On the Hunt
- chchap58
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Whether it’s a burrow for a rabbit, a den for a fox, or a drey for a squirrel, when the snow begins to fly, we all need shelter. Today, we continued making winter preparations for our 'Muskrat Lodge'. As we worked, we had found it hard to imagine how much time it would have taken the Haudenosaunee to winterize a longhouse which held up to 20 families. What are the jobs we still have left to do?
How did it feel to put yourself in the moccasins of a Haudenosaunee hunter? What types of animals would have been looking for? We were hoping to discover some animal tracks but it looks like we’ll have to wait until the next snowfall. Were you able to find any other evidence of animal activity in our area?
We know that young children developed their hunting skills by playing games which helped to improve their accuracy. Explain how to play the game “Ring the Stick” to your family and see how many times they're able to ‘spear the deer’ in 10 tries.
Lacrosse and games like 'Oh Deer" also helped the young hunters improve their hand-eye coordination. What surprised you the most when we talked about how the Haudenosaunee invented lacrosse?
The Haudenosaunee elders and parents told legends to help their children learn how to be good members of their community. In library, we learned how the chipmunk got its stripes and how the crow helped the duck. What were the lessons in these stories?
We also learned the reason why the Haudenosaunee didn’t put faces on their dolls. See if you can retell this legend to your family and have them try to guess the lesson the parents wanted their children to learn. The 'dolls-with-no-face' will be waiting patiently for you to finish them up next Friday.
If you happen to have an interest in crafts and artifacts made by First Nation people, you may be interested in attending the indigenous Art Market next Saturday at the Stratford Perth Museum. It would also give you a chance to do some snowshoeing, provided we have snow!
Comments