Curtis, Asahel. Light House Joe, an old Makah Indian, holding a pole, by boat, on beach, at Neah Bay(?), Washington. ca. 1910–ca. 1911. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/94501684/.
Begin by introducing the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, including the geography, by projecting a map and photos and asking students what they imagine the coastline to look like and what the hazards of a coastline like this might be. The National Park Service has some introductory resources on the ONP coastal geology, which may be helpful.
Brainstorm with students what life is like for people who live in this rural area currently and what it may have been like 100 or more years ago. This could be a Think-Pair-Share activity. There are also several good resources on the Indigenous people of the Olympic Peninsula, including this video by NOAA that is narrated by a tribal elder, Maria Pascua.
The Makah—or qʷidiččaq (“people who live by the rocks and seagulls”)—have occupied a large coastal and inland territory in what is now Neah Bay for thousands of years, relying on a marine-based economy with expertise in canoe building, whaling, sealing, fishing, and foraging. European contact in the late 1700s brought disease and population loss, culminating in the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay, where the tribe ceded land but retained rights to hunt whales, hunt fish, and gather. Today, the Makah continue to have a marine-based economy and thriving cultural history.
Source: https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/about-history/
Source: : https://makah.com/makah-tribal-info/about-history/
- What does the picture show about life on the Makah reservation in 1870?
- What is the purpose of the canoe? What about the tools in the picture?
- How might the ocean have impacted life for Light House Joe?
ELA Standard
ELA.W.7.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Social Studies Standard
H2.6-8.6. Explain and analyze how cultures and cultural and ethnic groups have contributed to United States history (1763–1877).
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
- Questions to consider during the lesson: What might it have been like to live on the Makah reservation in 1870?
- What would daily life have looked like?
- What would be some struggles people faced? Why?
- What was it like working at a lighthouse in 1870?
- Extension Question: How can I add details to my narrative writing to make a story more authentic?
- Begin the lesson by showing this Video Tour of Tatoosh Lighthouse made by Makah tribal member Jason Roberts. This is a modern-day video tour of the lighthouse. Students take notes on what they see and wonder about in the video.
- Students then read the history of the Makah tribe on their website. They will take notes on what it is like to live on the Makah reservation.
- Now show the students the photo of Light House Joe. Explain that this photo was taken in 1870. Brainstorm with the class how life may have been different in 1870 (focus on technology, infrastructure, etc.).
- Students will now create a narrative story of a “Day in the Life” of Light House Joe. Parameters of the story should be set by the teacher.
- Once their narratives are written, students Pair-Share then share in small groups.
- Extension Activity: Students practice narrative skills by adding showing versus telling details, editing, adding description, etc. Students could present these with the original picture of Light House Joe in an online Gallery Walk or in the classroom on posters.
Curtis, Asahel. An elderly Makah woman carrying faggots, a bundle of sticks, on her back, at Neah Bay, Washington. ca. 1910–ca. 1911. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/94501683/.