Monday, November 29, 2010
Twine Baskets Workshop, Dec. 4
WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE NATIVE AMERICAN LIVING ARTS PROGRAM ON TWINE BASKETS WITH JULIA MARDEN THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, DEC. 4 HAS BEEN CANCELED.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Native American Contributions
As this month is Native American Heritage Month, we thought it would be a good time to look at the significant contributions Native Americans have made to the U.S. and the world.
We will begin by looking at items invented by native people that have since been adopted for use by the general population.
The Totem Pole
West Coast First Peoples consider that the first totem pole was a gift from Raven. It was named kalakuyuwish, "the pole that holds up the sky." The totem poles were often used as family crests denoting the tribe's descent from an animal such as the bear, raven, wolf, salmon, or killer whale.
There certainly are many more examples of Native American inventions that were later adopted and adapted by non-natives. If you know of any that you would like to see included in this list, please submit a comment below.
We will begin by looking at items invented by native people that have since been adopted for use by the general population.
The Totem Pole
West Coast First Peoples consider that the first totem pole was a gift from Raven. It was named kalakuyuwish, "the pole that holds up the sky." The totem poles were often used as family crests denoting the tribe's descent from an animal such as the bear, raven, wolf, salmon, or killer whale.
There are several kinds of totem pole:
Toboggan
Toboggan comes from the Algonquian word odabaggan. The toboggan is an invention of the Eastern First Peoples. Indian hunters first built toboggans made of bark to carry game over the snow. The Inuit used to make toboggans of whalebone. Otherwise a toboggan is made of strips of hickory, ash, or maple, with the front ends curved back.
Tipis
Tipis were invented by the Plains First Peoples. Using materials at hand, the buffalo hunters of the Plains created a sturdy dwelling that could stand up against severe prairie winds and yet could be dismantled at a moment's notice to follow the moving buffalo herds.
- memorial, or heraldic, poles, put up when a house changes hands to commemorate the past owner and to identify the present one,
- grave markers,
- house posts, which support the roof,
- portal poles, which have a hole through which a person enters the house,
- welcoming poles, placed at the edge of a body of water to identify the owner of the waterfront,
- mortuary poles, in which the remains of the deceased are placed,
- ridicule poles, on which an important individual who had failed in some way had his likeness carved upside down.
Toboggan
Toboggan comes from the Algonquian word odabaggan. The toboggan is an invention of the Eastern First Peoples. Indian hunters first built toboggans made of bark to carry game over the snow. The Inuit used to make toboggans of whalebone. Otherwise a toboggan is made of strips of hickory, ash, or maple, with the front ends curved back.
Tipis
Tipis were invented by the Plains First Peoples. Using materials at hand, the buffalo hunters of the Plains created a sturdy dwelling that could stand up against severe prairie winds and yet could be dismantled at a moment's notice to follow the moving buffalo herds.
Kayak
The kayak was invented by the people of the Northwest and Arctic regions. The skin-covered kayaks of the Arctic people are excellent examples of a technology developed over centuries of experimental refinement and everyday use.
The kayak was invented by the people of the Northwest and Arctic regions. The skin-covered kayaks of the Arctic people are excellent examples of a technology developed over centuries of experimental refinement and everyday use.
Open boats were of little use in the stormy, cold waters of the North Pacific. When the boats were taken out to sea the crashing waves quickly filled them with frigid water, creating conditions that seriously endangered the life of the boat's occupant.
Much experimentation led to the practice of covering the open boats with seal or other animal skins. Then fishing could be done in relative comfort, and with less danger to the life of the fisherman.
The word "kayak" means "man's boat" or "hunter's boat". Each kayak was custom built by the man who used it (with assistance from his wife, who sewed the skins). The kayak builder's boat was closely fitted to his size for maximum maneuverability. A special skin jacket, called the tuilik, was then laced to the kayak, creating a waterproof seal. This enabled the "eskimo roll" to become the preferred method of quickly regaining posture after the kayak had been rolled upside down in the water. Few of these fishermen could swim, and the waters are too cold for a swimmer to survive for long.
The modern version of a tuilik is a spraydeck made of waterproof synthetic material stretchy enough to fit tightly around the cockpit rim and body of the kayaker, which can be released rapidly from the cockpit to permit easy exit.
As with the tipi builders, the kayak builder used materials found in his environment to create a craft fitted to his own body. The length of a kayak was typically three times the span of owner's outstretched arms. The width at the cockpit was the width of his hips plus two fists (and sometimes less). The typical depth was his fist plus the outstretched thumb (held in hitch hiker fashion). The typical kayak was roughly 17 feet long, 20–22 inches wide and 7 inches deep. This measurement system puzzled early European explorers who tried building their own kayaks because each kayak they found was a little different.
Birch Bark Canoe
The birch bark canoe was invented by the Eastern First Peoples. The word 'canoe' originiated from the word 'kenu' - meaning dugout. However, unlike the bulky pine dugout canoe, the birch bark canoe is a maneuverable lightweight craft. The skin of the canoe is birch bark. After the bark was carefully peeled from the tree, it was turned inside out so the dark brown inner face of the bark, called the cambium, was revealed. With the white bark facing the inside of the boat, the bark was fastened to the frame of the canoe. As the cambium is waterproof, it makes a perfect lightweight skin for a boat that can be easily portaged and easily repaired.
