Grade 12

Tattoo Spirit Woman © Lyn Risling (Hupa/Karuk/Yurok)

Reviving Tradition: The Resurgence of Women's 111 Tattoos in Northern California Tribes

This lesson offers students a meaningful and culturally responsive exploration of the resurgence of women’s 111 chin tattoos among the Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk Tribes of Northern California. Once widely practiced before colonization, the 111 tattoo tradition was dormant for several decades. Today, this deeply personal and cultural form of expression is being revived by Native women as a powerful symbol of identity, resistance, and connection to heritage. Through this lesson, students will examine the history and significance of these tattoos, as well as the broader cultural revitalization efforts occurring in Native communities, including the preservation of language, traditional ceremony, and cultural arts. Using a thoughtfully designed slideshow, video interviews, and primary source materials, students will learn directly from modern Native women who have received the 111 tattoo. They will reflect on the personal, emotional, and social meaning behind these choices and discuss how cultural expression and appreciation are essential to Indigenous resilience today. The lesson is structured to be student-centered and engaging. Activities include small-group discussions, reflective writing, visual analysis, and collaborative presentations. Students will work together to answer key questions, analyze first-person narratives, and consider the responsibilities involved in honoring and continuing cultural traditions. Vocabulary such as cultural expression, cultural appreciation, and cultural revitalization is woven throughout to deepen understanding and guide respectful conversations. This lesson is ideal for middle or high school classrooms and aligns well with social and emotional competencies, language arts, and ethnic studies standards. It invites thoughtful dialogue, promotes empathy, and encourages students to think critically about history, identity, and the importance of cultural survival. Most importantly, it centers Indigenous voices and lived experiences making it a powerful and relevant unit for today’s learners.

1924 Class Mural © Cheryl Tuttle

1924 Indian Citizenship Act

HSS 11.5, HSS 11.5.1, HSS 12.2, HSS 12.2.6, W.9-10.2, W.9-10.4, RI.9-10.4, 7.VA:CR2.3, 7.VA:RE7.2

This unit introduces the historical, cultural, and political impacts of the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act by examining how U.S. citizenship was extended to Native peoples and the ongoing struggle for sovereignty and civil rights that has followed. Through interactive activities, visual slides, primary source analysis, and student-led research, learners will build an understanding of Native identity, government policy, and resistance through an Indigenous perspective. The unit is structured into four flexible parts that can be taught across multiple days or as a condensed unit, depending on time and class pacing.

Logo © Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

Trail of Truth: Muwekma Ohlone Fight for Federal Recognition

This multi-lesson series explores the struggle for federal recognition by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, an Indigenous people from the San Francisco Bay Area, whose fight for recognition has been shaped by a history of genocide, displacement, and systemic erasure. The Muwekma Ohlone's ancestral lands span the regions of what are now Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, an area rich in natural resources where they lived sustainably through fishing, hunting, and gathering. However, the Ohlone people faced devastating consequences starting with Spanish colonization in the late 18th century. Forced into the missions, they endured the violence of cultural genocide, including the destruction of their traditional ways of life, land dispossession, and the suppression of their spiritual practices. After California’s statehood, the Ohlone people continued to face systematic displacement, land theft, and the erasure of their identity, leading to a loss of recognition and official acknowledgment. The genocide, forced labor, and the relentless policies of assimilation contributed to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's struggle to gain federal recognition. Despite their survival and continuity as a people, they have faced challenges in proving their existence due to the lack of historical documentation, a consequence of deliberate efforts to erase Indigenous communities. This lesson will examine the importance of federal recognition, which grants tribes access to resources, sovereignty, and legal protections. The lesson also highlights the Trail of Truth, a powerful act of resilience, unity, and advocacy undertaken by Muwekma Ohlone in 2024. This 90-day journey, from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., aimed to bring national attention to their fight for recognition. Through rich media, including short videos and photos from the march, students will witness the emotional and symbolic journey of the Muwekma Ohlone people. These visual materials capture moments of resilience and determination, connecting students to the personal and collective struggles of the tribe as they continue to seek justice and visibility. This lesson underscores the impact of genocide and historical erasure on the Muwekma Ohlone and the tribe's ongoing fight to restore their rightful place in history.

