Students will understand the challenges and barriers faced by Native American athletes in the early 20th century, especially in major leagues like MLB. Students will learn about the importance of the World Series in the early 20th century and how it served as both a personal and cultural milestone for players like Bender and Meyers.
This lesson identifies important places that were relevant to this unit’s family of the Sierra Valley Wel-mel-ti, and events affecting this family and many Native Americans of this era. Carmelita’s older brother, Wilbur Smith, grew up traveling between Loyalton, Long Valley, and Susanville, California. Although not mandated for his area, Wilbur chose to attend Sherman Indian Boarding School, far south in Riverside, California. Students will learn about his challenging experience growing up in these places, and consider the period of Indian boarding schools where children attended far away from their loved ones, as well as the fact of being drafted into World War II at the age of 16. To better understand geography for the Sierra Valley Wel-mel-ti, students will complete mapping activities to become familiar with the traditional Washoe territory, and the 3 different bands of Washoes.
This lesson provides insight into how life changed for the Wel-mel-ti in Sierra Valley as their traditional foods and practices were impacted by the influx of immigrant settlers. Historically, the Wel-mel-ti thrived in a reciprocal relationship with their environment, caring for the plants and animals that provided nutritious sustenance, medicine, economy, and more for them. However, current land use practices have made harvesting traditional foods much more difficult. Students will design a garden with some of these traditional plants, considering how this not only helps the grower with a harvest, but also begins to restore natural landscapes. Knowledge keeper Marvin Sam is the last living Wel-mel-ti of the area who experienced this time of extreme change in lifestyles, and Mr. Sam provided primary source information for this lesson, including an interview video.
Students will learn about Carmelita Evans DeLucchi, who was one of the last Northern Washoes born and raised in the “Old Indian Camp” on the hill above the town of Loyalton. Through a biography written by her granddaughter, students will learn a little about Carmelita’s life across “two worlds” – the traditional lifeways of her Wel-mel-ti family, and the settler-constructed town life of the 1930s and beyond. Carmelita survived a challenging start and early loss and recalled many happy memories of childhood. She embodied her culture’s values throughout college, her career, raising a family, and her return to Loyalton as her final resting place.
Students will learn about how Native American families have been important throughout history and how they work together to stay strong and keep their traditions. Students will understand that even when things are hard, people can be strong and keep going. They will learn that Native Americans have shown strength over time.
Students will trace a Hmong individual’s recollection of her family's migration story to the United States from Laos and intersecting identities as a daughter, refugee, American, storyteller, and cultural historian. The complicated history of war and displacement is able to be seen and discussed with students using the powerful cultural artifacts of the Hmong story cloths.
