Anthro Notes

National Museum of Natural History Bulletin for Teachers

Vol. 16 No. 3

Fall 1994

NEW RESOURCES: NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS AND ARCHAEOLOGY

AnthroNotes editors highly recommend three recently published books that can help teachers and students gain a greater appreciation of Native peoples of North America, while gaining a better understanding of the various approaches to learning about other cultures, past and present. The three books, reviewed below, are:

The First Peoples of the Northeast. By Esther K. Braun and David P. Braun. Lincoln Historical Society, P.O. Box 6084, Lincoln Center, MA 1773-6084. 160 pages, softcover, 90 illustrations, timeline, resources, bibliography, index. To purchase, send $19.95 plus $3.00 first book, $.50 each additional book (postage and handling).

Earthmaker's Lodge, Native American Histories, Folklore, Activities and Foods. Edited by E. Barrie Kavasch. Cobblestone Publishing, Inc., 7 School Street, Peterborough, NH 03458, Tel. 800-821-0115. 160 pages, softcover. map, glossary, index pronunciation guide, illustrated with original art. To purchase, send $17.50 plus $3.00

Discovering Archaeology, An Activity Guide for Educators By Shirley J. Schermer. Special Publication, Office of the State Archaeologist, Oakton Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. 1992. vii + 54 pages, glossary, references, appendices, illustration credits. To purchase, send $6.95 plus $3.00

The First Peoples of the Northeast

The First Peoples of the Northeast, designed as an archaeological and cultural overview for junior high-level through adult readers, provides an introduction to the geography and original peoples of New England, New York and the Canadian eastern province. This handsomely illustrated and beautifully printed volume serves as an excellent introduction to archaeology, a subject of increasing interest to precollege teachers and students. Well written and heavily illustrated with maps, photographs, and original drawings by Carole Cote, the First Peoples of the Northeast is highly recommended for school libraries, museums, educators, and classroom use.

Synthesizing recent archaeological research, the book traces chronologically the peoples of the Northeast from the time of the Ice Ages through the development of diverse cultures, covering the broad span of time from the region's first human occupation to the period of European contact. Written in clear, non-technical language, the book focuses on the peoples and cultures of the region, while showing how those cultures are revealed and interpreted through archaeological evidence.

Seven chapters detail the culture history of the area, beginning with chapter one, “The Ice Ages and the First Americans,” and ending with a chapter on “European Contact,” which details the impact of contact on various societies throughout the region. The eighth chapter, “Archaeology and Conservation,” describes three reasons why there is so much difficulty documenting the development of Native American cultures before contact: the lack of written records and more recent disappearance of much of the oral history; the fact that archaeology is a young science with few means by which to understand the evidence that does exist; and the destruction of the archaeological record, which is creating a massive loss of potential information.

In a plea for site conservation and stewardship, the Brauns write: “You can think of the archaeological record as if it were an ancient book, the only copy left. Already many pages are missing, torn, written over, or faded...often...someone or something comes along and tears out a page or more, or tears out a chunk, or writes over a page... Soon we will lose what little is left.”

Following the main chapters of the book, the Brauns offer two extremely helpful appendices: “How Archaeology Works,” and “Places to See Archaeology Exhibits and Report Archaeological Finds.” The first provides an excellent introduction to the discipline of archaeology, with sections on “Goals of Archaeology,” “Finding the Evidence,” “Testing and Excavating a Site,” “Studying and Dating the Evidence,” and “Understanding Past Ways of Life.” Following this appendix is a listing of places where one can learn more about the archaeology of the Northeast, with address and phone numbers as well as resources available.

The authors are an interesting mother-son team. Esther, a graduate of Wellesley College with an MA in Education, spent many years, before retirement, teaching math, science, and social studies in the Lincoln, Massachusetts Public Schools. David Braun, a graduate of Harvard University, received an M.A. and Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of Michigan. He went on to pursue a career in archaeology, publishing numerous articles and chapters in thirteen different books, while teaching at Southern Illinois University and Northern Arizona University and working as a Fellow of the School of American Research in Santa Fe. Ten years ago, the two decided to collaborate on this book, which has been a labor of love for them both, a unique contribution from an unusual and talented team.

The First Peoples of the Northeast presents a remarkable combination of important strengths: a lively writing style; helpful, numerous illustrations and maps; a clearly conceived organization. There is a rare combination of attention to a narrative that focuses on real people's lives during real periods of time while at the same time explaining the scientific methodology that gave rise to the information presented. The emphasis on conservation is particularly noteworthy given the impact that the “Save the Past for the Future” effort has had within the Society for American Archaeology, and the importance of building an ethic of stewardship, not only towards archaeological sites but towards our whole natural world.

Earthmaker's Lodge

Offering another view of Native American life, Earthmaker's Lodge is a classroom and library resource book, arranged by topic and geographical region, of Native American peoples from the arctic to Mexico. Some of the material is adapted from Cobblestone publications (Cobblestone, Faces, Odyssey magazines), while other parts are written specifically for this collection, much of it by E. Barrie Kavasch, author and illustrator of Native Harvests: Recipes and Botanicals of the American Indians, herself of some Cherokee and Creek Indian descent.

Earthmaker's Lodge is geared to grades 4-9, and is recommended for incorporation into social studies, reading, and language arts classes. The book's approach, along with its Index organized by tribal culture areas, and its Glossary of Native Peoples, makes the collection particularly useful for teachers.

