Native Origin Stories: I am my Ancestors' prayers

Author: Jeanne Forrest PhD, April Carmelo and Winter Fox Frank (Greenville Rancheria), Elizabeth Wilson (Wintun)
Collaborator: Rebecca Lowry (Lenape), Learning Specialist, Humboldt County Office of Education

Grades: 9-10

Suggested Amount of Time: 1-2 class sessions

Curriculum Themes

• History
• Cultural Strengths
• Law/Government
• Relationship to Place

Learning Goals

• Students will read and annotate origin stories and make inferences about the people and the culture.

• Students will creatively write their own origin story, using the humor, values and lessons of their own culture and ancestors.

Lesson Overview

This lesson introduces Northeastern Indigenous cultures, pre-contact; including origin stories, resources, social structure, and connection to the environment. How can patterns of cause / effect manifest themselves in the core values of a culture? Which Native core values generalize into other cultures? What is different? Students will read and listen to origin stories, evaluate the cultural perspectives and creatively write their own story.