mood or feeling found in the work.
CD Segments to Play
Background
Lewis and Clark were amazed by the power of the Columbia River. In October of 1805, they came down the Columbia River toward Celilo Falls. The local Indian tribes observed them and told stories of what they saw. Later, as the pioneers came, the people told stories of observations and encounters.
“And so they watched the people from the wagon train lower their wagons. And it wasn’t until one of them broke away and tumbled and fell and a woman and child were killed, that the men grabbed their horsehair ropes and they went up and they helped lower the wagons down. And then they helped float them across the Deschutes River there in that area known as Shears Bridge. And they had a bridge that they would put across the river and take down, kind of like a drawbridge for their own protection…….. Anyway it took a day and a half to get all of the pioneers from one side to the other because that bridge could only hold one adult and one child.
“And then our people, our ancestors, fed the pioneers because they felt so sorry for them because a lot of them had rags on their feet, tied to their feet. And a lot of the women had torn and tattered dresses on. And they had hardly any food. A lot of their provisions that were left were like the coffee beans and the macaroni and I think, some flour. But anyway, our ancestors rolled out their tule mats, miles and miles of tule mat. And they fed these pioneers the salmon and the eels and the roots and the berries. And they, in turn, the pioneers, gave our people the coffee beans and the macaroni.”
Darlene Foster Wisdom of the Elders Radio Series 3, Program 6
Many tribal families had stories of the first time they saw the Europeans. Many of these stories have been passed down for generations to become a part of the oral traditions of the people.
Suggested Strategies
Activities
Read
Read and discuss Darlene Foster’s story about helping the pioneers. Ask the following questions:
Why were the Indian people watching the pioneers?
Do you think they wanted to stay hidden? Why?
Why did the Indians help the pioneers?
Why did they feed the pioneers?
Why is this a story that has been told through the generations?
Why is it an important story to the Indian people?
Do you think the story has been changed from the time it happened to the present?
Play a game
To illustrate how stories could change, play the game we know as “Telephone,” in which students are place in a circle. One person whispers a phrase into the ear of the next person, and so on. Start the story with a phrase such as:
“The settlers came in covered wagons”
“They tried to cross the river”
“The wagon broke down”
Since we know the story will change at the end of the game, ask the class how it would be possible to preserve a story so that it is accurate.
Art project
Gather the materials to make masks for the story of Coyote and the Stars. Each mask should be each student’s representation of how they interpret stars, Coyote, Spider or a tree.
Put on a play
Take time to practice the story.
Vocabulary
tattered malnutrition
compassion encounter
