The Beautiful Buzzard: Yurok Storytelling and Shadow Puppet Performance

Authors: 

• Haley Davis, Teaching Artist

• Mimi Dojka, Teaching Artist

• Ernie Albers Jr., Yurok Storyteller and Cultural Bearer

• Laura Woods, Yurok Elder and Cultural Bearer

• Jacqueline Dandeneau, Director Arcata Playhouse

• David Ferney, Video Director and Editor

• Lesson Contributor/Editor/Format by Maggie Peters (Yurok/Karuk) NASMC Learning Specialist, Humboldt County Office of Education

Grades: TK-2

Suggested Amount of Time: Four sessions  30 - 90 Minutes

Curriculum Themes:

• History
• Cultural Strengths
• Relationship to Place
• Cross Curricular Integration

Learning Goals

Lesson 1:

• Recognize that the Yurok people are an established presence within their community (#7)
• Discover that storytelling is a means for communicating important cultural information (#2)
• Actively listen to a Yurok story and name the lessons/morals
• Identify: story structure - beginning, middle and end; story elements - action, character and setting/scene; and storytelling techniques - facial expression, gesture, sound effects and voice.

Lesson 2:

• Retell the story, “The Beautiful Buzzard”, in their own words
• Identify story structure, story elements, lessons/morals, narration, Yurok language
• Share what they saw, heard, felt and thought after viewing a video recording of a shadow play
• Recognize that stories can serve as inspiration for other means of expression
• Gain awareness of the existence of the Yurok tribe within their community

Lesson 3:

• Demonstrate understanding of story structure and elements, as well as storytelling techniques
• Create original drawings, or embellish existing illustrations (artwork sheets) based on characters from the story, “The Beautiful Buzzard”.
• Build their knowledge of the Yurok Language and awareness of the existence of the Yurok Tribe within their community

Lesson 4:

• Use their original drawings to create shadow puppets
• Apply the storytelling techniques of facial expression (narrator), gesture, sound effects and voice
• Perform a shadow puppet performance of “The Hare and the Tortoise” or “The Beautiful Buzzard”

Lesson Overview

This engaging and culturally rich unit invites young learners to explore the power of storytelling through the lens of the Yurok Tribe, the largest tribe in California and a Native community with a deep presence in Northwestern California. Ernie Albers, Yurok Storyteller shares his story “The Beautiful Buzzard” to engage students with the traditional artform of storytelling, how stories carry important messages, teach life lessons, and keep cultures alive across generations. Across four interactive lessons, students will actively listen, discuss, and respond to the story—learning about story structure (beginning, middle, end), elements (character, setting, action), practice Yurok language for animals names and expressive storytelling techniques (facial expression, gesture, sound effects, and voice). As students explore and reflect on storytelling practices, they will develop their own feelings and ideas and discover how oral stories can inspire art and performance. 

By viewing a student-created shadow puppet version of the story by students at Big Lagoon School in Humboldt County, and creating their own characters and puppets, students will deepen their understanding of Yurok culture, worldview, language and the art of storytelling. Students are introduced to ethical practices for studying and creating specific culture-based experiences (appropriation versus appreciation) to understand the importance of inclusion, participation and consent when creating artistic expressions about Native peoples. The unit culminates in a joyful classroom shadow puppet making and theater performance of either “The Beautiful Buzzard” or “The Hare and the Tortoise”, allowing students to express what they’ve learned in a creative and memorable way. This unit not only builds literacy and artistic skills, but fosters cultural awareness, community connection, and a sense of shared tradition.