educators’ guide WELCOME TABLE OF CONTENTS TEACHING NATIVE AMERICA Teaching Native America: Frequently Asked Welcome to the Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now Questions, Topics to Stress, Actions to Avoid, Educators’ Guide. Developed in collaboration with Penn Museum’s and Cultural Sensitivity Classroom Discussion .............1 Native American Voices exhibition team, education staff, experienced school teachers, and Native American consultants, this Guide offers Native American Identity: What Does It ideas, activities, and resources about the contemporary Native American Mean to Be Native American? What Is Frequently asked questions Native Sovereignty? ...............................................................3 races. The total proportion of the population, then, that identified itself as experience that will help teachers develop engaging programs for Information courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian: http:// entirely or partially American Indian was 1.7 percent. In the U.S. Census students and classrooms. Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now: nmai.si.edu/home/. Information is derived from two sources: Do All Indians of 2010, the ten states with the largest American Indian populations were Certainly in the past, and even today, museums, universities, Exhibition Text, Units, Activities, and Case Studies Live in Tipis? Questions and Answers from the National Museum of the (in order) California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New York, New Mexico, and other institutions have presented Native Americans in ways American Indian Smithsonian Institution, 2007 and Infinity of Nations: Washington, North Carolina, Florida, and Michigan. Unit 1: Local Nations .............................................. 4 that foster stereotypes and lead to misguided policy. New museum Common Questions, http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/ Census figures, however, Philadelphia ranks 13th, practice is working to correct this error. By involving source unit 2: Sacred Places ............................................. 6 culturequest/ Smithsonian Institution, 2012. should not be taken at face community members, Native Americans themselves, on equal with an American Indian/ value, since they do not reflect unit 3: Continuing Celebrations ........................ 11 footing with museum professionals, we can work to provide nuanced What is the correct terminology: american indian, indian, Alaskan Native population those who were not counted interpretations and perspectives. unit 4: New Initiatives ..........................................14 native american, or native? of 17,495. or did not want to identify As a part of the nation’s first university, the Penn Museum is a All of the above terms are acceptable. The consensus, however, is that themselves as Native American. unit 5: Revitalizing Language ........................... 17 perfect setting to continue this effort. With the goal to promote whenever possible, Native people prefer to be called by their specific Some American Indians are suspicious of government representatives. greater cultural understanding, this exhibition was curated Glossary ....................................................................................19 tribal name, such as Lenape or Cherokee. Native peoples in the Western In the past, some Native communities did not allow census workers to collaboratively with the guidance of numerous Native American Hemisphere are best understood as thousands of distinct communities complete their surveys, and independent researchers have concluded that colleagues. We are grateful for their insights on issues of importance in Resources ................................................................................. 21 and cultures. Many Native communities have distinct languages, religious Native Americans were undercounted in 1960 and 1970. Native American communities today. About This Guide .................................................................. 21 beliefs, ceremonies, and social and political systems. The inclusive word In Philadelphia it is easy to feel distanced from Indian Country, but Indian (a name given by Christopher Columbus, who upon his arrival in What is a tribe and how many are there? this Exhibition and Educators’ Guide remind us that Native American the Caribbean mistakenly believed he had sailed to India) says little about A tribe is a group of people made up of families who share a common ancestry communities are very much alive today, both near and far. We are the diversity and independence of the cultures. and culture. They are socially and politically organized, often based on kinship grateful to the numerous Native American advisors who, as cultural structures. Some tribes are also made up of a collection of several different ambassadors on this project, have so generously shared their voices To download a copy of this guide, and for other What are the indian populations of the united states? tribes. For example, the Colorado Indian Tribes consists of four separate