First American Visit (1 hour)

A brief, hands-on introduction to Native American culture tailored to meet the needs of younger children.

In this classroom presentation the instructor will set out reproduction artifacts on blankets and will have the students seated in a half circle on the floor of the classroom. The instructor clad in a deerskin outfit will bring the students back in time to the arrival of the first peoples to the Americas. The instructor will recount how the first native peoples came here to Connecticut over 9,000 years ago. The methods in which these people built their homes, called a ptukwien, (a home made entirely from tree bark, saplings, and bark lacing) will be brought to life with an accurate scale model of the home. The instructor will show examples of native plants that were used for food, medicines and flavorings. Students will make and sample some fruit leather, a mixture of dried fruits and berries used as traveling food. Students will learn of the “Three Sisters” of corn, beans, and squash. Students will grind corn with a stone grinder and learn how journey cakes were made. Samples of popcorn and pumpkinseeds reveal that the native diet was not too different from ours today. Then the hunting of animals, curing of meats and the preparation of hides will be explored. Students will get a chance to feel deerskin, bear claws, otter and bobcat pelts, and will try scraping a skin using an ulu, a flat slate knife. Next the instructor will focus on native tools by bringing around a variety of reproduction artifacts made from bark, wood, bone, shell, and stone for the children to touch. Students will learn how a fire was made for cooking, how fish were caught using a bone fishhook and how a bow and arrow was used for hunting. Toys and games of native children will conclude the program.