Folklife Resources for Educators

Materials Related to Alaska--Social life and customs

There are 6 titles in this list.

Alaska Native Dance
by Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations
http://www.echospace.org/articles/285/sections/709

Curriculum resources for exploring similarities in the midst of diversity by introducing students to native dances performed by Alaskan cultural groups. Accompanying videos document a variety of dance forms performed by five native groups, with background about the characteristics of the dances and the cultural contexts and restrictions governing their performance. Curriculum ideas can be used in the classroom for teaching social studies, music, fine arts, geography, and physical education.

Sponsoring Organization:
Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations


http://www.echospace.org/

Culturally-Based Curriculum Resources
by Alaska Native Knowledge Network
http://ankn.uaf.edu/Resources/course/view.php?id=2

Culturally responsive curriculum resources for the study of Alaska native knowledge systems and ways of learning. Database includes units, lesson plans, activities, and background material for use in the K-12 classroom, geared primarily for use in the curriculum fields of math and science. The materials are created within a culturally aligned curriculum framework reflecting indigenous knowledge systems, and incorporate oral tradition, learned skills, traditional practice, folk medicine, and native ecological perspectives which make them valuable for application in social science and humanities curricula.

Sponsoring Organization:
Alaska Native Knowledge Network
University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756730
Fairbanks AK 99775-6730
(907) 474-1902
http://ankn.uaf.edu/

Iñupiaq Whale Hunt
by Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations
http://www.echospace.org/articles/137/sections/207

Curriculum resources for grades 5-8 that explore the role of the whale hunt among the Inupiat people along the Chukchi Sea of northern Alaska. Topics covered include how the whale hunt nourishes the Inupiaq people and sustains and builds community. An accompanying video with discussion questions illustrates Inupiaq subsistence hunting and fishing and demonstrates how whaling fulfills many of the nutritional, economic, social and cultural needs of Inupiaq life. Curriculum suggestions can be applied to the areas of social studies, history, language arts, and geography.

Sponsoring Organization:
Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations


http://www.echospace.org/

Oral Traditions
by Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations
http://www.echospace.org/articles/127/sections/193

Curriculum resources for the study of Tlingit oral traditions for grades 5-8. The materials focus on the interconnections of story and dance in the Tlingit culture of Southeastern Alaska and include a video that features Tlingit oral tradition. Topics covered include how oral tradition tells us who we are, where we came from, and how it serves to communicate important cultural values. It also focuses on how the Tlingit people use art, song, dance, and storytelling to express their identity. Curriculum suggestions conform to National Standards for English Language Arts.

Sponsoring Organization:
Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations


http://www.echospace.org/

Performing Asveq (The Walrus Hunt)
by Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations
http://www.echospace.org/articles/129/sections/195

Curriculum resources for grades 5-8 focused on how young people of Inupiaq and Yupick heritage express their cultural identity through song and dance. Topics covered focus on performing arts that provide a direct way to participate in one’s cultural community, to preserve culture for future generations, and to express joy in being a part of a culture. An accompanying video illustrates a song and dance describing a walrus hunt developed by students from an Anchorage high school. Curriculum suggestions conform to National Standards for English Language Arts and can be used in the classroom to teach social studies, music, and performing arts.

Sponsoring Organization:
Echo: Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations


http://www.echospace.org/

To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions
by National Museum of the American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/files/quilts.pdf

Study guide developed by the National Museum of the American Indian to accompany a 1997 exhibition of the same name. It can also be used as an independent resource for educators. Includes four lesson plans that correspond to the exhibition sections: Origins, Honoring, Design, and Community. Curriculum focuses on quilters from eight Native American communities and has accompanying study questions, handouts, and activities. (36 p. PDF)

Sponsoring Organization:
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW
Washington DC 20560
(202) 633-6996
http://www.nmai.si.edu