Vachon, John. Paul Bunyan monument, Bemidji, Minnesota. 1939. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017718438/.
The photo of the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues in Bemidji, MN, will be projected to activate prior knowledge and establish the dominant narrative of Paul Bunyan. Using their prior knowledge and what they learn from a story, students will make inferences about the community in which the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues stand. Next, students will learn how a neighboring reservation developed their own Paul Bunyan story as a form of resistance. Finally, students will work in groups to write tall tales that empower and/or show the strengths of their community. By the end of the lesson, students will learn that tall tales do more than entertain readers; they provide a window into and a voice for communities.
Paul Bunyan appeared in print for the first time to advertise a lumber company in Minnesota, which quickly spread and helped expand the lumber industry. However, this expansion threatened Indigenous communities, so they created their own story as a form of resistance.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Paul-Bunyan
- How do the Paul Bunyan and Babe statues look similar to other illustrations and statues you’ve seen of them? How do they look different?
- What do the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe suggest about the interests and values of this rural community? How?
- Why do you think they chose Paul Bunyan and Babe? What details from the photo support your thinking?
- Why do you think they chose to create statues instead of something else, such as a mural? What details from the photo support your thinking?
- Extension Questions:
- Why were tall tale characters, such as Paul Bunyan, created by rural communities and how do they impact people today?
- What might a tall tale include that reflects our community’s values and/or tackles a challenge we face?
ELA Standard
4.2.6.1. Write to create, developing literary elements including character, setting, conflict and resolution with detail in a variety of literary forms (e.g., poetry, stories, plays).
Social Studies Standard
4.5.25.1. Identify the processes and impacts of colonization and examine how discrimination and the oppression of various racial and ethnic groups have produced resistance movements.
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
- Have students create a three-column chart with the labels:
- What I Know
- What My Partners Know
- What We Missed
- Project the image.
- Have students write what they know about Paul Bunyan in the first column.
- When they are done, split them into groups of three, share their responses, and add information they learn from their peers into the middle column.
- Read aloud stories about Paul Bunyan and have students write Paul Bunyan’s actions that they and their partners didn’t already know about in the final column. The notes should focus on actions that show his skills, interactions with others, and/or impact on his surroundings. If needed, assign different types of actions to focus on to different groups of students.
- Ask students: What are Paul Bunyan’s strengths? What are his values? How would you describe his actions? Do they match rural values and actions? Why or why not?
- Direct students to take another look at the photo and ask:
- Why do you think this town decided to make a statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe instead of someone else?
- What can you infer about the town and its citizens?
- Once students have finished making their inferences, ask them who might have been upset about stories that promoted cutting down forests.
- Project the image of a postcard created by the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe.
- Have students Think-Pair-Share in response to the question: Why might the tribe near the town with the Paul Bunyan statue create this image?
- Inform students that the Ojibwe have a Paul Bunyan story in which one of their figures, Nanabozho, defeats Paul Bunyan with a fish when he tries to destroy their forests. Also, inform them that a similar image was displayed on a billboard on their reservation lines during the American Indian Movement in the 1960s. In addition, a statue of Nanabozho was placed at the trading post across the street from the Paul Bunyan statue.
- Ask students:
- How did the Ojibwe tale and Red Lake’s use of it show that they were standing up for their community?
- What values does it reveal for the Red Lake Nation?
- Place students in groups of 3–4 to write a tall tale that reflects values of their community and/or tackles a challenge that it faces. This checklist can help students make sure their stories have characteristics of the genre.
- When groups are done, have them share their tales with the class.
- Extension opportunities:
- Have students explore and compare/contrast different tall tales in the Read-Write-Think lesson American Folklore: A Jigsaw Character Study.
- Read Steven Kellogg’s Paul Bunyan, a Tall Tale and Nenaboozhoo and Paul Bunyan by Dr. Giniwgiizhig. Have students compare the portrayal of Paul Bunyan in each story and how that is impacted by the perspective of the author. Note: To respect the beliefs and traditions of Red Lake Tribal members, their story should only be read aloud in the winter.
Vachon, John. Untitled photo, possibly related to: Paul Bunyan monument, Bemidji, Minnesota. 1939. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017718436/.