Earlier this week, Davis and I attended a program at one of the local public libraries on the topic of Native History and Culture in our area. It was presented by members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, Hoban Sanford (Many Walks), his sister Millie (Mother Wolf) and their cousin Sly Fox.
A few things really stood out to me during the presentation, mostly that this is a portion of this country's history that is often overlooked or glossed over in schools. I don't remember learning very much about Native Americans in school beyond the fact that they were helpful to the pilgrims. I think it's important to study all aspects of history, not just the pleasant parts or the parts that make us feel good about our ancestors.
The other thing that stood out to me was some thing Sly Fox said about why he no longer calls himself Native American. He said he has had discussions with other people who claim to be Native Americans as well because they were born in America, which sounds reasonable. So now Sly says he has Pre-American ancestry.
While Davis found some parts a less interesting than others, he was completely fascinated by all the things they brought to look at and touch. He has also started reading through the stack of books we brought home from the library on Native American myths and folktales as well as the history.
Honestly, the pictures I took will do a much better job of showing what we saw than I could describe with words.
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| Hoban (Many Walks) Sanford |
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Dreamcatcher staff
these are used in the same
way we would use a flag. |
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| Dreamcatcher |
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| Table top dreamcatcher. |
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| This basket is made of pine needles! |
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An old doll,
the hair and stuffing are buffalo hair. |
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| Dried gourd made into a whale. |
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| Seminole patchwork square. |
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| The stitching for the Seminole patchwork. |
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| Collection of jewelry and other regalia pieces. |
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Jewelry made from buffalo bone and
an eagle's foot. |
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Hand made arrow heads, pipes and
small pine needle baskets. |
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| Details of one of the pipes. |
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| Bows and a quiver of arrows. |
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| Closer view of the quiver. |
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Tomahawks, a knife and a
walking stick. |
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Davis was very impressed with
the bows. |
It's really exciting to me that this one time event has really sparked Davis' interest. There is an inter-tribal pow wow locally this fall and we are already planning to attend. I'm really interested to see all the great projects we can come up with as we delve into this portion of history.
We've already discussed making our own dreamcatchers and walking sticks and Davis would really love to make his own bow and learn to use it. He earned his Whittling Chip in Cub Scouts this past year so he's excited to start carving his own walking sticks.
This experience has shown me that one of the best ways to get Davis (and possibly other kids) interested in something new is to find a way for them to see and touch real objects that help them relate to the topic at hand. I see a lot of museum trips, outdoor adventures and hands on science in our homeschooling future.
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