and aspirations with us. We hope you have the opportunity to visit the resources and links listed throughout, visit According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the American Indian and Alaska Nations within one reservation — the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Penn Museum and Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now www.penn.museum/nav Native population totals 2,932,248, or nine-tenths of 1 percent of the Navajo. In the United States there are more than 566 American Indian tribes in person, and that this Guide is helpful to you in finding your own total population of the country. An additional 2,288,331 people reported recognized by the federal government. There are hundreds of other tribes and voice as you teach contemporary Native America. themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native in combination with other communities that are recognized by the states in which they reside. A tribe may refer to itself as a nation, village, band, pueblo, u.s. cities with the largest american indian/alaska native populations or community, and it is important to remember that anchorage, ak 36,062 each group has a word or phrase in its own language that identifies it. For instance, people from the Akimel standards addressed in Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now Educators’ Guide Nation may call themselves Au’Athum. Throughout This guide is aligned to 4th and 5th grade curriculum content standards. this guide, you will often see two identifications for chicago, a Native American culture listed, such as “Iroquois il (Haudenosaunee).” Although it can sometimes be Pennsylvania Delaware 26,933 new york city, ny difficult not to generalize about American Indian Arts and Humanities: 9.1.5.A; 9.1.5.E; 9.2.5.A; 9.2.5.D; 9.2.5.G; 9.2.5.D; Geography: Standard 1, 4-5a; Standard 2, 4-5a; Standard 3, 4-5a; Standard albuquerque, tulsa, ok 111,749 people, we encourage you always to be clear with your 9.2.5 .I 4, 4-5a nM 35,990 32,571 Geography: 7.1.5.A; 7.1.5.B; 7.3.5.A; 7.2.5.A History: Standard 1, 4-5a; Standard 2, 4-5a; Standard 3; 4-5a; Standard 4, students about when you are making generalizations. US History: 8.3.5.A; 8.3.5.B; 8.3.5.C; 8.3.5.D 4-5a oklahoma When teaching about Native Americans, it is city, ok Visual and Performing Arts: Standard 4 important to maintain a culturally sensitive classroom. los Phoenix, 36,572 New Jersey angeles, aZ Below are some tips from the National Museum of ca 43,724 san the American Indian. Information is copied from US History: 6.1.4.B.1; 6.1.4.B.2; 6.1.4.B.6; 6.1.4.B.10; 6.1.4.D.1; Common Core antonio, 54,236 Infinity of Nations: Ideas for the Classroom: http://nmai. 6.1.4.D.10; 6.1.4.D.15; 6.1.4.D.16; 6.1.4.D.18; 6.1.4.D.19; 6.1.4.D.20; English Language Arts: RI.5.1; RI.5.2; RI.5.3; SL.5.1a-d; SL.5.4; W.5.2; tX Houston, 20,137 tX si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/culturequest/ 6.2.12.D.1.d W.5.3; W.5.7 25,521 resources/#ideas Visual and Performing Arts: 1.1.8.D.1; 1.1.12.D.1 Math: CCSMath.Content.5.NBT.A.1; CCSMath.Content.5.NBT.A.4 Source: 2010 U.S. Census Smithsonian Institution, 2012. Native American Voices—The People: Here and Now Educators’ Guide 1 TEACHING NATIVE AMERICA (cont.) NATIVE AMERICAN IDENTITY toPics to stress • Instructing your students to perform Native ceremonies, like powwows. What does it mean to be native american? drive to the reservation takes four hours one way. If need be, we • Helping students understand that each Native group is distinct, talk • Referring to Native people in the past tense. Unfortunately, many Thinking about Native American identities encourages all of us to consider isolate ourselves for the duration of the ceremony by staying on about how diversity is based on the places where we live. The places books describe American Indians only as living in the past, ignoring the challenges that Indigenous peoples experience today. Most Native the reservation. This helps us keep the integrity of the ceremony and the resources different people have access to all play a part in what the thriving Native presence in the Western Hemisphere today. Americans are both tribal members and US citizens, with ties to tribal, as and our intentions pure. It is important to note that when Hopi makes us different from one another. Talk to your students about the • Using phrases like “sit Indian style,” “Indian giver,” or “have a well as state and national, communities. They also share relationships and people pray, we pray for everyone and all living entities. We’ve different animals that live in various parts of the country, as well as how powwow.” Please do not tell students that they’re “acting like a bunch affiliations that extend beyond the reservation or their culture. As with always known the world is round, and our prayers are for people climates vary from place to place. This will help them understand that of wild Indians.” Be mindful of misused and misunderstood terms like most of us, Native identities are rooted in family, community, workplace, around the world.” not everyone is the same.