Overview
Author(s) : Sharyn Swartz, in partnership with the Wiyot Tribe.
Wiyot Tribe contributors: Elizabeth Hernandez, Marnie Atkins, and members of the culture, language and education programs, reviewed the lesson and made significant contributions.
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry & Maggie Peters, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grade(s) : 1-3
Suggested Amount of Time : 60 minutes or two 30 minute sessions
Curriculum Themes:
- Relationship to Place
Learning Goals
By the end of the lesson, students will:
Identify an acorn and its parts (cap, nut, shell).
Understand the relationship between acorns and oak trees.
Recognize the role of acorns in the ecosystem.
Engage in creative and sensory activities to explore acorns.
Lesson Overview
This lesson will establish a sense of place by introducing students to Wiyot Ancestral Lands in Northern California and the native plants that live there. Students will consider the relationship between Wiyot People and native plants and appreciate the cultural significance of native plants in Wiyot traditional culture. Students will recognize Soulatluk as the native language of the Wiyot People and practice saying native plant names and plant parts in Soulatluk.
Learning Goals:
Students will identify natural features within Traditional Wiyot Lands and consider how those features are connected to Wiyot culture
Students will consider why the Wiyot People’s relationship to plants is important to their culture
Students will name and recognize native plants that grow in Wiyot Ancestral Territory
Students will hear and say the names of plants and plant parts in Soulatluk, the Wiyot language
Teacher Background
The Wiyot People have been living in Northern California, along the coast, for thousands of years. Wiyot Ancestral Territory is bordered by the redwood forest and Humboldt County’s hills and prairies to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Little River to the north and Bear River Ridge to the south. The surrounding land and water support great diversity of plant and animal species.
The first sustained contact the Wiyot Tribe had with European Americans was in the mid-1800’s. It is estimated that the Wiyot population was between 1,500 and 2,000 people at that time. European settlers, drawn by the prospect of gold and timber, claimed Wiyot Land and resources for themselves. This began a period of destructive, violent behavior towards the Wiyot People including their forced relocation to the north. These acts of genocide had a significant effect on the population of the Wiyot People.
Although white settlers attempted to end Wiyot cultural traditions and ways of life, the Wiyot People maintained their strong connection to their culture. The Wiyot Tribe continues to grow with over 600 tribal members today. Wiyot People are reawakening their language, ceremonies and reclaiming stewardship over the land where they have lived since time immemorial.
The reintroduction of Soulatluk, the Wiyot native language, is one important way for generations of Wiyot People to connect with their ancestry and traditions. Place naming using traditional Wiyot names is another way of reestablishing a sense of place for the Wiyot in our current communities.
Wiyot People continue to work towards reclaiming and providing stewardship for their Ancestral Lands. Tuluwat, the traditional center of the Wiyot universe and site of the World Renewal Ceremony was returned by the city of Eureka in 2004. The tribe regained Mouralherwaqh, ecologically and culturally significant forest land, in 2022 and the return of Digawututklh, a culturally significant coastal region in 2024, are examples of the positive effects of their efforts. Land reclamation is part of the Wiyot Tribes’ ongoing efforts to reconnect with their cultural role as caretakers of the environment, and restore balance to the land.