Strategies
As the students listen to the story of Spider Woman's gift of weaving or the Hopi emergence tale there will be many opportunities to introduce guided imagery. As students actively listen to the story they can begin to form their own images of what takes place in the story. Students can learn to use their own perspective while interpreting the story. A drawing or painting can be made once the image has been formed in the mind. During a recent visit to Santa Fe's Museum of Indian Arts and Culture it was interesting to note that the curator of a new exhibit featuring Spider Woman did not include a picture of the featured character. Not many are available. While telling Spider Woman's story is important to many Navajo, the specific imagery seems to be left to the imagination of the individuals hearing the tale.
The weaving will be completed back at the school setting over the course of the next few days Looking at artifacts will also be important to the presentation of the past. Students will be introduced to the variety of ancient pottery and textiles throughout the southwestern region. With the aid of numerous editions on Pueblo pottery and Navajo weaving, along with a Power Point presentation, it will be possible to show the students numerous pieces from the past. A visit to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture will take place in the first half of the program. MIAC is located next door to the Laboratory of Anthropology. Both facilities will be visited during a day of field study.
The discussion and interpretation of rock art will also be an important part of the unit of study. There are numerous exercises that will engage students in a dialogue about symbolism in their own lives and those of the ancient people throughout the region. Creating individual symbols as well a group mural will be part of the discussion. Learning about petroglyphs and pictographs will also begin a conversation on preservation of ancient artifacts and sites. The ancient sites are important to both native cultures and the scientific community. The perspectives of each group may be different but both must continue to work together to find ways to help stop the vandalism of sites and the disappearance of artifacts. It is important to show the growing number of incidents throughout the southwest that endanger or completely destroy sites. Illegal pot hunting and road construction threaten sites continually. Raising student awareness is a start towards curtailing these disastrous events.
A visit to the Laboratory of Anthropology will give the students a valuable hands-on experience in the basement of the state-run facility. It is here that they will begin to appreciate the abundance of styles and imagery found on both pot sherds and remnants of textiles. Tools, clothing, cooking utensils, bones, will all serve to get their imaginations going. Who used these items? How did they make them? Did they trade them for other items? How did they make their glazes? What materials did they use to make their textiles?
It is at this point that students will be introduced to the Library of the Laboratory of Anthropology. Here they will find a variety of books from the library's vast collection that relate directly to pottery, weaving, rock art, and native culture. A pre-selected group of books will be made available for students to use as they begin to pay particular attention to the designs found in older native work. They will be making comparisons to modern works when they visit the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. They can also begin to formulate ideas for their own imagery that will be used as they create their individual textile piece and ceramic bowl. These works will be continued into the second four-week session of the study unit.
As the visit to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture begins, students will be taken on a docent-led tour of the museum's permanent collection. Here they will view entire bowls, not just fragmented pieces. The exhibit represents a variety of regional ware, ancient to present day. Also on display will be work of many modern day artisans. One of the focal points of the tour will deal specifically with Spider Woman and how she gave the Dineh the gift of weaving. Dozens of rugs from the Navajo tribal region will be on display. Students will listen to one of the museum's native speakers tell Spider Woman's story. Upon completion of the tour, classes will be taken to an area where they can begin working on a small weaving. This weaving will be taken back to the classroom and completed over the course of the next two days.
In addition to weaving, students will be shown the techniques involved with the creation of Pueblo style pottery. This in-class workshop will begin with a demonstration by a local potter from one of the Rio Grande pueblos. With her guidance, students will hand build a pot which will eventually be slipped and painted in a traditional manner. Creating designs for the decoration of the pot will be left up to the individual. No predetermined outcome is expected. Technique will be stressed, not the importance of making imitation Indian pottery. During this workshop students will be asked to consider the viewpoint of the visiting artisan. How do artisans view their art? Who is it made for? Does the artist take into consideration the tourist when making pottery? Are there certain images that she can or cannot use?
The culminating event in this eight-week program will be a visit to Bandelier National Monument. Prior to visiting the ancient site students will be visited in class by a National Park educator. Students will be asked once again to consider what this monument means to others. Is the site merely a recreational spot, a place to see where real Indians live? Is it an archaeological site, a ruin where scientists can gather data? How should it be treated? Should it be given the kind of reverence one might expect when visiting the Sistine Chapel or perhaps one's own church?
It is all about establishing in the minds of the students the fact that various different perspectives exist. This program hopes to foster the student's own informed perspective and appreciation of native cultures. Helping students to understand their own traditions ultimately leads them to understanding the wide variety of cultures that surround them. It is possible to help students realize the importance of the archeological sites around the state. They need to understand the problems entailed with the preservation of these culturally significant areas. The fact that they are disappearing rapidly makes the issue much more pressing. Once destroyed, these places cannot be replaced. Vandalism is a constant threat to sites all over the country. Wholesale theft of petroglyphs takes place much too often. Power tools are employed to remove slabs of stone from cliff faces at sites that are so remote that it often takes some time before the theft is noticed or reported. Ancient symbols have been used for target practice. How many times have we seen modern names scratched or painted onto very old surfaces? How do ancient markings differ from today's graffiti? Is there a difference? Are there places that we would hate to see painted over, destroyed? How do we come up with ways to protect these places? There are numerous governmental agencies whose job it is to protect the areas in danger. The United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Tribal Police, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs are some of the groups of people involved with preservation. The problem is that all of these agencies deal with a shortage of personnel. There are virtually thousands of archeological and historically important sites around the southwest that are extremely isolated. They are spread out over hundreds of square miles. There are simply not enough people to adequately protect all of them. Some sites are so remote that they are only sporadically visited. Other sites, like many of the places around Santa Fe, are constantly visited by hundreds of people. As students living in an area within a short walking distance of ancient dwellings, students should become keenly aware of these issues. Educating the public about the importance of these places and raising everyone's awareness is the greatest tool that any of the agencies can utilize. Getting the public concerned about threats to cultural heritage is very important, and students can become a part of the campaign that promotes preservation. Creating a PowerPoint presentation aimed at stopping vandalism and promoting preservation is a wonderful way for students to become involved. In addition to classroom presentations, students can work on bulletin boards and display case presentations.
All these difficult questions and problems should be addressed in a study of cultural heritage. Educating students to their role in preservation techniques and practices is very important. Most of the students in my classes come into contact with artifacts and ancient sites. They need to understand that it is important to everyone that they help preserve our pictures to the past for this generation and generations to come.
Comments: