Native America: Understanding the Past through Things

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 06.04.06

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Rationale
  4. Strategies
  5. Mask
  6. Vessel
  7. Cloth
  8. Path
  9. Classroom Activities
  10. Bibliography, Annotated References & Resources for Students and Teachers

Native American Traditions and Identity in the Art Room

Cristian A. Koshock

Published September 2006

Tools for this Unit:

Bibliography, Annotated References & Resources for Students and Teachers

Selected Bibliography for Teachers

Maslow, Abraham. "A Theory of Human Motivation." Psychological Review 50(1943): 370-396.

Gallivan, Martin D. James River Chiefdoms: The Rise of Social Inequality in the Chesapeake. 1st ed. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

Murra, John V. "Cloth and Its Functions in the Inca State." American Anthropologist 64(1962): 710-712.

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.

Annotated Bibliographies for Students and Teachers

Several large-formatted books featuring photographs of Native American objects are available through the usual venues. I found many books used and online, in great shape. The images are just large enough to get away with using them in the classroom as examples.

Townsend, Richard F. Casas Grandes and the Ceramic Art of the Ancient Southwest. 1st ed. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2005.

A great book, filled with wonderful, large pottery images having a variety of symbols and motifs depicted. Photos are a great size for the classroom.

Trimble, Stephen. Talking with the Clay The Art of Pueblo Pottery. 1st ed. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 1987.

This is one of my favorite books I discovered. It has excellent anecdotes concerning the Pueblo potters and their traditions.

Fowler Williams, Lucy, ed., William Wierzbowski, ed., and Robert W. Preucel, ed. Native American Voices on Identity, Art, & Culture: objects of everlasting esteem. 1st ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2005.

This book has a cornucopia of images that connects across the entire unit of study. Fine specimens of cloth, jewelry, pottery and sculpture abound in sumptuous color and size.

Lake-Thom, Bobby. Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies. 1st ed. New York: Penguin Group, 1997.

Students and teachers will find this book magical. It is written in an approachable style by an Indian author. This is an excellent source for Indian Animal stories.

Cody, Iron Eyes. Indian Talk: Hand Signals of the American Indian. 2nd ed. Healdsburg, CA: Naturegraph Publishers, 1970.

A complete find, this book was made by the Indian made famous in the Anti-littering campaign. Its pages are full of Indian sign language an ancient and compelling communication method. This is an excellent reference for students in the PATH section of the unit.

Student Bibliography

Gallivan, Martin D. James River Chiefdoms: The Rise of Social Inequality in the Chesapeake. 1st ed. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

Murra, John V. "Cloth and Its Functions in the Inca State." American Anthropologist 64(1962): 710-722.

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.

Lake-Thom, Bobby. Spirits of the Earth: A Guide to Native American Nature Symbols, Stories, and Ceremonies. 1st ed. New York: Penguin Group, 1997.

Cody, Iron Eyes. Indian Talk: Hand Signals of the American Indian. 2nd ed. Healdsburg, CA: Naturegraph Publishers, 1970.

Web Resources and Nontraditional Sources of Information:

  • http://www.civilization.ca/visit/indexe.aspx
  • This is a fantastic site with virtual museums to visit and digital collections with Native American sources. It is out of Canada and has beautiful images of Haida totem poles, masks and great pictures of the Potlatch Ceremony.
  • http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
  • A Library of Congress site, this website has a link to Native American history with a lot of images that could be used.
  • http://www.swaia.org/intro.html
  • This is the website which takes you on a tour of the yearly Santa Fe Indian market and the fine artists who show their art at the event. Students can use the site to track artist trends and biographies
  • http://www.nativeweb.org/
  • This is a modern Indian site devoted to the dissemination of information about native culture to non-native individuals. It is full of current news and issues facing the American Indian today.
  • http://edsitement.neh.gov/
  • In this Humanities website, a site search opens plenty of lessons on Native American topics. Links from lessons on Native American Tribes lead to the official websites of the Indian tribes featured.
  • http://www.pen.k12.va.us/
  • This is the Department of Education site for Virginia. It has links to standards and curriculum resources. This is where I found the blank, printable copy of the Va. map.

