Native American Project

Today, we are going to finish discussing primary sources - Columbus Letter (and the sources Al read) - and apply SOAPSTONE to them (post this on your blog), and then move on to the Native American Project:

You are going to create a PowerPoint presentation of one Native American group BEFORE the arrival of Columbus.

Groups you can pick from:

Algonquin
Iroquois
Powhatan
Chickahominy
Cherokee
Creek
Pueblo
Hopi
Sioux
Pomo

Please pick a group that interests you.  You will apply GSPRITE to the group:

Geography - where did the group live?  How did they interact with the environment around them? 

Social - How did the group live and interact within it's social and with other Native groups.  Think about dress, division of labor, relations with others, etc.

Political - How was the group organized?  Who had the power?  How was inheritance handled?  How was ownership handled?  Who made decisions?

Religious - Describe the religious beliefs of the group.  Any religious ceremonies/activities?  Religious philosophy? 

Intellectual - Art, stories (including oral stories), beliefs, attitudes.  Pottery, masks, totem poles are examples.

Technological - Tools, weapons, farming advances, living conditions - including buildings. 

Economics - think trade, monetary policies (if any), production and consumption of goods. 

Any other descriptions of this group?   Any thing else that interests you about this group?

You'll need at least three visual aids (you should have more) and you should include a discussion or summary of at least one oral story by this group. 


Remember Unit Goals:

At the end of this Unit, students will be able to answer the following (AP Students all, regular students two): 

Identity – How did the identities of colonizing and indigenous American societies change as a result of contact in the Americas?

Work, Exchange, and Technology – How did the Columbian Exchange – the mutual transfer of material goods, commodities, animals, and diseases – affect interaction between Europeans and natives and among indigenous peoples in North America?

Peopling – Where did different groups settle in the Americas (before contact) and how and why did they move to and within the Americas (after contact)?

Politics and Power – How did Spain’s early entry into colonization in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America shape European and American developments in this period?

America in the World – How did European attempts to dominate the Americas shape relations between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans?

Environment and Geography – How did pre-contact populations of North America relate to their environments?  How did contact with Europeans and Africans change these relations in North America?

Ideas, Beliefs, and Cultures – How did cultural contact challenge the religious and other values systems of peoples from the Americas, Africa, and Europe?