Lesson: How Old Man Winter Was Driven Back Lesson Topic: How Old Man Winter Was Driven Back
How Old Man Winter Was Driven Back from Stories Iroquois Tell Their Children Written by Mabel Powers Illustrated by Serg Jalov
Far away in the North Sky lives Old Man Winter. Every year he leaves his wigwam in the sky and comes to earth.
At the foot of a mountain, he builds a lodge of ice and snow which no human being, animal, or bird can enter. He lives there for a time.
North Wind is the only friend of Old Man Winter. When he passes near Old Man Winter's lodge, he gives a loud shriek, and with his blustering breath he blows open the door and enters.
Near a fire which glows but does not warm, North Wind finds a seat. There he and Old Man Winter sit and smoke, and lay their plans for the next snowstorm.
When the council is ended, North Wind departs to drive up the snow and hail from the corners of the earth.
Old Man Winter also leaves his lodge. He stalks over the mountains and valleys of the Red Children.
The land becomes white with his breath. The rivers are stilled, and all the voices of the wood are hushed as he passes. A deep sleep falls upon every living thing.
No sound is heard in the forest but the rapping on the trees. Old Man Winter carries a great hammer, and he strikes the trees a blow as he passes.
The colder it grows, the louder and more frequently he raps. The trees snap, and the Indian lodges crack with his blows.
One day, as Old Man Winter was stalking through a forest, he came upon a hunter's lodge.
For days the snow had been falling. No track of deer or rabbit was to be seen, and the hunter and his little boy sat within, weak from hunger. They were also very cold, for the fire in the lodge burned low.
Old Man Winter laughed and shook his hammer in glee as he drew near. Once, twice, three times, he rapped. The little boy heard him, and rapped three times in reply, just as Old Man Winter had done.
At this, the hunter spoke. He told the boy that he must not mock a nature spirit, lest some harm should come to him. He might be captured and made to serve that spirit.
Now when Old Man Winter heard the mocking raps of the little boy within the lodge, he was very angry. He breathed fiercely upon the little lodge. It shrank and shivered at his touch like a living thing. He struck it several sharp blows with his hammer, and passed on.
The fire inside the lodge burned lower and lower. The hunter and his little son drew closer and watched the last flame flicker and die out.
As they sat by the ashes, numb with the cold, all of a sudden a new warmth filled the lodge. The South Wind gently opened the door, and a young chieftain with a face like the sun entered.
He saw the dying hunter and the boy, and he warmed them back to life. When they were stronger, he helped them to rekindle the fire. Then he told them to take a few dried blackberries that they had in the lodge, and boil them in water.
He said they must eat a portion of the blackberries, and throw the rest at Old Man Winter when he returned. This would frighten him away, for he was terribly afraid of blackberries.
Blackberries mean sunshine and summer heat. Old Man Winter cannot stay where they are. He never visits the earth at blackberry time. The hunter and the little boy said they would do as they had been told. Soon the young chieftain left the lodge with the South Wind.
Not many days later, Old Man Winter returned, and again came rapping at their lodge.
This time, the hunter and the little boy were ready. They threw the blackberries at him, as they had been told, and he ran in fear to his ice lodge.
The South Wind and the young chieftain with a face like the sun were near. They followed close upon the Old Man's track.
When he was again inside the ice lodge, the South Wind rapped gently at the door.
"Begone!" said the Old Man. "No one but North Wind is welcome to my lodge."
Then the South Wind breathed soft and warm upon the door of the ice lodge, and it melted at their feet.
The young chieftain passed in and sat down by the strange fire that had no heat. The South Wind stayed without, and sang, soft and low.
The Old Man was very angry. He raged about the lodge and ordered the young chieftain with sunshine in his face and warmth in his breath to depart.
"I am great and powerful," said the Old Man. "When I touch the sky, the snow falls. When I speak, hunters hide in their lodges, animals crawl into their holes, and birds fly in fear.
"When my hand touches the earth, it grows cold and hard, and all life dies. Begone! Or I will make an ice man or a snow man of you." But the young chieftain moved not. He only sat and smiled at the bluster of the Old Man.