Much experimentation led to the practice of covering the open boats with seal or other animal skins. Then fishing could be done in relative comfort, and with less danger to the life of the fisherman.
The word "kayak" means "man's boat" or "hunter's boat". Each kayak was custom built by the man who used it (with assistance from his wife, who sewed the skins). The kayak builder's boat was closely fitted to his size for maximum maneuverability. A special skin jacket, called the tuilik, was then laced to the kayak, creating a waterproof seal. This enabled the "eskimo roll" to become the preferred method of quickly regaining posture after the kayak had been rolled upside down in the water. Few of these fishermen could swim, and the waters are too cold for a swimmer to survive for long.
The modern version of a tuilik is a spraydeck made of waterproof synthetic material stretchy enough to fit tightly around the cockpit rim and body of the kayaker, which can be released rapidly from the cockpit to permit easy exit.
As with the tipi builders, the kayak builder used materials found in his environment to create a craft fitted to his own body. The length of a kayak was typically three times the span of owner's outstretched arms. The width at the cockpit was the width of his hips plus two fists (and sometimes less). The typical depth was his fist plus the outstretched thumb (held in hitch hiker fashion). The typical kayak was roughly 17 feet long, 20–22 inches wide and 7 inches deep. This measurement system puzzled early European explorers who tried building their own kayaks because each kayak they found was a little different.
Birch Bark Canoe
The birch bark canoe was invented by the Eastern First Peoples. The word 'canoe' originiated from the word 'kenu' - meaning dugout. However, unlike the bulky pine dugout canoe, the birch bark canoe is a maneuverable lightweight craft. The skin of the canoe is birch bark. After the bark was carefully peeled from the tree, it was turned inside out so the dark brown inner face of the bark, called the cambium, was revealed. With the white bark facing the inside of the boat, the bark was fastened to the frame of the canoe. As the cambium is waterproof, it makes a perfect lightweight skin for a boat that can be easily portaged and easily repaired.
Snowshoes
Snowshoes were invented by the Eastern First Peoples. Hunting in the deep snow of the Northeast without snow shoes was cold, exhausting work. By creating wide, long shoes that could distribute a person's weight over a great area, native people found that they could walk virtually on top of the snow. Various designs evolved to suit different snow conditions.
Snowshoes were invented by the Eastern First Peoples. Hunting in the deep snow of the Northeast without snow shoes was cold, exhausting work. By creating wide, long shoes that could distribute a person's weight over a great area, native people found that they could walk virtually on top of the snow. Various designs evolved to suit different snow conditions.
Lacrosse
The game of lacrosse, now a popular middle school and high school sport, was invented by the Native American tribes living around the St. Lawrence River in New York and Ontario. The game was subsequently spread by the Huron and the Iroquois. The original name for the game came from the name of the ball that was used, baggataway. Later, French missionaries called the game lacrosse, because the shape of the player's stick reminded them of a bishop's staff, or crosse.
According to the Iroquois, lacrosse is pleasing to the Creator. It is also a rite sacred to the Thunders, the seven honored elders (Grandfathers) who move across the sky from west to east cleansing the earth with winds and rains.
The Cherokees called the sport "the little brother of war" because it was considered excellent military training.
Moccasins
Moccasins originated with the Eastern North American tribes. Traditionally, the word referred to a shoe with a puckered u-shaped 'vamp' over the instep. The name of the Great Lakes Ojibway tribe means 'people of the puckered moccasin'.
The southern New England Narragansett word for the shoe is 'Mocussinass' or 'Mockussinchass'.
The game of lacrosse, now a popular middle school and high school sport, was invented by the Native American tribes living around the St. Lawrence River in New York and Ontario. The game was subsequently spread by the Huron and the Iroquois. The original name for the game came from the name of the ball that was used, baggataway. Later, French missionaries called the game lacrosse, because the shape of the player's stick reminded them of a bishop's staff, or crosse.
According to the Iroquois, lacrosse is pleasing to the Creator. It is also a rite sacred to the Thunders, the seven honored elders (Grandfathers) who move across the sky from west to east cleansing the earth with winds and rains.
The Cherokees called the sport "the little brother of war" because it was considered excellent military training.
Moccasins
Moccasins originated with the Eastern North American tribes. Traditionally, the word referred to a shoe with a puckered u-shaped 'vamp' over the instep. The name of the Great Lakes Ojibway tribe means 'people of the puckered moccasin'.
The southern New England Narragansett word for the shoe is 'Mocussinass' or 'Mockussinchass'.
There certainly are many more examples of Native American inventions that were later adopted and adapted by non-natives. If you know of any that you would like to see included in this list, please submit a comment below.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month. We found this website Native American Public Telecommunications, where there is a list of programs currently being aired that deal with the lives of native people in the U.S. On the site there are links to your local Public Television stations, where you can find out when these programs will be aired.
If you are able to watch any of these programs, please share your reactions here or on our Facebook page.
If you are able to watch any of these programs, please share your reactions here or on our Facebook page.
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