Grades 6-12 Student-Centered Learning Activities

Let’s Play Chunkey

This activity introduces young people to the game of Chunkey that originated with the Mississipian tribes in the Cahokia region (now St. Louis). Chunkey, played with long poles and a smooth stone disc, requires hand-eye coordination and maybe a little luck. While learning to play this game, young people will also learn the history of Chunkey and view ancient artifacts from the game.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Do You Have What it Takes to Compete in the Native Youth Olympics?

This activity features a Native science experiment that connects to ancient tribal practices of gathering salt from ocean water. Long ago, American Indian tribes that lived on the Pacific coast would section off pools of ocean water and place sticks in these pools. Once the salt grew up the stick, tribes could easily travel with the salt. This experiment simulates this ancient Native science practice.

Time: About 1 hour

Native Science: Making a Salt Stick

This activity encourages young people to practice different events from the annual Native Youth Olympics in Alaska. These activities demonstrate how Native Alaskan tribes traditionally used physical activities and competitions to train their youth to prepare for ice hopping, pulling seals from ice, and being stronger hunters. These cultural traditions are celebrated today through the Native Youth Olympics.

Time: About 1 hour

Celebrate Joy Harjo: The First Native American Poet Laureate

Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek) is the first Native American chosen to be the US Poet Laureate. This activity explains what a poet laureate does and introduces Joy Harjo and one of her poems “Remember.” Young people can also explore Joy Harjo’s passion for poetry as a way to remember her ancestors and celebrate the future of her Native people. This activity also features several ways to write poetry and includes an inspirational poem performance by the US Youth Poet Laureate.

Time: About 1 hour

Understanding and Celebrating Two Spirit People

Each June, the nation recognizes LGBTQ Pride month in various ways across the United States. For many Native Americans/Alaska Natives, the acronym is expanded to 2SLGBTQ, recognizing two-spirit Native people. Two Spirit is a recently coined term that recognizes and reclaims an ancient and pre-colonial esteem of tribal members who possessed a male and female spirit. This name applies to Native Americans and should not be used to describe someone who is non-Native. This activity is inquiry-based in which students explore several resources to gain more understanding.

Time: About 1 hour

First Nations’ Names for Famous Landmarks

Before colonial interaction, First Nation tribes inhabited the lands of North America. Famous landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, Mt. McKinley, and Yellowstone National Park held sacred names given by the tribes that lived in those regions until the US federal government declared their “official” names. This activity explores some of the landmarks that hold government and Native names and what is being done to change them. Also included is a list of states with names that originated from First Nations.

Time: About 30 minutes - 1 hour

Food Traditions: Making Cherokee Bean Bread

This activity introduces the legend of Cherokee bean bread, also called cornbread, derived from the Trail of Tears. Included is a demonstration of the traditional way to make the bread. This activity also features a modern and traditional recipe for Cherokee bean bread. Bring the family together to enjoy some of the other traditional recipes featured as well.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Play the Paiute Hand Game “Sticks and Bones”

Many Native American tribes play their own types of hand games. These games are very competitive and have been played since before recorded history. Many times these games were high stakes and played to win prizes such as the rights to use land. Today youth and adults play hand games competitively for money or prizes. In this activity, learn some of the history of the Paiute tribe and the rules of the Paiute hand game. Then, make game sticks and bones to play with family and friends.

Time: About 1-2 hours

The Cultural Significance of Naming

This activity explores the Native American tradition of naming a person and the cultural meaning behind sacred names. This activity features an example from a historic Lakota Sioux chief, a Navajo elder, and a well-known Mexican American writer. After exploring the significance of naming, the activity encourages young people to write a reflection or acrostic poem of their own name.

Time: About 1 hour

Making Frybread: How Food Can Shape Cultural Identity

Olympic Winner Billy Mills Lives His Lakota Values

Food has brought people together since before time. Sometimes certain cultural foods begin from difficult times and then turn into a source of pride and symbol of resilience for a people. This activity features the history and deep significance of frybread for Navajo Nation. Also included is a recipe for frybread to share this cultural food with family and friends.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Billy Mills, a Lakota athlete from the Pine Ridge Reservation, overcame great odds to win the 10,000 meter race in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He is still the only American to even win this race and continues to travel today and inspire youth, especially Native Americans, to work hard for their dreams. In this inquiry-based activity, learn more about his life, activsim, and the values of the Lakota that helped Billy Mills be successful. This activity also includes the full-length film about his Olympic journey.