An introduction welcomes the reader, describes the book's format, and explains that Earthmaker's Lodge “symbolically embraces North America in the relaxed, informative ways traditional to our tribal storytelling.” The collection encourages teachers to introduce Native American stories to their students as “links between our surroundings, our imaginations, and our creative understandings.” The title of the book refers to Earthmaker, the creator of earth and sky and of all the inhabitants of the world, in the Winnebago, Osage, Cherokee, and Pima Indian traditions. Other traditions recall the Creator by other names, and fortunately many creation stories are included in the collection.

There are five main sections to the book. Part I, “Stories, Dreams, and Spiritual Objects,” describes the place of stories, dreams and spiritual objects in the lives of North American Indians and offers activities that young students can do, such as making a story bag, keeping a dream journal, or creating a spirit plate. Part II, “People, Places, and Legends,” is the longest section, and includes many original North American Indian stories and legends organized within twelve geographic, tribal culture areas: Pueblo, Navajo, California Indians, Iroquois and Algonquian Tribes of the Northeast, Cherokee and Other Southeastern Tribes, Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley Tribes, Plains Indians, Nez Perce, Sioux, Northwest Coast Indians, Eskimos, and Hawaiians. The stories explore the concepts of ancient times and how people, plants, and animals came to be. Each area varies in its treatment, but, in general, original stories and legends are combined with short, well written introductions to the culture area and its varied tribal groups.

Part III, “Projects and Crafts,” includes instructions for teachers for twenty-four different activities; while Part IV, “Puzzles and Games,” continues an activity approach with descriptions of twelve different games of skill and chance traditional to different Native American societies. Finally, Part V, “Recipes” offers contemporary recipes from different regions, reminding us that Indian societies continue today as vital, creative communities. As W. Richard West, Jr. Director of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, concludes in his introduction to the book: “Earthmaker's Lodge is an excellent means for sharing the vibrant customs and cultures of American Indians with all people. By presenting the history, stories, and the many foods and crafts of American Indians, this book shares the gifts of the Indian peoples and opens the doors into their world. I ask that you read this book with an open mind, remembering that American Indian cultures are living cultures with a dynamic past, an active present, and a promising future.”

Discovering Archaeology

A concisely written, clearly organized, and highly informative publication, Discovering Archaeology, An Activity Guide for Educators, should prove helpful to teachers in a wide variety of classroom situations. Designed as an activity guide for middle school students (grades 5-8), this book is an excellent introduction to archaeology for teachers of elementary, junior high, and high school students. Collaboratively developed by archaeologists and educators, all activities have been field tested and then revised through teacher workshops.

The organization of the book makes it particularly easy to use with students. An introductory two page statement, “What is Archaeology,” is followed by six sections, each one including a short introductory statement with between one and three related, illustrative activities. The introductory statements, read together, provide a concise yet quite comprehensive overview of the field: “Evidence from the Past,” “The Work of Archaeologists,” “Pottery,” “Prehistoric Use of Natural Resources for Tools, Shelter, and Food,” “Birds in Prehistory,” “Archaeological Ethics and Law.”

Discovering Archaeology is more than an activity guide, serving as an excellent short introduction to archaeology. The book could be used as the basis for a two week archaeology unit in the middle school, junior high school, or even high school curriculum, or incorporated into courses about Native Americans, American History, state or local history, or the environment. Diagrams and pictures help students and teachers visualize the written descriptions and carry out the various activities. The six introductory statements are clearly written, with all technical terms bolded and defined in a short glossary that follows the main portion of the text. A Reference Section serves as a guide to further resources, and includes subsections on archaeology books for teachers and students; teaching materials, curriculum guides and activities; American Indian mythology; magazines and journals; and materials available from the Smithsonian Institution.

The activities are excellent: interdisciplinary, inductive, straightforward, creative and fun. Students should enjoy participating in these activities, and teachers will find most of them easy to set up and carry out -- no small consideration for the extremely busy teacher who is with students most of the day. Activities include learning what artifacts are and how archaeologists learn to identify their attributes and functions (Activity 1 . What is an Artifact); the difference between practical and symbolic objects (Activity 2. Symbolic versus Practical Objects); how archaeologists survey and collect materials (Activity 3. Picnic Ground Archaeology); how archaeologists use stratigraphy to date objects (Activity 4. Garbage Can Archaeology); excavation procedures including field notes and artifact sketches (Activity 5. Simulated Archaeological Dig); prehistoric pottery making techniques (Activity 6. Pottery Making); prehistoric use of natural resources (Activity 7. Resources for Tools and Shelter); environment as the source for satisfying basic human needs (Activity 8. Resources for Food); identifying animal skeletal materials (Activity 9. Bird Identification); archaeological ethics and law (Activity 10. Archaeology and You).

Overall, Discovering Archaeology, An Activity Guide for Educators is an excellent addition to the growing list of high quality archaeology materials for the precollege classroom. Such materials respond to the growing interest among educators and students in including more archaeology in the precollege curriculum--in units, for example, focusing on prehistory, heritage studies, local history, Native Americans, and the environment. For all levels, from elementary through high school, this book can assist the precollege classroom teacher interested in introducing archaeology to young students.

Ruth O. Selig