(This is the Lesson Plan 4 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 |
| Celilo Band of Warms Springs Indians | What is now called the Columbia River near a European settlement called The Dalles | Chinuk Wawa
https://www.grandronde.org/services/education/chinuk-wawa-language-program/ |
| Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery at Celilo Falls
http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/2719 https://www.historylink.org/File/5355
|
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Enduring Understanding: Core Communication |
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| English | “yes” | “no” | “hello” | “goodbye” |
| Chinook Jargon (Phonetic Chinuk Wawa) |
aha
Pronounced |
wake
Pronounced “wah kay” |
lhuush
Pronounced |
kla-how’-ya
Pronounced |
|
Enduring Understanding: Cultural Component |
|||||
| English | “river” | “net” | “salmon” | “dam” | “waterfall” |
| Chinook Jargon (Phonetic Chinuk Wawa) |
chuck
Pronounced |
hayu-lakhlwa-lhiphayt
Pronounced |
salmon
Pronounced |
ts’uk-kelax
Pronounced [“ts” sounds like the end of the English word “gets”] |
tum’-water Pronounced “tum water” |
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?
- Celilo Falls was flooded on March 10, 1957. Given that fact, this lesson is best done in spring. However, it could be done any time the issue of dams, or dam removal, or the effects of dams on salmon comes up.
- Learners near the Columbia River Gorge have the advantage of being able to visit the location of the former Celilo Falls in person. For those who cannot visit the actual site, there are similar issues with watershed health throughout Indian Country with associated locations where a visit might be appropriate.
- Since the lesson involves watching and discussing two videos, you will need a means to share them.
The lesson will include assistance and support from whom and/or what resources?
- Partners should include representatives of the Warm Springs Tribe’s culture department, natural resources department, the Oregon and/or Washington Fisheries and Wildlife department, advocates for healthy fisheries, and other environmental groups. For a different point of view, seeking out and hearing representatives of the Columbia River shipping industry, the staff maintaining the dam infrastructure, and the Bonneville Power Administration would be helpful. The BPA might be particularly helpful, as they have settled with many of the bands and tribes affected by the disruption of traditional fishing practices (https://www.bpa.gov/efw/FishWildlife/Land/Pages/default.aspx).
- There are still many people, both Indian and non-Indian, who remember watching the falls go under.
- For the dissection, the educator is likely to need some help from a wildlife expert or someone who studies anatomy.
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 project(s), what will students and instructors be able to do?
Lesson Procedures
- Learners familiarize themselves with the “core communication” and “cultural understanding” vocabulary.
- Educators share “We are Salmon People” with students.
We are Salmon People
At the beginning of time, animals and humans were the same. Creator was preparing to bring the Human Beings into the world. Creator called a Grand Council of all things. He asked the Council for Salmon to come forward, because the Human Beings were helpless, and would not survive alone in the new world. From this Grand Council, the Salmon People came forward and offered themselves. Their bodies would feed the people. Water came next. Water knew that the Salmon People would need a home. From Water, the Creator drew up the Human Beings. Creator handed to them the natural laws and promised that if Human Beings obeyed them, Salmon would always fill the rivers. One after another, everyone at the Council came forward and made an offering – but Salmon and Water were first. From them came the Human Beings. Salmon, Water, and Human Beings were there at the beginning of creation. We have always been relations, and we will always be there for each other as long as we obey the laws the Creator gave to us.
- Learners need to find a whole salmon, or some other kind of fish. With the assistance of a Fishery and Wildlife biologist, a member of the local tribes’ Natural Resources office, or someone else who knows what they are doing, the fish is dissected and the organs identified. Their function is described. Ideally, this activity could be integrated smoothly into the science curriculum. In extending this lesson, tribal values dictate that every bit of a salmon is either consumed or returned to the river from which it came, the first salmon of the year is shared among all members of the village, and other norms. There should be a discussion of tribal protocol among salmon people regarding the catching and consumption of the fish, and a heavy emphasis on the fact that the fish on which they are focused is considered a relative by many people. (Educators might encourage a deep analysis of the “Salmon People” story shared earlier.) Cycles in general should be explored. The water cycle, salmon cycle, seasonal cycle, gathering cycle, and other phenomena that demonstrate cyclic behavior may be compared and contrasted. A cycle that might be explored as a particularly relevant element of the lesson is the cycle of advance and recession of glaciation across North America.
- Once an acceptable level of understanding has been reached (Use “08.01 Tribal Tongues Cultural Activities Rubric”), proceed to the videos.
- View “Echo”, and discuss. Solicit questions about the flooding of Celilo falls. The movie covers many angles of the loss of Celilo Falls. Essentially all of them have an impact on one or more of the Cultural Universals. (Use “08.05 Tribal Tongues Cultural Universals Menu”.)
- View “Return…” and have a similar discussion. Focus on point-of-view.
- Finally, learners will collaborate to explore topics and activities completed in the lesson. In small groups or as a whole, they will develop a five- to ten- question short answer quiz that will direct future learners in evaluating the knowledge they have acquired through the previous lessons. (Use “01 Tribal Tongues Cultural Activity Rubric” and “08.06 Tribal Tongues Essential Questions”).
Extensions
- Learners can create a cookbook or small set of recipes to share with families and friends. Use Chinuk Wawa to identify the ingredients.
- In the 1970s and 1980s, “Fish-Ins” were held by the Warm Springs people in protest of the violation of their treaty rights. Learners can do some independent research and present an oral report with supporting images.
- Some stories among tribal people of the coast recall the Missoula Floods in detail. Explain in what ways the Lewis and Clark Expedition would have been different had these floods not occurred. The floods are also a topic for a student who enjoys modeling, VR, or simply writing reports.
- Create the opportunity for ongoing monitoring of the status of critical dams along the Klamath River, Rogue River, or other river systems closer to home. Keep an eye on the news. Record a news report and share it with the class.
- Learners can work alone or in groups to explore the proper construction of a traditional salmon dip net, then make one. A small model will do.
- Write a report about the advantages and disadvantages of dams. Explore the various reasons dams have been constructed and how this has been accomplished.
- Write a letter to a salmon. They’d love to hear from you.
- Work with local Fisheries and Wildlife departments, and create an app that tracks salmon runs of the west.
- Do some additional exploration on the role of Chinuk Wawa as a “trade language”. Identify the language’s origins, evolution, and role in communicating with and among outsiders.
Materials & Supplies
- Translation Flashcards.
- A whole fish and equipment to dissect it.
- “Echo of Water Against Rocks” YouTube, DVD
“Return to the River” YouTube, DVD. - 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.