Native Americans of Ohio
Meredith BroylesED 417-02
Native Americans of Ohio
First Grade Experience the culture of Native
Americans Storytelling Housing Food Instruments Dance
ObjectivesStudents will: Gain an understanding of the native people of Ohio
through literature and discussion Listen to Native American legends and illustrate or
write their own legend Gain an understanding of the various Ohio Native
American houses, how they were constructed, the materials used as well as create a replica of a home
Learn how Native Americans obtained food, learn about the “Three Sisters” as well as sample the vegetables
Discover the significance of music and instruments in Native American culture as well as create their own gourd rattles
Discover the significance of dance in Native American Culture, observe Native American dancing ceremonies today, and practice dancing to the beat of a drum and expressing themselves through movement
Overview of Ohio Native AmericansTimeline: Native people lived in Ohio for more than
12,000 years.
Paleo-Indians lived in Ohio from 13,000 to 7,000 BC
Archaic: 8,000 to 500 BC Adena: 800 BC to 100 AD. Hopewell: 100 BC to 400 AD Woodland: 800 BC and 1200 AD Whittlesey and Sandusky (or the late Prehistoric
peoples): 1000 AD to 1650 AD. Native Americans in Ohio after 1650 AD are
known as Historic Native people.
Overview Continued
Between 1650 and 1700, the Iroquois drove out the native descendants of the prehistoric Native Americans. Following the end of this conflict, known as the Beaver Wars, six major groups moved into Ohio: the Delaware, Miami, Mingo, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot.
Overview ContinuedNation Language Location Famous
Leader
Delaware Algonquian eastern Ohio White Eyes, Netawatwees
Miami Algonquian western Ohio Little Turtle
Mingo Iroquois eastern, central Ohio
Logan
Ottawa Algonquian northern Ohio Pontiac
Shawnee Algonquian southern Ohio Tecumseh, Blue Jacket
Wyandot Iroquois northern Ohio Tarhe
Ohio’s Native People in the 1600-1700s
Glyphs
Materials
Chart paper, markers Nonfiction Literature
about Ohio Native Americans
Paper bags Native American legends Cooked corn, squash
(diced), beans (pole) Paper plates, napkins,
forks Small ornamental
"spoon" gourds (dried) Paint and brushes
Brown clay Construction paper Natural materials
(collected by students) Video footage of Native
American dance Native American music Drum
Introduction Create a K-W-L chart to see what students
know about Native Americans. Be sure to debunk any stereotypes or myths students present during your lesson (visit Oyate.org for accurate and appropriate books to use with children and a list of books to avoid).
Introduce nonfiction texts to students about Native Americans of Ohio and begin discussing the various tribes. Create a chart to keep track of your findings (housing, jewelry, customs, dancing, songs, story-telling, etc.) Suggested Reading: Ohio Native Peoples by Marcia
Schonberg, Heinemann Library 2003
Storytelling Some Native American stories were simply told
for enjoyment Others told the history of the nation or explained
their spiritual beliefs, laws, and moral beliefs Still, while other stories explained where the
Native person fit in Creation Children were told stories to teach them rules of
their society. An example of a story can be found at: http://www.pbs4549.org/onestate/lp3race.htm
Bear's Race With Turtle (name calling/cleverness)
Many stories showed the People's respect for the earth. Symbolism was often used. Animals and other natural elements were used as characters in the stories.
Activity 1: Storytelling
Read Bear's Race With Turtle or any Native American legend of your choosing
Discuss the meaning behind the story, what you can learn from it
Have the students make their own illustrations to help them retell their assigned legend and draw those onto a piece of brown paper torn to resemble a hide. You can display the “glyphs” from the beginning of the presentation as inspiration. Share the hides with the class.
For advanced writers, have those students develop and write their own legend using animals as the main characters
HousingHow Native people built their houses was dependent
upon the materials they had at hand and the weather in which they had to survive.
Earliest Native Ohioans- nomads; warm weather- temporary shelters; winter- rock shelters
Adena- circular houses (vertical posts in the ground, woody materials woven between to make walls)
Hopewell- square or rectangular houses (arched roof made with bark and thatch)
Fort Ancient- rectangular houses (wattle and daub, made by weaving vines and boughs together and packed with mud, made the walls; roofs, probably thatched)
Whittlesey- round houses like the Wigwam
Housing Continued Historic Native Ohioans built many different types
of houses. The type of house depended on the Native nation to which they belonged. Many nations had a central large house (“Big House”) for councils and ceremonies.
