Overview
Hupa and Chumash Astronomy and Hand Games
Author: Monique Sonoquie (Chumash, Tongva, Yaqui)
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry & Cutcha Risling Baldy, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grade(s): 6
Suggested Amount of Time: 2 forty-five minute class sessions
Curriculum Themes
- History
- Cultural Strengths
- Law/Government
- Relationship to Place
- Cross Curricular Integration
Learning Goals
Students will reflect on our interconnectedness of Native Peoples and the land.
Students will be able to understand how oral history has been preserved and honored in Native communities..
Students will analyze short videos and discuss themes.
Lesson Overview
This lesson introduces students to the history and traditional astronomical knowledge of both Hupa and Chumash Peoples of California. Students will learn how Oral Histories have been passed down and preserved for hundreds of years and will learn to appreciate how cultural and/or family knowledge is passed down in their families.Students will learn about Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and historic connections to the universe. The lesson covers 2 key terms, Astronomy and Oral Histories. There are two Oral histories that students will read aloud, and a traditional game they will learn how to make and play. The purpose of this lesson is for students to understand the connections between Oral Histories, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Contemporary Science/Astronomy and Indian Peoples today. This Curriculum is best done in the Winter Season so students can view stars and the moon.
Teacher Background
Indian Peoples on this continent have been called many different names other than what they call themselves. Traditional Tribal names and contemporary words such as, Native American, American Indian, First Nations, Aboriginal, etc., can be used interchangeably. These are the friendly words. Since the onslaught of settlers and colonialism, Indian Peoples have been ignored, murdered, but still survived. Many books have been made about California Indian Peoples, written by those from outside the culture, and the information is frequently incorrect. Today, there are many books, documentaries and websites that present the future of California Indian Peoples, written and produced by Indian Peoples. There may be some discrepancies between resources, but the Tribal resources are the more accurate histories, as you will find more narrative accounts, facts, experiences and cultural information with first person interviews.