Slowly he filled a pipe, and handed it to the Old Man, saying, "Here, smoke with me. It will give you strength to go to your lodge in the North Sky. It is time for you to depart."
"You are old, and tired, and worn. You and North Wind have had your day. The days that are to come belong to South Wind and to me.
"I, too, am powerful, and I am young! I do not fear you. When I touch the earth, it grows soft and warm. Every living thing stirs in its sleep, birds and bees, flowers and trees, animals and men."
"When I speak, the sleeping sun awakes. See! Already he begins to send down his arrows. Hasten, that they may not find you, on the trail to the North Sky!"
The Old Man trembled. His legs and arms grew weak. Icicles fell from his beard. Great tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Who are you?" he whispered, as he was melting at the young chieftain's feet.
"I am Go hay, the Spring," answered the young chieftain. "All the earth is glad, when I come to drive you back to your lodge in the North Sky, for I bring sunshine, and love, and joy."
But the Old Man did not hear. He was far on the North Sky trail, and Spring and South Wind were masters of earth.
Question 1:
Which fruit is Old Man Winter afraid of?
apples
strawberries
watermelons
blackberries Question 2:
What is the meaning of this story?
Winter brings death, and spring brings life.
Winter lives in a lodge.
Seasons are afraid of certain fruits.
The North Wind is stronger than Old Man Winter.
Question 3:
How is South Wind different from North Wind?
South Wind is warm.
South Wind is a friend of Old Man Winter.
South Wind lives in a lodge.
South Wind has no friends.
Question 4:
What does stalking mean in the following sentence?
One day, as Old Man Winter was stalking through a forest, he came upon a hunter's lodge.
the body of a plant
follow someone closely
clothing that goes on legs
walk stiffly Question 5:
In the middle of the story, South Wind is introduced. Why does South Wind pair up with Spring?
South Wind is cold.
South Wind is warm.
South Wind is Old Man Winter's friend.
South Wind blows away Spring's enemies.
Question 6:
How does Old Man Winter feel about the young chieftain by the end of the story?
Old Man Winter feels happy for the young chieftain.
Old Man Winter feels sorry for the young chieftain.
Old Man Winter feels afraid of the young chieftain. Question 7:
What is Old Man Winter standing next to in the picture?
a hunter's lodge
a field of blackberries
a snowman
an igloo
Lesson Topic: The Six Nations
The Six Nations Written by Eric Hwang Long ago, five nations lived in war. They were called the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. They spoke different languages and lived as different people.
They fought with each other for honor and land across present- day New York for three or four hundred years—until the coming of the Great Peacemaker.
This painting shows a Seneca chief called Cornplanter.
The Great Peacemaker united the five tribes into one people called the Five Nations or the Iroquois Confederacy. He chose a disciple, Hiawatha, who told the people of the Great Peacemaker’s dreams and new laws. So respected is the Great Peacemaker among the Iroquois, they do not speak his real name, Dekanawida. The flag of the Iroquois Confederacy symbolizes a belt uniting the five tribes.
Because of their unity, the Iroquois grew powerful in North America. Their history, however, is filled with war despite their strong belief in peace. They moved into the Ohio Valley, pushing out other tribes. The Iroquois also battled the French throughout the 1600s.
During the 1700s, the Iroquois would forever change. A new tribe, the Tuscarora, joined them. The Iroquois were now Six Nations. Fifty years later, the American colonies separated from Great Britain. Both sides asked the Six Nations for help because of their skill in fighting and their knowledge of the land. The Six Nations split. Two tribes joined the Americans while the other four joined the British, who offered the Six Nations a country of their own. Many Iroquois died in the war, and, no longer united, the Iroquois Confederacy fell apart.
Iroquois leader Joseph Louis Cook served under General George Washington.
The war created a new nation, the United States of America, but in its founding the original Six Nations was lost. The people separated and moved all across the country. Great Britain established a small colony for the Iroquois in Canada. To this day, over ten thousand descendants of the Iroquois still live there, a little territory called the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The Six Nations sign in Ontario, Canada welcomes visitors. Question 1:
Which tribe joined the Six Nations last?
