lesson three traditional stories of michigan indians unit three: the history of michigan
TRANSCRIPT
Lesson Three
Traditional Stories of Michigan Indians
UNIT THREE: THE HISTORY OF MICHIGAN
The BIG Ideas
Stories were an important part of the cultures of Michigan Indians.
Stories were used to teach lessons, to explain things and to pass along history.
Stories were passed down through time.
People of the Three Fires
An alliance of three similar Native American groups in Michigan Example: The Ottawa, the Potawatomi, and the Ojibway are three groups that are known as the People of the Three Fires.
culture
the way of life of a group of people Example: The People of the Three Fires had cultures that were much alike.
Cultural Components Include
Housing styles
Foods
Objects they made
STORIES they told
Stories had many PURPOSES
Stories were often designed to teach a lesson.
Stories often explained things people didn’t understand such as why there was thunder, or why the leaves changed colors.
Stories were created to help people remember important historical events.
Stories helped pass time on long winter nights.
legend
a story from long ago that is passed down through time Example: Legends of Michigan Indians can help us understand more about their cultures.
Lady Slipper Flower
Source: http://www.send-flowers-online.ws/images/minnesota-ladys-slipper.jpg
Where do you think this flower got its name?
“The Legend of the Lady Slipper” by: Lise Lunge-Larsen and Margi Preus
How did natural things like the snow and the ice help her on her journey?
What does this tell us about how Indians viewed the relationship between people and nature?
What parts of the story seem realistic? What parts seem like fantasy?
What does the story explain in the end?
Story Elements of__________________
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story about?
What was the lesson of the story?
What does it tell us about the people who told the story?
Story Elements
Sample Chart for: Legend of the Lady Slipper
Main Characters
A young girl
Her brother
An old woman in another village
Setting A northern area with two Ojibwe villages
What is the legend about?
It’s about how a young girl makes a dangerous journey to get medicine for the people of her village.
What was the lesson of the story?
Courage is often rewarded.
Help others when you can.
Family and your village are worth sacrificing for.
What does it tell us about the people who told the legend?
They believed courage was important.
They believed you should respect and help take care of your family and village.
They believed you can learn from nature around you.
“The Legend of the Lady Slipper”
by Kathy-Jo Wargin
Story Elements of__________________
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story about?
What was the lesson of the story?
What does it tell us about the people who told the story?
Do you think the legend of the lady slipper may have been based on true events?
This story may have told of a real village in which many people became ill.
The main character may have been based on a young girl who actually lived in the past.
This story is a very different type of story.
This legend is about a special kind of duck, a merganser duck, which dives under water to catch fish.
“Shingebiss”
Glossary of Ojibwe Words
“Shingebiss”
What were some of the ways the duck managed to survive winter?
What kind of things did Winter Maker do to defeat the duck?
Why do you think Winter Maker was so angry when the duck kept finding ways to survive?
Do you think this story really happened in the past? Why or why not?
Why do you think the picture of the people ice fishing was included as the last picture in the book?
Story Elements of “Shingebiss”
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story about?
What was the lesson of the story?
What does it tell us about the people who told the story?
Story Elements
Sample Chart for: Shingebiss
Main Characters
Shingebiss, the duck
Winter Maker
Setting Along
What is the legend about?
It is about how the duck survived winter by learning to adapt.
What was the lesson of the story?
It pays to be resourceful.
Little creatures can defeat big ones if they try hard.
Learn from nature around you.
What does it tell us about the people who told the legend?
They believed courage was important.
They believed that being resourceful was a good trait.
They believed all living things have lessons to teach.
They believed that some people are helped by a manitou, or great spirit.
Stories can help us understand about the cultures of the people who passed the stories along.
They can help us understand what people valued and what their beliefs were.
Stories can also be clues to the past.
For example, the “Legend of the Lady Slipper” probably tells the story of a real village of the past.
Stories
Using Stories as Historical Clues
Strengths Weaknesses
Using Stories as Historical Clues Sample Answers
Strengths Weaknesses
They can help us understand what people of the past believed.
They can help us understand how people viewed nature.
They can help us understand some things about the culture of people such as the kinds of villages they lived in.
Stories and legends get changed over time as they are passed from one person to another.
Stories often have exaggeration in them.
Stories often have many made-up parts.
How the Beaver Got His TailAn Ojibwa Legend
Once upon a time there was a beaver that loved to brag about his tail.
One day while taking a walk, the beaver stopped to talk to a bird. The
beaver said to the bird, "Don't you love my fluffy tail?"
"Why, yes I do little beaver," said the bird.
"Don't you wish your feathers were as fluffy as my tail? Don't you wish
your feathers were as strong as my tail? Don't you wish your feathers
were just as beautiful as my tail?" the beaver asked.
"Why do you think so much of your tail, little beaver?" asked the bird.
This made the beaver mad and he walked away.
After walking for a while, he stopped for a drink by the river and saw a
muskrat. He walked to the muskrat and said, "Hello little muskrat.
What do you think about my tail?"
"Well, it is very beautiful and big and fluffy," answered the muskrat.
"Is it also a strong tail?"
"Why, yes it is," the beaver answered. "Do you wish you had a tail like
mine?"
"I didn't say I wanted a tail like yours. I just asked if it was strong," the
muskrat said with a disgusted voice.
The beaver quickly turned and began walking back to his home. He
was angry because he felt that the animals were being rude to him. He
was very upset and decided to take out his anger by cutting down
trees.
After cutting down a couple of trees, he came to a very large one. He
knew that it would be a great challenge for him. So he went to it. But
as he was cutting, he kept thinking about his tail. He didn't notice that
he was cutting at a bad angle. Before he knew what was happening,
the tree began to fall toward him.
He jumped to get out of the way, but he didn't jump fast enough. The
huge tree fell on his beautiful tail! He tugged and pulled and finally
dug away the earth to free himself.
When he finally pulled his tail from under the tree, he saw that it was
flat. The beaver was very sad and started to cry. As he was crying he
heard a voice. It was the Creator.
"Why are you crying?" asked the Creator.
"A tree has crushed my beautiful tail," the beaver cried. "Now no one
will like me.“
The Creator told him that a beaver is not liked for his tail but for his
kindness and wisdom. He also told him how to use his flat tail. "Now
your tail will help you swim rapidly," the Creator said. "And when you
want to signal a message to a friend, all you have to do is slap your tail
on the water."
Hearing this made the beaver happy again. When the animals saw his
flattened tail they were shocked! But the beaver said, "It is better this
way."
From that day on, the beaver never bragged about his tail, and all the
animals liked him.
That's how the beaver got his flat tail.
How Beaver Got His Tail. http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowTheBeaverGotHisTail-Ojibwa.html
How the Beaver Got His TailAn Ojibwa Legend
Story Elements Chart
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story about?
What does it tell us about the people who told the story?
How the Beaver Got His TailAn Ojibwa Legend
Story Elements Chart
Main Characters
Setting
What is the story about?
What does it tell us about the people who told the story?
A forest area
It is about a beaver that brags about his tail and ends up with a flat tail because he isn’t watching what he is doing when he tries to cut down a big tree.They believed you should not brag too much. They believed it was good to take on a challenge. They believed wisdom and kindness were good traits.
