Local Native American Class Creates Special Books
In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12, students at Northside Elementary School created their own “The Very First Americans,” books under the direction of Native American Education instructor Patricia Payne.
Payne said the fourthgrade and fifth-grade students made the books to help learn about their cultures.
She explained the goal of the project was “to read, write three to five sentences in a paragraph form, and draw pictures of four different regions of tribes to create their own First Nation book.”
Information that the students learned about the tribes of different regions included: Eastern Woodlands lived in the forest and mostly resided in log houses. They ate deer, fish, corn, beans and squash. Their chief met the pilgrims and that relationship led to Thanksgiving.
Great Plains’ Native Americans hunted bison on foot and used every part of the animal. Tipis were made of buffalo hides. They respected the balance of taking and giving back.
In the Southwest region, Native Americans lived on the flat mountain tops and used clay to build their homes. They practiced advanced irrigation to grow plants.
In the Pacific Northwest region, rivers and forests provided abundance. They used canoes and they hunted whales. Their salmon ceremony included putting bones in the river and praying that more salmon will come next year.
