Native Americans (Dine')

PURPOSE: To learn about the important contributions of Native Americans to the history and culture of Western Oklahoma and other areas of the United States

BROWNIES: Complete 4 activities, including #1 starred (*)
JUNIORS: Complete 4 activities, including #1 starred (*)

1.  * On a map of the United States or Oklahoma find the Western area of Oklahoma.  This is where the Native American tribes originally inhabited.
2. Read a Native American legend or about a historical Native American event.
3. Learn to play a Native American game. Teach it to another scout or person.
4.  Attend a special Native American event (pow-wow).
5. Visit an Indian museum or view a Native American exhibit.
6. Learn about the food eaten by the Native Americans past and present. Have you ever eaten one of these foods? Examples:  Potatoes, corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, yams, peanuts, pineapples, avocados, papayas, pecans, strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries, to name a few, are foods they grew and ate.
7. Observe the paintings of Native Americans artists and compare them to other types of paintings.
8. Learn about the crafts done by the Native Americans in their day-today living. Pick one of these crafts (such as Leather work, beading on clothing or jewelry, weaving, pottery, basketry etc.) and have fun creating a craft.
9. Learn about the differences in the dress or the homes of the different Native Americans.
10. Learn how the Native Americans expresses himself in music and dance.  Watch a video or demonstration.
11.  Learn an Native American dance, or make an Native American musical instrument, or learn a Native American song.
12. Learn how the land has changed since the Native Americans was first here. What plants did the Native Americans bring to the land to cultivate? What animals are no longer here? What was the Native American concept of the “Mother Earth”?
13.  Learn about a Native American artist and what art form they use.  Create an artistic creation representing Native Americans.  Examples:  Design a totem pole, Color or paint a picture of pottery, dream catcher, or sculpt something out of clay.
14. Learn 10 Native American signs, pictographs, or symbols.
15. Learn the meaning of the symbols of the State Flag and the State Seal in states where Native Americans resided.
16. Choose a tribe and discover more about it. Examples are:  Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Seneca, and more.