Native American Month

These activities were selected to teach our students more that the face value of the Native Americans of Oklahoma. As a culture rich in tradition, many stereotypical beliefs about Native People of Oklahoma are practiced by Nonnatives. Our program want to encourage students to learn more diverse ways of understanding the Native People of Oklahoma. With these goals we are suggesting some activities that will help with getting the students to think outside of the normal parameters of the common misconceptions made of the Native People of Oklahoma.

• Taste the Nation, Season 1 Episode 112 Truth and the Turkey Tale. This episode shows what a traditional meal would looked like for Wampanoag Nation at the time of contact.
• This is a lesson from Native Knowledge 360. American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving this is recommended for middle school students, but could be used for high school also. https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/thanksgiving_poster.pdf
• This encourage the student to explore the myth of Thanksgiving that they have been exposed to. https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/NMAI_Harvest_Study_Guide.pdf
  
• This resource from Bioneers which provides a very detailed lesson plan. https://bioneers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Real-Thanksgiving-Lesson-Plan-v2.pdf, https://bioneers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Real-Thanksgiving-Teacher-Guide-v2.pdf

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the author.

• It's been six months since her best friend died, and up until now Rain has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around her aunt Georgia's Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again—at least through the lens of her camera.
  
  Hired by her town newspaper to photograph the campers, Rain soon finds that she has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does she want to keep a professional distance from the intertribal community she belongs to? And just how willing is she to connect with the campers after her great loss?
  
• Here is an Educator Guide. https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Rain-Educator-Guide-3.pdf

• The Orange Shirt Story shares why orange was chosen to remember the boarding school children. https://orangeshirtday.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/orange_shirt_day_mathematics_revised__p__j_.pdf
• Oklahoma has the most boarding schools listed out all the states. This curriculum I am attaching has a list that lists all 95 and shows how many each state had. https://boardingschoolhealing.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/10-23-NABS-Truth-and-Healing-Curriculum-Middle-School-rev2-1.pdf
• Here is teacher guide for I am not a Number. https://empoweringthespirit.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Indigenous-Literature-Kit-Book-List-Instructional-Elements-Division-TWO.pdf#page=41

Brianna Jonnie wrote this at the age of 14. This book makes a connection to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People which we will be honoring by wear red during Native American Heritage Week.

• This is book trailer to get students interested in the book. https://youtu.be/QMGnubuTNlQ
• This is an activity for this book. https://youtu.be/QMGnubuTNlQ
  

The purpose of a land acknowledgement is to recognize, respect and affirm the ongoing relationship between Indigenous people and the land. Land acknowledgements also raise awareness about the Indigenous histories, perspectives, and experiences that are often suppressed or forgotten.

• This website will show who original people to claim the land before removal and after. https://native-land.ca/
  
• Tulsa is part of three reservations. Have students use the website listed above to identify which reservation their school is on.
• This is video about TPS Land Acknowledgementhttps://youtu.be/QkNoYFhDopo?si=R-akO5njpKcwn9m0

Contact Information

TPS Indian Ed Contact Info

918-833-8360

IndianEd@tulsaschools.org

2524 W. 53rd St., Tulsa, OK 74107

Facebook: IndianEd Tulsa

https://www.tulsaschools.org/about/teams/language-cultural-services/indian-ed