Shawnee- large villages of bark-covered houses and plank houses with a central gathering place, or a Big House, for meetings and ceremonies
Miami- long house with arched roof made of saplings and covered with rush or cattail mats
Ottawa- Summer: lived in domed, bark covered homes; Fall harvest: small hunting camps
Wyandotte- long house villages surrounded by stockades
Mingo- assembled from natural materials Delaware- three types of wigwams: round with a
domed roof, oblong with an arched roof, or oblong with a center pole; In later years- log cabins
Activity 2: Housing
Discuss and display pictures of a variety of Native American houses. Talk about the materials they used and why they constructed the houses in the way that they did. Compare the homes with the students’ own houses.
Have each student select a tribe’s house to replicate; collect natural materials from outside: grass, sticks, bark, etc.
Provide students with a mat (construction paper) to construct their house on, brown modeling clay (mud), and the materials gathered outside
Have the students label (tribe and type of house) and display the houses
Three Sisters
Not only were Native Americans hunters, but also farmers. Once they settled in an area, they would begin to farm the land for food.
Corn, beans and squash are known as the “Three Sisters” because these three crops are often grown together. This practice is called "companion planting" and has been practiced by Native Americans for centuries.
The Three Sisters all help one another grow. Animals will find it harder to invade the garden by interplanting corn, beans, and squash. The corn stalk serves as a pole for the beans, the beans help to add the nitrogen to the soil that the corn needs, and the squash provides a ground cover of shade that helps the soil retain moisture.
Activity 3: Three Sisters
Three Sisters Feast: Students will sample the “three sisters”:
corn, squash, and beans (pole) Discuss the significance of farming to the
Native Americans and compare it to how the students receive food; discuss the three sisters and why they were planted together
Create a graph displaying students’ favorite “sister”
Instruments
Music was used to accompany dance, to teach lessons to children, to make the work day more enjoyable, to engage in courtship (dating) and to have fun.
Some Native American musical instruments are still in use today: drums, pan pipes, rattles, flutes, whistles and bells.
The drum was and is still considered to be sacred. The instrument is representative of the earth. It is said to be “the heart beat of Mother Earth.”
The drum is to be played in a two-beat style (heart beat), not the "Hollywood" version (DA-da-da-da, DA, da, da, da).
Drums were never given to children as a toy.
Activity 4: Instruments
Creating instruments: drying and painting of gourds to make rattles with small ornamental "spoon" gourds
For drying instructions visit: http://www.pbs4549.org/onestate/herroncg.htm
Drying must be done prior to painting; display Native American art, instruments, and glyphs/symbols as inspiration for decorating
Dance
Dance was used for many purposes: ceremonial, social, the meeting of young people, and the commemoration of special occasions in a tribe’s history.
Songs and dances served as a way to perform or display thanks, to socialize and to tell about amazing feats of heroics.
Traditional dances: the Bread Dance and the Green Corn Dance- celebrate agriculture and harvest
Activity 5: Dance
Brainstorm with the students a list of reasons why we sing, make music, and dance today
Discuss the purpose of dance and the various dance styles
Listen to traditional music and watch segments of young Native Americans dancing at http://www.pbs4549.org/onestate/videoseg.htm
Discuss the movements they saw, the sounds they heard (the beat of the drum)
Have the students practice dancing to the beat of a drum. They can shake their painted rattles as well.
Wrap-up
Conclude the lesson by revisiting the K-W-L chart the students created at the beginning of the lesson
Add new learning and make changes to any misconceptions or stereotyping
Make connections and comparisons between with their own lives and cultures and those of the Native Americans
Websites
One State Many Nations: Native Americans of Ohio: offers a vast amount of information about the Ohio tribes and their culture. Videos, activities, and historical information
http://www.pbs4549.org/onestate/index.htm NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art: Planting a
Three Sisters Garden: information about the three sisters crops; how to plant your own garden
http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/threesisters.html Oyate- website devoted to ensuring that Native American life
and culture is portrayed honestly; offers book lists and stereotyping to avoid; a great resource for any teacher
http://www.oyate.org/ Powwow Dance Styles: pictures and descriptions of dance
styles http://library.thinkquest.org/3081/styles.htm Native Americans. COM: descriptions and pictures of native
housing http://www.nativeamericans.com/Wigwams.htm
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