Understanding History and Society through Images, 1776-1914

Background Information:

Anasazi AD 300- AD 1300

The word Anasazi was given by the Navajo people. It means Ancient Ones. However, in some books, the name has been interpreted as Ancient Enemies. Oral stories from current residents in Kayenta, Arizona refer to the Anasazi's as the Ancient Ones. They are believed to be long descendants of the Pueblo tribes that currently reside in New Mexico. Literature dates the existence of the Anasazi's back to AD 300 to about AD 1300. They migrated around the Four Corners: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, building their homes in mountainous areas or in cliff dwellings. The Ancestral Pueblos may have reached the limit of the natural resources available to them. ³ The ruins close to Kayenta are all cliff dwellings. Navajo National Monument houses the closest Anasazi ruin, called Betatikin. There are tour guides available to take groups down to view the ruins. It's about an hour and a half hike down and two hour hike back up. The trail is treacherous and literally is a steep trail. The guide makes several stops for the tourists to catch their breaths. The guide also points out the plants along the trail. Some plants are used to make tea, or to wash, and others are used as a medicine. Visitors must stay on the path while walking thru the abandoned village. They are not allowed to touch, sit, or lean on any of the rock formations. Visitors will see a few of the petroglyphs on the walls of the ruins. They are able to make out certain animals, people, and tools. The drawings were made in the part of the dwelling that is well protected from weathering. From the website, Who Were The Anasazi?- Bureau of Land Management, 2012.

"The earliest published reference was by Kidder in the mid-1930s….J.O. Brew (1946) rails against the use of the term 'Anasazi' on the grounds that a Navajo term is inappropriate for an obviously Puebloan culture, that 'Baskemaker-Pueblo' or 'Puebloan' had precedence in the literature, and would do just as well for continues reference to this culture tradition… My guess is that this Navajo word… caught on in the middle 1930s [with archaeologists because] it did not imply any particular cultural relationship… It was bad practice to pre-judge the historical conclusions by identifying a prehistoric archaeological complex with some historically or ethnographically known culture."

Navajo

The Navajo reservation's perimeter covers 27,000 square miles. During the latest US 2010 Census count, there are 166,800 registered Navajo people that live on the reservation. This does not include the Navajo's living off the reservation. The next largest ethnic group living on the reservation is the Whites. The Navajo reservation is also larger than 10 US states. ⁴ Kayenta's population reaches around 7,000 residents. The public school has 730 high school students and 1,853 total students enrolled in the school district. There is a 98% rate of American Indian students enrolled. Other nationalities enrolled are: White, Mexican, Black, and Polynesian. The Navajo language is not part of the curriculum, so it is taught as an elective class. Such elective classes are Navajo Arts and Crafts. Students in this class are taught to make beaded key chains, weave sash belts, beaded bracelets, and basket makers. Another elective class is Navajo Language I and II. Students learn the foundation of the clanship, the roles of men and women and depending on the season students learn about Navajo deities. This particular class is also in charge of putting together activities for the Native American celebration that is held every October. The celebration resembles a typical high school homecoming week. Every day is designated a Spirit Day: clan t-shirt day (students write their clans using shirt paint), moccasin day, traditional dress day, or hair bun/do day. Contests are set up for cooking, dressing, singing, and dancing. It's nice to see during lunch time in our courtyard the dancing. The non-native teachers are pulled into the circle by the students to join the Harmony dance.

Since the treaty of 1864, Navajo's who were captured were released from Fort Sumner, New Mexico and informed that a land with boundaries has been set aside for their permanent stay. At least 200 died during the 18-day, 300-mile (500-km) trek. Between 8,000 and 9,000 people were settled on an area of 40 square miles (104 km²), with a peak population of 9,022 by the spring of 1865. ⁵ After the long journey back, most families moved in various places to start rebuilding an established home.

Petroglyph

Petroglyph derives from the Greek words petro and glyphs. The word petro means rock and glyphs means carvings or engravings. Petroglyphs are made using a sharp took and a hammer like tool. Tools are used to remove a small portion from the top of the rock. Some can relate to this as chiseling or pecking at the rock. Early Native Americans drew images to represent an event, spirituality, or the season. The Anasazi style can be dated back from AD 300 to AD 1300. Most of their images are animals, their hand, and people. Images were made is specific places and hold specific or special meaning. It does not stand for a particular word or sound.

Hieroglyph

The term "Hieroglyphs" derives from the Greek words for sacred writing. Most archeologists use the term hieroglyphs for ancient Egyptian or the Mayan people. Each picture may represent a sound, number, or a particular word. The Maya script had been deciphered by 90% by the nineteenth and early twentieth century. In the past 5 years, the news media focused on the Mayan's calendar interpretation that the world was to come to an end in 2012. Mayans have more than a 1,000 signs in their writing. One sign may represent a syllables or phonetic. ⁶ No one speaks or writes the language as seen in hieroglyphs, the Mayans were one of the very few tribes, prior to European conquest, to establish a written language.

Pictograph

Pictographs are often used as simple, pictorial, representational symbols by most contemporary cultures. ⁷ Individuals may use a form of powder, dark rock or blood to make the picture art. In Canyonlands, Utah, there are bigger than life size ghostly figures drawn on the rocks.

Hieroglyphic- has meaning, a letter or word or sound.

Pictograph- colored art; powdered minerals, plant, charcoal, or blood

Petroglyph- carving or engraving into the rock.

Activity 1

The first activity the students will be in a whole group setting. The students will go on a local field trip to Monument Valley to see a variety of petroglyphs. This field trip will initiate the lesson. Students will need to see artifacts first hand in order to comprehend the differences between ancient and contemporary. They may see images of animal, people, and/or simple objects. On a drawing sketch pad, each student will copy 3 petroglyphs, making careful drawings.

Activity 2

In this activity they will analyze George Catlin's painting, Wi-Jun-Jon (Pigeon's Egg Head) Going to and Returning from Washington. This will raise questions about the history of native American peoples in the nineteenth century. Each student will be given a worksheet that compares and contrast into a prewriting activity. The painting will have a strong effect on the students' opinion. But they will be reminded about the year of the drawing and open discussions about the painting will be monitored. I would like for the students to freely express their opinions, which will be posted on the whiteboard. (Courtesy of Google)

Activity 3

The third activity involves students bringing in a family made artwork for a Show and Tell. This will allow students to think about the contribution and richness of Navajo visual and material culture. Students will be given 5 things they may bring; beadwork, weaving, silver smith, pottery making, or drawings. Students will be encouraged to express appreciation and honor in the family craftsmanship. They will compose a short 3 paragraph summary on the person, the art, and the meaningful message it represents. Each student will read their summaries and display the items for 4 days in the school's showcase.

Activity 4

The fourth activity will be end product. Students will need to create their own pictograph on a half sheet of poster board. The image will be one of the three choices set by the teacher. They may choose from: sports, livestock, or creative drawing. They will get their sketch pad out from the field trip and look at the images they drew. This will give them an idea on how to draw simple images. The students should not make their drawings real life that resembles a portrait. This is so students who never drew will not feel petrified. Drawings will not be judged.

Objective: Students will view petroglyphs to get a first-hand visual understanding of the ancient artwork. They will think critically about ancient petroglyphs and compare them to modern styles of art work.