(This is the Lesson Plan 2 for Crystal Boulton-Scott and Joseph Scott‘s curriculum, “Tribal Tongues along the Trail: American Indian Languages, Histories, Values, and Cultures Encountered by the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.”)
Essential Question
How does language shape relative effectiveness in communicating basic needs and enhance cultural understanding?
(Use “08.11 Tribal Tongues Enduring Understandings Assessment Rubric” to evaluate the learners’ language understanding.)
“Tribal Languages” Review
Languages explored in this lesson may be rooted in an orthography unfamiliar to educators and learners who have communicated exclusively in English. Some of the graphemes and phonemes are unfamiliar to English speakers. Educators will find many words that have been translated into phonetic English. In addition, direct translation may be impractical, as there is often no easy correlation between the English and tribal vocabulary. An effort has been made to use languages under the best advice available, and where possible, links to official tribal language programs are provided. Tribal language speakers, language programs, university archives, and online resources have been consulted.
Disagreements between and among tribal language speakers endure to this day. Disagreements can become quite heated, and it is important for educators to recognize and honor the fact that there may be a diverse interpretation of individual definitions, pronunciations, and origins.
| Enduring Understanding: The People, The Place, The Language | ||
| The People | The Place (Ancestral Homelands) | The Language |
| Wazhazhe’ (Osage – pronounced OH-sah-jay) |
Now known as all of Kansas and Missouri, and including parts of surrounding states.
https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/historic-preservation/ancestral-map |
Wazhazhe ie
https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/who-we-are/language-department/osage-word
|
| Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery among the Ni-u-ko’n-ska (Osage): | ||
| Enduring Understanding: Core Communication | ||||
| English | “Yes” | “No” | “Hello” | “Goodbye” |
| Ni-u-ko’n-ska
(Osage – pronounced OH-sah-jay) |
háŋ
(Pronounced “hah-ng”) |
ko li ge (Pronounced “koh-lah-chee”) *Literally, “Quit doing that” |
To a man: hawé (Pronounced “Hah-way”) To a woman: havé (Pronounced “hah-vay”) |
Nakaala *Literally, “to leave”(Pronounced “naw kah ah law” |
| Enduring Understanding: Cultural Component | ||
| English | “Sky” | “Sun” |
| Ni-u-ko’n-ska
(Osage – pronounced OH-sah-jay) |
Mahah (Pronounced “maw-haw”) |
My
(Pronounced “mee”) |
| English | “Star” | “Moon” |
| Ni-u-ko’n-ska
(Osage – pronounced OH-sah-jay) |
Hun ka wa tse ka wa
(Pronounced “hun-kaw-wah-see-kaw-wah”) *This is a specific star: |
MyoO^dO^ (Pronounced “meehawn tawn”) |
Learning the Language
There are a number of ways for learners to acquire new vocabulary. Making flashcards with English on one side, and a tribal translation on the other is probably the easiest. That being said, consider something more creative. After all, English is a translation in and of itself, assigning meaning to objects, actions, ideas, etc. When you translate from an English word into a tribal language word, you are technically translating it twice. The Northwest Indian Languages Institute (https://nili.uoregon.edu/) offers a number of effective alternatives to flashcards.
The lesson will take place in what season? The lesson will take place in what location?
This lesson is meant to take place on or near solstices and equinoxes, or any other time a particularly interesting celestial event is taking place. Learners can research the timing of these events: unique full moons, comets, eclipses, etc.
The actual construction of projects can take place indoors or outdoors. The peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower is generally August 12th, and it is best viewed in the wee hours of the morning on a clear night with a clear view of the north by northeast.
The lesson will include assistance and support from whom and/or what resources?
Folks with telescopes are often very eager to share their knowledge of the sky and space in general. Universities have astronomy departments and are eager and willing to share charts, maps, and books. Tribal elders and cultural personnel often have access to primary documents that include songs and stories about the sky.
Cultural Universals focus:
| Food | Transportation | Entertainment | Government |
| Clothing | Science | Communication | Tools/Technology |
| Shelter | Medicine | Medium of Exchange | Family/Kin |
| World View | Arts |
Entry Question: After completing the project(s), what will students and instructors be able to do?
