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Wampum belts were used to record events and memories. The use of patterns and symbols were a method of storytelling. Lesson : WAMPUM UNIT PRE-VISIT SUGGESTIONS Discuss with students the context for Wampum. Ask students “Do you have an article of clothing that commemorates an event or vacation?” Note: this item may or may not contain the description of time, date, and place, but still holds the memorial significance. Have students bring in an object of memorial significance, but not something of great value, to show how the individual brings significance to otherwise ordinary objects. Wampum belts Keywords & Vocabulary quahog - a bivalve mollusk, a hard clam, native to North America’s Atlantic coast that was prized for the purple interior part of the shell, used to make purple wampum. whelk - a marine gastropod (snail-like with a hard shell) whose shell was used to make the white beads for wampum. wampum - purple and white shell beads strung together in patterns or on a ‘belt’ used to record events and memories used by American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands. Guiding Questions What meaning did wampum have for American Indians? What materials were used? Grade Ranges K-2 students use a coloring page with pattern of wampum and tell a story Quahog shells 3-6 students design a wampum belt on graph paper and use it to tell a story Differentiated Instruction 7-12 students design a wampum belt on graph As needed for less able, students will be paired to paper and use it to tell a story facilitate activity success. As needed for gifted, provide additional information and challenges. Materials Needed Fort provided RESOURCE BOX will contain American Indian Unit: the following: Period examples and all materials needed for hands-on activity. Wampum Teacher will provide the following: Tables for work area. Literature Relevant to the Art and Historical Period Wampum Design Wampum Prayer In our hand an old old old thread Trail of Blood and Amens Greed is the gift for the sons of the songs Hear this prayer of the wampum This is the tie that will bind us —Tori Amos, contemporary songwriter Wampum American Indian Unit: Background Wampum was a typical item misconception that wampum was money. Some used or carried by American Europeans used it as currency but the Natives Indians. Wampum consisted never did. of beads of two principal colors, white and purple, having a cylindrical form, a quarter of an inch, more or less, in length, the diameter or thickness being usually about half the length which were usually strung or woven into patterns on a belt. The white beads were made from Wampum beads channeled whelk shell and the Reproduction “George Washington” wampum belt by Iroquois artist purple were made from quahog shell. Wampum Ken Maracle belts were used to record events and memories. The use of patterns and symbols were a method of The original of this belt is the sacred agreement storytelling. The color of wampum held meaning, between the Six Nations (Iroquois) and the for example, white beads indicated peace, and original Thirteen Colonies (U.S.). It is the record purple or violet meant war. A string of black of a Treaty with George Washington in 1789. wampum sent round the settlement signifies (still The house in the center is the longhouse of the today) the death of a chief to the Iroquois. Six Nations. The two figures on each side of the The term wampum was apparently applied to Longhouse are the Mohawks; the Keepers of these beads when strung or otherwise connected, the Eastern Door of the Confederacy and the fastened, or woven together. Pontiac’s great Seneca; the Keepers of the Western Door of the wampum belt was six feet long, four inches wide, Confederacy. They have joined their hands in and was designed with the symbols of 47 tribes friendship, a covenant with the Thirteen Colonies. and villages that were leagued with him. It is This was made by Iroquois artist, Ken Maracle (see noteworthy that the usual conception of woven Artist Profile). beads in patterns is not necessarily the norm for wampum. Sometimes wampum were presented in long strings connected at one end and left to dangle free and tied off at the other end. The early settlers discovered that wampum beads were a very valuable trade commodity and quickly learned to mass produce it. There is a common American Indian Unit: Wampum Wampum bead weaving Artist Profile Haohyohno (Ken Maracle) Ken Maracle is a faith keeper of the Lower Cayuga Longhouse and a member of the Cayuga Nation, Iroquois Confederacy, and Deer Clan who has been making reproduction wampum belts for more than 20 years. He also makes canes, Condolence Canes, Horn Rattles, Traditional Headdresses and more. In addition to Ken Maracle being an expert craftsman, Ken speaks the Cayuga language and is knowledgeable about the history of Wampum and the history of his people. To read more about his art visit: http://www.wampumshop.com Artist weaving “George Washington” wampum belt Wampum American Indian Unit: VISIT Learning Plan and Notes to Instructor This lesson will require demonstration and hands-on activity. Wampum Belt Methods Students will study the art of wampum belts, interpret the stories and make their own designs. K-2 Color a Wampum Belt Students will color a pre-designed pattern or one of their own choosing and tell the story. 3-6 Tell a Story with a Wampum Belt Students will design a wampum belt on graph paper to commemorate an event using colors symbolically. Students will tell the story using their wampum as a visual aid in small groups. 7-12 Tell a Story with a Wampum Belt Students will design a belt to commemorate an event or tell a story using colors and images symbolically. Students will tell the story using their wampum as a visual aid in small groups. American Indian Unit: Wampum assessment RUBRIC Name of student _________________________________________________ Title/topic of art lesson____________________________________________ Date _____________________ Analytic Performance Rubric: Ratings: 1. Takes ownership of the skill or art learned with mastery. 2. Takes ownership of the skill or art learned with proficiency. 3. Takes limited ownership of the skill or art learned. 4. Takes little ownership of the skill or art learned. 5. Takes no ownership of the skill or art learned. ________ A. Knowledge of the art/skill. ________ B. Knowledge of the historical connection. ________ C. Knowledge of the guiding and evaluation questions. ________ D. Skill of the art presented. ________ E. Total points. Feedback to student: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Constructive direction to student for further learning: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Conversion of analysis to grade: ______________ Wampum American Indian Unit: Works Cited & Resources Mallery, Garrick. Picture Writing of the American Indians. Vol. 1. New York: Dover Publications, 1972. “Maracle, Ken” http://www.wampumshop.com Post-Visit activities Research American Indian wampum and the historical events they record and try to decode the symbolism of the wampum in light of the historical account. Weave a virtual wampum belt online at http://www.nativetech.org/beadwork/wampumgraph/index. html Weave a wampum belt using instructions given at http://www.nativetech.org/beadwork/wampumgraph/ index.html American Indian Unit: Wampum.
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