Time: About 1-3 hours

Picaria: A Zuni Math Game

Making Your Own Cultural Timeline

Traditional Native games are not only physical competitions, but they also include games of logic and games of chance. This activity teaches how to play Picaria, a Zuni Pueblo math game. This game may seem similar to modern tic-tac-toe at first, but it soon turns into a game of movement and strategy. Learn the history of the game as well as practice mathematical logic while having fun!

Time: About 1 hour

Timelines are used universally to keep track of things from important historical dates to personal events in our lives. It is a way to remember things long after they happen. This activity is a guide to making a cultural timeline for young people to record the significant moments in life where they learned cultural traditions. This can be done as a family or in a classroom setting.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Te Ata Fisher: The Award-Winning Chickasaw Storyteller

What Exactly is Food Sovereignty?

Mary Francis Thompson Fisher (18895-1995), more famously known as Te Ata Fisher, was an award-winning Chickasaw actress who was well-known for cultural storytelling and performance. As a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, her life tells an adventurous story of university training, world travel, Broadway appearances, and even performing for a US president and European royalty. Her career accomplishments were built on her vast collection of Native American stories and songs that she shared in her traveling performances. In this activity complete an information scavenger hunt and be inspired as you learn about Te Ata’s storytelling.

Time: About 1-3 hours

The word sovereignty holds a deeper meaning for Native American Nations but the question of what that truly looks like still remains. Even so, many tribes are returning to food sovereignty especially as crisis events continue to take place. In this activity, students explore the definition of food sovereignty and learn what some tribes around the United States are doing to embrace food sovereignty. This activity encourages young people to involve their families in creating awareness of food sovereignty in their community.

Time: About 30 minutes - 1 hour

Ancient Astronomers: The Skidi Pawnee Star Chart

Traditional Native American Games of Chance

This activity introduces the study of archeoastronomy through the lens of North American tribes. The sources include ancient star maps, methods of navigation, and explanations of constellation naming. Explore how tribal ancestors valued the stars not only for origin stories but also for direction and tracking time. Then, practice ancient astronomy with friends or family.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Native American tribes traditionally played games for chance or skill. Many times these games demonstrated either physical ability or mental strategy, and sometimes both. This activity features the ancient artifacts and rules for a bowl game typically called the plum stone game. This game differs across tribes. This activity will share some of those differences and then provide the directions to play the Cree version of the plum stone game. Create your own game pieces and play along.

Time: About 1-2 hours

Sioux Chef Sean Sherman: A Rebirth of Native American Cuisine

As health issues such as diabetes are increasing in Native communities, some people such as Sean Sherman, an Oglala man referred to as the Sioux Chef, are bringing back the traditional Native diet through gourmet cuisine. In this activity learn about the Sioux Chef, discuss what decolonizing a diet means, and gather some recipes for traditional Native cooking.

Time: About 1 hour

Addressing Historical Trauma: The Indian Boarding School Era

General Pratt’s infamous statement of “Kill the Indian, and Save the Man” summarizes the premise of the Indian Boarding School Era. As thousands of Native children were forcibly sent to learn the ways of Western European civilization in an attempt to eradicate tribes and their culture. Though boarding schools declined after the Civil Rights Movement the effects are still felt today. This activity shares the history and trauma of the Boarding School Era through a learning series by the Public Broadcasting Station. This activity is best if done as a family or class so that young people are supported as they understand more about a controversial and painful topic.

Time: About 1 - 2 hours

The Power in (Re) Telling History: A Look at Jim Thorpe’s Life: Part 1

The Power in (Re) Telling History: A Look at Jim Thorpe’s Life: Part 2

One tool used by dominant culture is to write and rewrite history, particularly Native American history. Many consider Jim Thorpe (1887-1953) to be the greatest athlete to ever live. His life is not only filled with amazing athletic accomplishments but also traumatic events due to historical racism toward Native Americans. However, history does not always tell that side of his story. Part 1 of this activity set uses Jim Thorpe’s early life to explain the effects of boarding school and the discrimination toward Native Americans in society during the late 1800s to early 1900s. This is an activity that families can do together for rich discussions about assimilation.

Time: About 1 -2 hours

One tool used by dominant culture, is to write and rewrite history, particularly Native American history. Many consider Jim Thorpe (1887-1953) to be the greatest athlete to ever exist, but he also experienced traumatic events due to historical racism toward Native Americans. However, history does not always tell that side of his story. Part 2 of this activity set shares Jim Thorpe’s athletic accomplishments as well as the tragedies he experienced due to discrimination toward Native Americans in society during the late 1800s to early 1900s. This is an activity that families can do together for rich discussions about discrimination and the "truth" of history.

Time: About 1- 2 hours