SL.7.2

We Are Still Here, Fix the World People © Lyn Risling

We are Still Here: Expression of Self - Art Inspired by Lyn Risling

7.VA:CN11, 7.VA:RE7.1, 7.VA:RE7.2, 7.VA:RE8, RI.7.7, W.7.1, SL.7.1, SL.7.2

In this final lesson of the art and Karuk language integrated unit, students will have the opportunity to create original artwork inspired by Lyn Risling’s painting We Are Still Here, Fix the World People. The lesson focuses on the use of symbolism in Indigenous art, encouraging students to integrate their personal, cultural, or ancestral expressions into their own creations. To begin, the teacher will revisit the subjects and symbols in Lyn Risling’s painting, such as the river, animals, plants, and ceremonial items, explaining their cultural significance. For example, the river represents life and the health of the people, animals can symbolize spiritual connections to fix the world ceremonies, and plants like acorns are essential traditional food.

We Are Still Here, Fix the World People © Lyn Risling

We are Still Here: Resilience and Healing

7.VA:CN11, 7.VA:RE7.1, 7.VA:RE7.2, 7.VA:RE8, RI.7.7, W.7.1, SL.7.1, SL.7.2

This lesson explores the significance of language revitalization in Indigenous communities, featuring the Karuk Language of northwestern California. Inspired by Lyn Risling’s painting “We Are Still Here, Fix the World People”, students will explore themes of resilience, survival, and cultural identity. Julian Lang, Karuk Linguist, describes the painting in the Karuk language providing students an experience to better understand how language serves as a critical tool for preserving culture and world view. This lesson emphasizes that language, once nearly lost due to violent colonization, was kept and has continued to be the focus for revitalization by the Karuk people as a pathway to healing and cultural reclamation. Students will gain an appreciation for the power of language in maintaining connections to heritage and+ the importance of supporting language preservation efforts. Ultimately, this lesson fosters an understanding of how language revitalization is not just about communication, but about reclaiming identity, community resilience, and promoting healing from the historical trauma of assimilation and systematic cultural erasure.

This watercolor illustrates how refugees are a stateless people caught “neither here nor there.” Nguyễn, like many others, waited for the day when she would settle in a new country. Through light and shadow, the subdued color choices, and the imposing clock hovering over the two figures in tight quarters, the painting calls attention to a difficult life in waiting.

Intergenerational Trauma and Healing

RI.8.1, SL.7.1, SL.7.2

Students will be able to analyze the ways in which the Vietnam War has influenced and contributed to intergenerational trauma within the Vietnamese community and how the community engages in healing practices as a response to the trauma by engaging in a Socratic Seminar discussion.

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