UNIT TWO

Native American Nation/Community Research Project (Two Weeks)

Unit Two: Native American Nation/Community Research Project (Two Weeks)


Over the next two weeks you will learn from and about a Native American nation/community in Turtle Island/North America. Keep in mind that the information you take in and use should come from the community themselves or written about from a positive viewpoint. No one group is perfect so our emphasis on strengths and positive representations of Native American nations doesn’t mean that Native American communities don’t have problems or that there is not continued suffering because of the ongoing effects of colonialism and genocide. What our stance means is that in order to show respect and account for how negatively and stereotypically they are portrayed in movies, TV, internet, books and textbooks we will focus on positive representations so we can learn FROM them about how they see the world.

For Teachers: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/about/understandings


There are Six Steps to this project

  1. Think about, brainstorm and research native nations/communities you would like to learn from.

Native American Nations/Languages/Communities by state

http://www.native-languages.org/states.htm

http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/maps/print-collection/north-american-indian-cultures.html

Brainpop

https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/nativeamerica/americanindians/

National Museum of the American Indian

https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360

  1. Spend time on the nation or community’s website and look for books by community members.

  2. Make a list of 4-5 books and websites that are written by community members (primary source)

  3. Make a list of 3-4 books and websites that are written by respectful outsiders (secondary source)

  4. Create a 3D project to represent something important to the community or an important issue to the community

  5. Present project, paper and list of resources to other students and, if possible, multiple generations (parents, grandparents)


There are three ways to demonstrate your new knowledge.

Each will take time, planning and organization!


  1. You will need to prepare a 3D representation of the land they take care of or deeply respect and how they lived before white people and how they live now. Most likely now - they live in lots of different ways. Can you find a way to represent this somehow?


  1. You will also keep a list of resources that you used and put them on Padlet. Each resource you put on Padlet - you need to write a) primary or secondary source and b) what you learned from them. Be specific - if you learned from a person put their name. If you learned from a group, put their names.


  1. You will write a 1 page essay (typed or written) about how you are different after the last 8 weeks of learning from Native American communities. Be specific and thoughtful.


*We also recommend an online journal to write and keep track of links that will be used to research. Make sure to label resources (books, films, websites, videos, art) as primary or secondary sources.

Primary Sources | Secondary Sources

Possible Resources - There are many terrible ones that should not be shared with children because they perpetuate stereotypes and the historical harm of white people speaking for and about Native American communities. If any indigenous person would like to raise concerns about any of these sites or offer more primary sources - please email jenniferadair@utexas.edu.

Coahuiltecan:

https://tappilam.org/

https://native-land.ca/maps/territories/coahuiltecan/

https://vimeo.com/372728245

https://indigenousmexico.org/coahuila/indigenous-coahuila-de-zaragoza/

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=how+to+pronounce+coahuiltecan&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4tJDSjvHrAhUFRKwKHYPqD9s4PBDVAigAegQICxAB&biw=1403&bih=653

https://indigenouscultures.org/coahuiltecan-language/

https://indigenouscultures.org/research/


Navajo:

http://www.navajo-nsn.gov/

http://www.navajocodetalkers.org

http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/navajo.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/navajo.html


Apache:

http://www.wmat.nsn.us

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Western-Apache.html

http://www.impurplehawk.com/apache.html

http://www.impurplehawk.com/easy.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-apachelegends.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/apache.html

http://www.lipanapache.org/


Caddo:

http://www.texasindians.com/caddo.htm

http://caddonation-nsn.gov

http://www.bigorrin.org/caddo_kids.htm

http://adaicaddoindiannation.com/adai-caddo-history/


Sioux - Lakota:

http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-152827/The-story-of-Crazy-Horse-and-the-Lakota-Sioux-Indians

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/culture-places/american-festivals-project/pine-ridge-pow-wow/

http://www.oglalalakotanation.org/oln/History.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-sioux.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-siouxlegends.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-sittingbull.html


Ojibwe:

http://www.dream-catchers.org/ojibwe-history.php

http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/ojibwe.html

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~call0031/ojibwa.html

http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/icw-51.html

http://www.ojibwe.org

http://www.crystalinks.com/ojibwa.html


Comanche:

http://www.comanchelanguage.org/Comanche History.htm

http://www.comanchelanguage.org/THE COMANCHE AND HIS HORSE.htm

http://www.comanchemuseum.com

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Comanche.html

http://www.tolatsga.org/ComancheOne.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/comanche.html


Cherokee:

http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History.aspx

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/history/cherokee.htm

http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/cherokee.html

http://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/history/trail.html

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Cherokee.html

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-cherokeelegends.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/cherokee2.html


Choctaw:

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Choctaw.html

http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Choctaws.html - b

http://www.choctawnation.com/history/choctaw-nation-history/

http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans/chickasaw_tribe.php

http://www.felihkatubbe.com/ChoctawNation/index.html


Shawnee:

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Shawnee.html

http://warriors.warren.k12.il.us/dmann/shawnee.html

http://www.shawnee-tribe.com/history.htm

http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_americans/tecumseh.php

http://www.merceronline.com/Native/native02.htm


Cree:

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/before1500/history/cree.htm

http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/www/schoolhouse/boreal_library/native_people/cree.htm

http://www.crystalinks.com/cree.html


Yup'ik:

http://www.timeforkids.com/destination/alaska/native-lingo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z2D8EacET8

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Yupik

http://www.cradleboard.org/cnat/profiles/yupik.htm

http://www.alaskannature.com/yupik.htm


Shoshone:

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Western-Shoshone.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/shoshone.html

http://www.native-languages.org/numbers/shoshone_numbers.htm

http://www.shoshoneindian.com/shoshone_life.htm

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-sacagawea.html


Paiute:

http://www.crystalinks.com/paiute.html

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Northern-Paiute.htmlhttp://www.utahpaiutes.org/about/culture/

http://grandcanyonhistory.clas.asu.edu/history_nativecultures_paiute.html


UTE:

http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Ute.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/before1500/history/ute.htm

http://www.utah.com/tribes/ute_people.htm

http://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/