- Understand basic space and sky vocabulary.
- Read, understand, analyze, and contextualize a Native American legend. (The Star Girls)
- Understand the similarities and differences between traditional knowledge and modern scientific knowledge of celestial phenomena.
- Identify date and location and view a meteor shower.
- (Please locate STE(A)M guidance from Additional Standards for the above activities)
- Explain ancient understandings of meteors, stars, and constellations, and explain modern scientific understandings of the same phenomena.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the four culturally related vocabulary words/phrases.
- Create a physical representation of one or more constellations.
- Locate Polaris, the North Star. Explain why this is a particularly significant star.
Lesson Procedure
- Learners familiarize themselves with the “core communication” and “cultural understanding” vocabulary.
- Review the basic “survival vocabulary”, and allow learners to choose an ideal method to memorize and use these words in context. Some will respond best to flashcards, some will want to employ the “whole body” language learning style. There are a number of excellent techniques for learning world languages.
- Study the cultural component vocabulary, placing emphasis on the role these words play in conveying societal norms, cultural practices, and ways of knowing.
- (Use “11 Tribal Tongues Enduring Understandings Assessment Rubric” for the two above steps.)
- Integrate the Lewis and Clark experience where possible. The ability to use stars as navigational aids would have been particularly helpful to the expedition, and learning how to do these things would be equally helpful to a learner who spends time outdoors fishing, hunting, or generally exploring. Excellent resources include Patterson’s Astronomy Notebook | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®, and A Collection of Curricula for the STARLAB Lewis & Clark Cylinder.
- Research and determine ideal dates and times for a particular meteor shower (the Persieds are a particularly desirable event. There are other, less spectacular events at different times of the year). There are scientific texts available as well, and audio/visual educational tools.
- Use black cardboard and/or paper to represent a portion of the sky. After some research, determine the location of the stars making up a constellation that is ideally easily viewed at a convenient time of night. (Ursa major and minor are ideal.) Poke holes of appropriate sizes in the paper to create a replica of these stars. Shine a light source behind the paper.
- (Use “Additional Standards” (STE(A)M) section for the above three steps.)
- Read and apply assessment tools to the tribal legend, “Coyote Places the Stars”. (Use 02 Tribal Tongues Story Response Rubric)
- Create a response (skit, illustration, song, etc.) to a Tolowa legend, “The Star Girls”.
(Assessment tools will depend on the response. The most flexible rubric is 08.01 Tribal Tongues Cultural Activity Rubric)
Extensions
- “Coyote Places the Stars” and “The Star Girls” are two of thousands of tribal stories explaining the origins of the sky, stars, and celestial phenomena. Encourage learners to explore further story examples. These projects can be shared with fellow learners in any number of ways, including skits, essays, songs, dioramas, artwork, or slideshows. Offer learners the opportunity to suggest a project of their own design.
- Learners may choose to create a more elaborate version of the paper constellation using a box of any size. Software describing adjacent stars and planets help identify other things up there.
- Learners create a representation of the movement of stars through the night and seasons. (Use “06 Tribal Tongues Core Concepts” resources.)
- Learners study petroglyphs, defining the vocabulary and explaining how celestial phenomena and events of the past and present (supernovas, eclipses, constellations, seasons, comets, etc.) have been captured using rock art. (https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/astronomical-petroglyphs/)
Materials & Supplies
- Language learning materials provided by tribes and/or tribal elders.
- Flashcards for vocabulary.
- Websites specific to tribes/bands/cultures being studied,
- Craft materials necessary to construct a constellation model.
- Copies of “Coyote Places the Stars” and “The Star Girls”, plus any other stories learners wish to explore.
- Any materials and supplies necessary to complete extension projects.
*While access to many resources is available on the Internet, one cannot assume that reliable and consistent access to electronic media is a given. All of the tribes and bands addressed by these lessons offer resources beyond those found electronically. Printed and recorded language teaching and learning materials are available directly from tribes, as are similar tools related to culture and history. Most tribes have in their possession, or have access to primary documents describing their encounters (and/or the effects of these encounters) with the Lewis and Clark expedition.