Observes that instruction about Pilgrim and American Indian life often is filled with misconceptions. Explains that the foods and dress of the era differed those usually portrayed in association with the "first" Thanksgiving, a continuation of an ancient harvest celebration. Offers a Thanksgiving quiz for teaching students the realities…

A unit of study on plants grown in the Navajo community of Rough Rock, Arizona, is presented in sketches providing the common Navajo name for the plant, a literal English translation, the English name of the plant, and the Latin name. A brief description of each plant includes where the plant grows, how the Navajos use the plant, and the color and…

A portion of Mississippi Choctaw culture commonly referred to as "material culture" is described with pictures illustrating the process of making some of the traditional Choctaw items which tribal members have chosen to continue to make. The secondary textbook may be used as a supplement to the state-adopted textbook for the course…

The Chumash Indians were one of the most populous, rich peoples of aboriginal California. Though their origins are mysterious, they were reported to be a flourishing people by Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century. Missionization by Spaniards and secularization in 1833 spelled destruction, so that today only a few isolated and impoverished…

The only local tribe to migrate into California during recorded history, the Chemehuevi Indians had one of the largest tribal areas in California, though their population probably never exceeded 800. Today most live on the Colorado River Reservation, where they share membership with the Colorado River tribes. First mentioned in a priest's report…

The teacher's guide for the reader "By the Work of Our Hands: Choctaw Material Culture" (RC 013 897) contains the following features for each chapter of the reader: background information for the teacher, important terms, the lesson plan, evaluation ideas, and references and resources. Subjects of chapters are stickball and rabbit…

A report is presented of the 7 American Indian tribes (Chipewyan, Yellowknife, Slave, Dogrib, Hare, Nahani, and Kutchin) of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Described is each tribe's history, foodgathering methods, clothing, work distribution practices, social organization, and religion. A brief history of formal education among the tribes…

A biographical sketch of Frances Densmore, ethnologist of Native American music, and seven articles describing the lives of the Dakota and Ojibwe people as Densmore saw them are presented. The biographical sketch recounts Ms. Densmore's study of Ojibwe music and her ability to copy songs from memory when listening to them at fairs or attending…

Using information obtained between 1907 and 1925 from members of the Chippewa tribe, the Bureau of American Ethnology, and the United States National Museum, the book describes various Chippewa customs. Information, collected on six reservations in Minnesota and Wisconsin and the Manitou Rapids Reserve in Ontario, Canada, is provided concerning…

In this unit, students from grades 4 through 12 study the cultural areas, traits, and life-styles of the North American Indians before settlement by the white man. Students examine the cultural traits of the Indians who live in 12 cultural areas to note the cause-and-effect relationship of traits to the environment and to make comparisons between…

Presenting a sequenced cultural education program, this curriculum guide for an Iroquois cultural study for elementary grades concentrates on providing a supplemental classroom program to an existing social studies curriculum, though it is also aimed at teaching culture in Native American classes. Program objectives are to provide students with…

The study unit on American Indians in Oklahoma for grades K-6 provides suggested multi-curriculum activities and resources for educators to use as an introduction for all students, Indian and non-Indian. Goals of the multi-curriculum based study unit include: (1) developing an awareness of the origin of Native American culture; (2) making the…

A sample packet on the life of the Pawnee people, developed for use by upper elementary teachers, includes unit objectives, an overview and rationale for the unit, and sections on Pawnee belief systems, stories and storytelling, food, clothing and hairstyles, shelter, social structure, and art. The sections on aspects of Pawnee life contain…

The purpose of this curriculum guide is to suggest content and appropriate activities for the study of Washington State Indians and is designed as a supplement to regular social studies curriculum for grades K-3 and 4-6. Objectives for studying about Indians in three geographic regions in Washington (the Coast, Puget Sound, and the Plateau) are to…