EXAMINING FOLKLORE

Activity #

Objectives

Activities

Subject

5

First Nations Mythology

The students will be able to explain orally the differences between family drama myths, threshold myths,

creation myths, and trickster tales.
  • Read one example of each type of First Nations myth to the students.
  • Discuss the characteristics of each type of myth and have students identify these characteristics in the books read aloud.

Language Arts
6

Categorizing Mythology

Students will be able to categorize First Nations mythology according to its characteristics.

  • Provide small groups of students with several books that represent different types of myths.
  • Students will pull evidence from the books to determine what type of myth they are.
  • Record the information from group work and present to class.
  • All students should record the information presented from other groups on the web (template provided)

Language Arts

7

First Nations Beliefs, Values &

Cultural Information

Students will be able to identify values and beliefs of the people as well as cultural information through the examination of First Nations folklore.
  • Model the charting process for students (based on a book you have read aloud).
  • Students will then chart values, beliefs and cultural information from a book they select to read independently.

Social Studies

Language Arts

8

Dancing - First Nations Themes

Students will demonstrate their understanding of themes present in First Nations literature through dance.
  • Groups examine the literature looking for themes that are present in the First Nations literature.
  • Class discusses themes that were discovered in the group work.
  • In groups, students create a dance that tells a story based on one or more themes that were found in the literature.

Dance

Language Arts

9

Poetry and Folklore

Students will re-write a piece of folklore in poem format.
  • Students will choose their favorite piece of folklore and write a poem about the events that take place in the folklore.

Language Arts

Activity 5: First Nations Mythology
Introduce students to the four types of myths defined below. Then, read one example of each type of myth to the students so that they can identify the characteristics of each type of myth in the literature read aloud.  Some of the myths may be combination myths and therefore, they can fall under several categories. The chart below also includes suggested literature selections you may wish to use in the read aloud activity.

Myth Type

Suggested Literature

Creation Myths (Setting the World in Order): these traditional tales tell about how plant and animal life is created and how the earth and people came to be. They are also called setting the world in order tales because it often the organization of nature is used to explain creation.

 
  • Creation Stories from Around the World by V. Hamilton. (Various tribes).
  • The Star Maiden by B. Juster Esbensen (Ojibwa)
  • How the Stars Fell into the Sky by J. Oughton (Navaho)
  • Bones in the Basket: First Nations Stories of the Origin of People by C.J. Taylor (Various tribes).

 

 

Threshold Myths: these tales involve a character crossing a threshold of some type – the character may go from earth to sky, from childhood into puberty, from life into death, or from a human into an animal form (transformation).
  • Buffalo Woman by P. Goble (Plains)
  • Beyond the Ridge by P. Goble (Plains)
  • The Fish Skin by J. Oliverio (Cree)
  • Shooshewan: Child of the Beothuck by D.Gale (Beothuk)
  • Star Boy by P. Goble (Plains)

Family Drama Tales:  As Norton states, these tales “ focus on various family needs and conflicts, such as learning from elders, providing protection, obtaining food, and overcoming problems, including rivalry and aggression.  The family in these stories may be the tribal unit or the greater cosmos.  If the tale deals with the greater world family, the storyteller may refer to earth as mother, Sky as father, and humanity as children” (1995, p. 587).
  • Shooshewan: Child of the Beothuck by D.Gale (Beothuk)
  • Adopted by the Eagles by P. Goble (Plains)
  • Spotted Eagle and Black Crow: A Lakota Legend by Bernhard.
  • How the Stars Fell into the Sky by J. Oughton (Navaho)
Trickster Tales: these tales “reveal both good and bad conduct” (Norton, 1995, p.588).  Trickster characters do silly things to teach the audience about what is acceptable and what is not.  These tales are very entertaining
  • Paul Goble’s Iktomi Series (Sioux)
  • Cree Legends: Stories of Wisakecahk by S. Cuthand (Cree)

Activity 6: Categorizing Mythology

(Print Template (chart) or Print template (web))

Procedure:

1. Provide small groups of students with a variety of myths (3-4 books, one of each of the following: family drama, trickster, creation, or threshold tales).
2.      Instruct the students to pull evidence from the books to determine what type of myth it can be classified as.
3.      Have the students record the information (on web or chart template) they acquire through the group work so that they can present their findings to the class.
4.    All students should record the information presented from the other groups on the web (template provided).


Activity 7: Beliefs and Values of First Nations
(Print Template)
Read a piece of First Nations folklore to the students and tell them to listen carefully for any information about the beliefs, values, and customs of the First Nations people.  Use the overhead of the beliefs and values chart to help students isolate the cultural information from the rest of the text.  As students provide you with examples, fill in the chart.  The chart may look something like the chart started below.

Title/Author

Beliefs and Values found in the text - provide quotes

Cultural Information found in text - provide quotes

Themes

The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie dePaola

prays to spirits - “tell us what we have done to anger you …”

believed in the power of the shaman - the shaman could talk to the gods “the shaman will go off alone to the top of the hill to listen for the words of the great spirits…”

rain dance - “For three days, the dancers….”

Buffalo are important to the people.

Harmony in nature is important.

The needs of the tribe are more important that the individual needs of each person.

Selfishness will bring hardship.
Before beginning the charting, make sure that students understand that theme is defined as “the underlying idea that ties the plot, characters, and setting together into a meaningful whole” (Norton, 1995, p.113). Themes are universal statements (not book specific) so they may apply to more than one book.

Once you feel that students are able to chart the information from the book properly, have each of them select a piece of folklore.  Independently, the students will chart the story’s cultural information and provide examples from the text.

Activity 8: Dancing - First Nations Themes

First, review the definition of  theme.  In groups, have the students brainstorm various themes that they have come across during their exposure to the First Nations literature.  They may wish to examine additional literature.
Procedure
Have the students in each group
1. Select one theme that they feel is important to First Nationss.
2. Discuss why the theme is important and brainstorm ways in which the theme can be communicated through dance.
3. Decide if you will have the students create their own music or if taped music will be more appropriate for the dances.
4. Students practice the theme dance until they are ready to perform it for the class.
5. The entire class discuss the themes presented, and the importance of the themes to First Nations life.

Activity 9: Poetry and Folklore

Procedure:

1. Read Thirteen Moons on a Turtle’s Back to the students and discuss how the author wrote poems about traditional
folklore.
2.       Identify beliefs and values in the poems that are similar to those found in the earlier activities.
3. Have each student select their favorite piece of First Nations folklore.
4. Have each student follow the format found in Thirteen Moons on a Turtle’s Back and write a poem about the piece of literature they have selected.  Emphasize the importance of maintaining beliefs and values of the traditional literature.
5. Illustrate poems and share with peers.

 
© 2004 Jennifer Berthelot. (berthelotj@spsd.sk.ca) All rights reserved.
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