Feb 9th

The Man to Send Rain Clouds

1. The season of the year in which a story takes place is sometimes an important part of the story’s setting. At what time of year does this story take place? How is the season important to the story? 2.To prepare Teofilo’s body for burial, Leon and Ken perform a traditional ceremony. Why do they perform this ritual?

3.Father Paul tells Leon and Ken that they shouldn’t allow Teofilo to stay at the sheep camp alone. Why is their response ironic, or the opposite of what we would expect? 4. For the Laguna people as well and the Franciscan priest, water is an important part of the burial ceremony. Why do Leon and Ken change their minds about involving Father Paul?

5.When Father Paul sprinkles the holy water on the grave, it falls “through the light from the sun down like August rain….” How does this image symbolize, or represent, the events of the story? 6. What evidence in the story suggests that the Laguna move in two worlds- the world of the Christian workers and that of their traditional culture? What does this story suggest lies at “the heart of the matter” for the Laguna characters? 7. What is the narrator’s attitude toward these characters and their differing cultures? Do you think the story is told with sympathy for all the characters?

Stereotypes: What do you envision when you hear the term, Native American? What is the impact of these stereotypes?

“What’s in a Name?”: Read as a class & Create a Top Three.

Contemporary Issues (Gambling, Health Care, Drugs, Stereotypes, Repatriation)1. Meet with group. 2. Discuss article. (Round Robin)

Issues Today: PowerPoint

Create a movie or PowerPoint that illustrates one of the following issues:

1. Leonard Peltier2. Wounded Knee (Big Foot Massacre and 1970s standoff) 3. AIM (American Indian Movement)4. Indian Schools

Daily Writing: Apologies

Should the U.S. government apologize for the past? Why or Why not?

19 Dec 2009: President Obama signed the Native American Apology Resolution. The Apology Resolution states that the United States, “apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States.” The Apology Resolution also “urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land.” The Apology Resolution comes with a disclaimer that nothing in the Resolution authorizes or supports any legal claims against the United States and that the Resolution does not settle any claims against the United States.

Experiences Chart-Native Americans