Cultural Burns © Jackie Fawn

Stewards of the Land - Cultural Fire

HS-LS2-6, HS-LS2-7, HSS 10.4.2, HSS 10.4.3, HSS-PoAD.12.2

This multi-lesson series explores the deep historical and cultural relationship California Native Tribes have with the land, focusing on how cultural burning continues to be used as a vital component of land stewardship. Students will gain insight into the significance of fire in Indigenous cultures and how it was essential for maintaining ecosystems and cultural practices. Through a combination of poems, videos, imagery, timelines and readings, the lessons will highlight the ongoing efforts by Native peoples to restore their relationship with the earth and their traditional fire practices. The series begins with an introduction to Indigenous land stewardship, where students will learn about the role of fire in managing the land, including how fire helps regenerate important plants like acorns, which are vital to Indigenous cultures. Students will have the chance to compare and contrast the Indigenous and colonial views on land management, especially fire suppression. As the series progresses, students will understand how Historical US suppression policy has created a devastating impact that began in 1850, which criminalized Indigenous fire practices. Students will learn about the efforts of Indigenous groups to work, such as the Karuk and Yurok Tribes, to revive cultural burning as a tool for ecological restoration. This will lead into discussions of living in balance with nature, a stark contrast to the Western concept of nature as a resource to be exploited. By the end of the lesson series, students will understand how Indigenous practices like cultural burning can heal the land and how these practices challenge the commodification of nature prevalent in Western conservation. Ultimately, the series aims to show students why it is crucial to respect and include Indigenous voices and knowledge in addressing today’s environmental challenges.

Wilverna Reece and Gina Saxon lighting fire to the land for cultural burns in Karuk ancestral territory © Karuk Tribe

Pa’asik’tavaansas Kuniktáamvunatih (The Women are Carrying Fire)

The unit titled Pa’asik’tavaansas Kuniktáamvunatih ("The Women are Carrying Fire") exposes high school students to the Karuk Tribe's cultural and ecological practices, emphasizing the integral role of fire in their traditions and environmental stewardship. Students will learn that Karuk people have utilized controlled, low-intensity burns for millennia to manage landscapes, enhance biodiversity, and maintain cultural practices. These methods, deeply embedded in the Karuk language and worldview, were disrupted by over a century of federal fire suppression policies. The Karuk Women's Fire Training and Exchange (KWTREX) program is a contemporary initiative aimed at revitalizing these traditions, empowering Indigenous women and Two-Spirit individuals to lead cultural burns and reclaim their ancestral fire practices. In these lessons, students will experience the dedication and responsibility to tenure land for cultural preservation of traditions like food sovereignty and the arts like basketry. Through a film produced by the KWTREX program, students will hear firsthand accounts from Indigenous women and Two-Spirit participants, sharing their experiences of healing and empowerment through cultural fire practices. The lesson will also introduce the concept of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and its transmission through language, highlighting how the Karuk language encodes ecological wisdom related to fire management. Students will examine the differences between cultural fire and prescribed burning. By engaging with resources such as the Karuk Tribe's cultural fire storymap, students will research and reflect on the significance of cultural fire practices in adapting to climate change and restoring ecological balance. The overarching goal of this lesson is to foster an appreciation for Indigenous knowledge systems and their relevance in contemporary environmental challenges. Students will gain insight into the Karuk Tribe's efforts to revitalize cultural fire practices and the importance of language in preserving and transmitting ecological knowledge. Through these language integrated lessons, students will recognize the resilience and agency of Indigenous communities and their leadership in providing the necessary training for Karuk women in spaces traditionally occupied by men.

The Sun Set Twice on the People by Karuk Artists Brian Tripp and Alme Allen photo © Maggie Peters

Tuluwat Reclaimed

This multi-lesson series on the Wiyot Tribe provides an understanding of the tribe's history, struggles, and cultural resilience. The learning begins with an introduction to the Wiyot people, their ancestral lands in Humboldt County, and their cultural heritage, including their language, Soulatluk. Students will learn Wiyot place names in Humboldt County, highlighting the cultural significance of language and the ongoing efforts to revitalize Soulatluk. Through learning about the massacre at Tuluwat Island during their World Renewal Ceremony in 1860, students will understand more of the genocide the tribe faced which disrupted their community and spiritual practices. The lessons culminate with a study of the Wiyot Tribe’s determination to reclaim Tuluwat Island, their center of the world, exploring their activism and the broader movement for Indigenous land rights. Throughout the lessons, students engage with historical and contemporary narratives through film, discussion, art integration and hands-on activities, fostering empathy and understanding. By reflecting on these experiences, students gain insight into the importance of supporting Indigenous rights, culture, and sovereignty in both historical and modern contexts.

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