Guaman Poma's illustrated, History of the Inca, completed between 1615-1616, CE

This is a truly amazing book, first because it has survived and second for its free publication on the web. See http://www.kb.dk/elib/mss/poma/ The illustrations are marvelous.

Smoke Signals. Dir. Chris Eyre. Perf. Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer, Tantoo Cardinal, Monique Mojica and others. DVD. Independent film, 1998.

An adaptation of a screen play and short story by Alexie Sherman, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian who was the first Indian to write and produce a film about Native Americans. This is an amazing story of a young man, coming to terms with the death of his father who abandoned his family years ago. Its cinemagraphic beauty and message should be well received by the students. At eighty-eight minutes running time and a PG13 rating, it is a realistic choice for classroom use. A short story is available for students to read before they see the film.

Assessment Tool

This assessment document was created by a friend and is prized for its adaptability to new lessons. Student name, Project title and Objectives are clearly indicated at the top of the form and are carried down through the tables for shared student and teacher evaluation. The scoring key is explained and a space for notes allows communication between the teacher and the students. Students in my class turn in their Assessments at the end of the assignment with their scores completed, but have had the expectations covered on the form explained to them before they began the assignment. I find that the students are mostly honest about their performance in the various categories, even going a little too hard on themselves. It gives grading ownership to the students when they can see the objectives laid out and reflect on their own performance. No one can say that the Teacher "gave him or her the grade." Deleting or adding cells according to the criteria at the top of the form is easy through the word processor. Use the Table drop down menu to add or delete table components. I keep ten rows to keep the scoring easy. I sometimes add questions from the introduction of the lesson on the bottom of the form after the scoring key. I can use these questions later when I test my students.

Assignment & Assessment Sheet

Project: Mask—Mistaken Identity?

Student Name: ___________________________________

Period #________

Assignment: There are 7 things that must be completed for this assignment.

  • Interpretation and identification of sample non-native perspectives of the American Indian in a variety of image sources and styles.
  • Represent yourself by using specific symbols, artistic elements and materials in the completion a cast plaster mask.
  • Review your ideas with the Teacher.
  • Complete two sides of the mask, with specific intentions and treatment for meaning on both sides.
  • Expand the three-dimensional quality of the mask by including structural details that extend from the surface of the mask.
  • A responsible handling of the materials and a cooperative exchange with another student for the actual construction of the mask.
  • Participate in a group critique of final projects.

Grading Criteria:

(table 06.04.06.01 available in print form)

Grading Scale:

5= Top Expectation

4 -3= Good Work/Average

2= Below Average

1= Incomplete Work

0 = No Effort

Notes:

Questions:

Implementing District Standards

While the content of this unit is designed for use in a Visual Arts classroom, all courses in the Fine Arts within our district are required to include standards that are featured in core studies (Social Sciences, Applied Sciences, Mathematics and Language Arts).

Research processes and writing, journaling assignments, reading selections reviewed for comprehension, and oral presentation of work are components in each module, increasing student practice in these areas and augmenting programs in our building that prepare students for district wide assessments in Language Arts, needed for graduation.

Working with a map for the Vessel lesson directly supports the requirements for our Social Studies area in Va. history and geography. Students extend their knowledge of regions of Virginia with the extra information they have learned about Virginia's Indian tribes. Teaching this unit with the framework of art projects described can enrich courses in History. Early civilizations in the Americas are explored in connection with this unit and can overlap student learning in their core classes.

In addition to direct support of district goals and objectives, artistic processes in the classroom, analysis of images and discussion of the styles and formats they are associated with, provide students with a critical awareness of the world around them and begins for them a visual literacy: a creative thought process that is desired beyond classroom applications—in the working world of successful and discerning adults.

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