Ohio Native Americans-Shawnee Indians

1. Ohio Native Americans-Shawnee Indians Tina Fogle ED 417 Winter 2007

2. Third Grade Objectives • Gain an understanding of the life and culture of Ohio’s historical Native Americans (focusing on the Shawnee people) • Compare the cultural practices and daily life of the Shawnee people with those of our present day community

3. Materials • Shawnee Indians by Caryn Yacowitz • The White Feather by Ruth Eitzen • The Shawnee by Alice K. Flanagan • The White Bead Ceremony by Sherrin Watkins • Chart paper • Markers • Paper • Pencils • Internet/ library access • Clay • Copies- Shawnee traditional dress • Copies- Pictograph key

4. Activity 1 • The students will create a KWL chart with regard to Native American life and culture • The students will be given a brief overview of the Shawnee life and culture through the power point presentation • The students will read the non-fiction book Shawnee Indians by Caryn Yacowitz in small groups and discuss what they’ve learned (Can we add to our chart?)

5. Activity 2 • Read aloud The White Feather by Ruth Eitzen • Show power point slide regarding Shawnee housing as a refresher • Have the students do an internet/ library search on the materials and functionality of Shawnee housing • Discuss and compare Shawnee housing with the student’s housing

6. Activity 3 • Pass out copies of the picture of Shawnee traditional dress • Have the students speculate on the possible reasons/ functionality of the garments • Read the non-fiction book The Shawnee by Alice K. Flanagan and talk about the reasons behind the Shawnee’s style of dress • Discuss the children’s predictions regarding the Shawnee clothing and how our everyday lives affect the way that we dress

7. Activity 4 • Read aloud The White Bead Ceremony by Sherrin Watkins • Talk about the customs, traditions (ceremonies, legends), and crafts (beadwork, pottery, basket weaving) of the Shawnee people • The students will discuss the customs, traditions, and crafts that their family embraces • The students will make clay pots reminiscent of the Native American style • If possible, ask the students to bring an example of their families’ customs, traditions, or crafts to share the next day (photos, etc.)

8. Activity 5 • Have the students share their examples of family customs, traditions, or crafts that they have brought from home • Introduce another Native American tradition-pictographs • Talk about the history of the pictograph and its importance to the Native American people (used to pass on history) • Have the students use the pictograph chart to create a story or tell about a family custom, tradition, or craft using pictographs

9. Wrap It Up • In small groups, have the students create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the life and culture of the Shawnee people with their own • Discuss their findings in a class discussion • Take another look at the KWL chart to make sure that all questions have been answered

10. Enrichment Activities • Create a diorama depicting some aspect of Shawnee life and culture • Have the students research another part of Shawnee culture that they find interesting and present their findings • Have the students make a class book using their pictograph stories • The students may teach the class how to do a family craft or educate the class about a unique cultural aspect of their family

11. Native Americans

12. Native Americans in Ohio • Did you know the name "Ohio" is an Iroquoian Indian word? It came from the Seneca name for the Ohio River, Ohiyo, which means "it is beautiful." • The Indian tribes of the Ohio Valley were wiped out by smallpox and other European diseases before the Europeans had even met them, and Algonquian and Iroquoian tribes from neighboring regions moved into Ohio as European colonization forced them from their original homes. • Shawnee Indians are a large group of Native American Indians that originally occupied much of Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Eastern Pennsylvania.

13. The Shawnee People -Daily Life • The men of the Shawnee were hunters and warriors. They would hunt in parties, or large groups, for days at a time. The women were responsible for all things domestic from the building and caring for lodging to planting and cooking. The women of the Shawnee Indians were said to be gifted healers, having a great deal of knowledge about medicinal herbs and plants.

14. System of Government • The entire Shawnee tribe was governed by a principal chief and several clan chiefs. In the past, Shawnee leaders were always men, but today a Shawnee woman can be a leader too. Historically famous Shawnee leaders include Tecumseh, Bluejacket, and Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa.

15. Housing • The Shawnees didn't live in tepees. They lived in small round dwellings called wikkums, or wigwams. Each Shawnee village also included a larger council house built from wood.

16. Food • The Shawnees were farming people. Shawnee women planted and harvested corn and squash. Shawnee men hunted for deer, turkeys, and small game and went fishing in the rivers. Shawnee Indian food included soup, cornbread, and stews.

17. Traditional Dress • Shawnee women wore skirts with leggings. Shawnee men wore breechclouts and leggings. Shirts were not necessary in the Shawnee culture, but both men and women often wore ponchos in cool weather. The Shawnees wore moccasins on their feet. As they migrated from place to place, the Shawnees adopted clothing styles from many other Indian tribes and from white settlers as well.

18. The Shawnees didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Sometimes they wore a beaded headband with a feather or two in it. Shawnee people usually wore their hair long, though Shawnee warriors sometimes shaved their heads in the Mohawk style. Many Shawnees painted designs onto their faces, and some wore tribal tattoos.

19. Transportation • The Shawnees made dugout canoes by hollowing out large trees. Over land, the Shawnee tribe used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.)

20. Native American Crafts • The Shawnee tribe is known for their beadwork, pottery, and wood carving. Like other eastern American Indians, the Shawnee also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.

21. Legend and Tradition • Believers in Moneto, a Great Spirit that ruled the universe and blessed those who were found in favor, the Shawnee Indians were very spiritual. • There are lots of traditional Shawnee legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Shawnee Indian culture. • Pictographs

23. Life for the Shawnee Today • Today, there are an estimated 14,000 Shawnee Indians living on reservations in four different groups – the Absentee Shawnee, the Eastern Shawnee, the Cherokee Shawnee, and the Shawnee Nation Remnant Band, a group not officially recognized by the federal government or the other three Shawnee groups. However, the Shawnee Nation Remnant Band was officially recognized by the state of Ohio in 1980.

24. Helpful Web Sites • http://www.native-languages.org/kids.htm • http://orchard.sbschools.net/library/links/third.htm#Northeast • http://www.geocities.com/bigorrin/shawnee_kids.htm • http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/indians-mm.htm • http://minnow.net/ • http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/indian/