Whaler — Makah. ca. 1915. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003670921/.
This lesson features a Makah hunter carrying his traditional tools and offers students multiple sources for the investigation of Indigenous traditional hunting tools and practices. Students should have some base background knowledge of hunting, though the range may vary widely based on group, region, and community culture. Before beginning this lesson, the teacher should activate this background knowledge in the students through a freewrite on hunting and fishing and what students already know about modern-day hunting and traditional hunting. Have groups discuss what they know about hunting, if they know friends or family who hunt or fish, and what they may have learned in other classes about how hunting has changed over the years. It may be beneficial to discuss how technology impacts hunting and fishing and how advances can make hunting and fishing look different over time.
Native American peoples had many ways of getting food, the techniques usually depended on their tribe and area. The methods include hunting, trapping, fishing, gathering, and farming. Primarily, the males would go out to hunt, and the women would then clean the animal, prepare it for cooking, storing, and for other resources. With all animals, aboriginal people would use the animal for not only food but for things like clothing, weapons, tools, and other useful objects.
- What are some Indigenous traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering practices and tools?
- How has technology impacted these traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering practices?
- How do Indigenous tribes use traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering practices today?
- Why do Indigenous tribes continue to practice traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering?
- Extension Questions: What is one tribe’s traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering practices and tools? How have these changed over time?
ELA Standard
S&L. 11-12.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Social Studies Standard
H2.11-12.5. Evaluate the ethics of current and future uses of technology based on how technology has shaped history.
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
- Begin the lesson by projecting the source photo to the class and have students freewrite about what they see, think, and wonder. After writing, students pair and share with volunteers sharing for their partners what they discussed.
- Introduce the project to students, that they will be viewing videos about traditional Indigenous hunting, fishing, and gathering practices in groups, and then presenting the information to the class in order to have an academic discussion about these practices and how they have changed over time.
- The videos: How Inuit Catch Seals with Traditional Weapons; Navajo Hunting and Snow Bath; Indigenous Fishing, Hunting and Harvesting
- Viewing and presenting the information in these videos may be completed in several ways. Groups may be assigned one to view and present to the class, or they may each view all the videos and present the information to the class.
- After presentations, students will have a panel discussion on the topic of Indigenous hunting, fishing, and gathering practices and how these have been impacted by technology over time. Depending on the size of the class, teachers may choose to do several panel discussions on different subtopics.
- For the panel, teachers select some students to be on the panel while the other students in the class will be attending and asking questions of the panel members.
- Extension Activity: Students choose one tribe to research specific hunting, fishing, and gathering practices.
Native Australians hunting. ca. 1919. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2006688404/.