Seneca
Tuscarora
Mohawk
Oneida
Question 2:
What is "The Six Nations" about?
how many separate tribes became the Iroquois
how the Iroquois Confederacy lost their land
the American Revolutionary War
the dreams of the Great Peacemaker
Question 3:
Why are the Iroquois sometimes called the Six Nations?
They're made up of six separate tribes.
The word Iroquois means "six."
They conquered six other nations.
The British split the Iroquois into six tribes. Question 4:
What does confederacy mean?
a powerful army
a language spoken by many people
a connected group of people or nations
a large village
Question 5:
Which sentence would the author agree with the most?
The confederacy broke up solely because of the British.
The five nations would never have become the Iroquois without the Great Peacemaker.
No one knows the name of all six nations.
The Great Peacemaker was not real. Question 6:
What does this picture tell you about the Iroquois today?
The Six Nations died out in 1999.
The Iroquois are still angry at the United States.
The Iroquois are from Canada.
Many members of the Six Nations are alive today.
Question 7:
Which sentence shows that the Iroquois fought in many wars?
The people separated and moved all across the country.
The Iroquois also battled the French throughout the 1600s.
Because of their unity, the Iroquois grew powerful in North America
The Six Nations split. Question 8:
If "How Old Man Winter was Driven Back" was an Iroquois tale, who might've inspired the character of the young chieftain?
George Washington
A Mohawk King
The Great Peacemaker
Hiawatha
Lesson Topic: Songs of History
Songs of History Written by George Gibson Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? It's amazing how songs stay in our memory. That may be why Native Americans use songs to remember their history.
Native Americans aren't the only ones who do this. All over the world, people record their history in songs and stories. We call those songs and stories oral history.
This Native American ceremony reenacts a tribe's history.
Oral history helped Native Americans preserve their culture and pass it along. When Europeans first came to America, they took over Native American territories. Many villages were destroyed, but their culture survived through stories and songs.
President Andrew Jackson forced Native Americans to leave their land in 1830.
Oral history also needs someone to hear it. When a singer sings a song at a ceremony, other people must listen to the song. This means that oral history brings Native Americans together. Additionally, it doesn't just bring together living members of a tribe. The stories are told the same way each time. By doing so, the tribe honors their ancestors, who also told these stories in the same way. Native Americans gather for a pow- wow. Oral history can also be very accurate. Not long ago, a Native American tribe took the government to court. They disagreed with the government's interpretation of a treaty. In court, members of the tribe told the stories their elders had told them about the treaty. They used these stories to support the tribe's claim about what the treaty meant. The government looked into the matter. The government's investigators said the tribe's oral history had it right!
By passing these stories and histories down from one generation to another, they backed up their claim. More importantly, they kept their connection to previous generations. They preserved their rights for future generations, all through stories and songs.
An Apache fiddler prepares for music in 1886.
Question 1:
What do you think oral history means?
music about how to brush your teeth
history that can't be written down
songs and stories that tell a people's history
history of mouths Question 2:
Who took over the Native Americans' territory?
Asians
Africans
Europeans
Australians
Question 3:
What is the main idea of "Songs of History"?
Oral history connects people to their past.
Native Americans are the only people who use oral history.
Oral history is very inaccurate and shouldn't be trusted.
Songs are the best way of remembering something.
Question 4:
What is one reason Native Americans use oral history?
Native Americans are great at singing.
Songs and stories can't be destroyed.
They were forbidden from writing things down.
Their books were all burned. Question 5:
What does the author think about oral history?
Oral history is the best way for preserving history.
Oral history was very important for protecting the history of Native Americans.
Oral history is a bad way of trying to remember history.
Nobody knows where oral history came from.
Question 6:
What does this picture show about oral history?
Oral history requires drums.
Oral history can only be told outside.
Music is an important part of oral history.
People wear fancy clothes when telling oral history. Question 7:
How are "Songs of History" and "The Six Nations" alike?
They both talk about oral history.
They're both about the history of Native Americans.
They're both stories about made-up people.
They both explain where winter comes from.
Question 8:
How does the author show that oral history can be accurate?
Native Americans aren't the only ones who do this.
This means oral history brings Native Americans together.
The government's investigators said the tribe's oral history had it right!
Oral history also needs someone to hear it