Native American: Sioux (Lakota)

Our next “country” is the culture of the Sioux, or Lakota. This Native American tribe calls themselves Lakota or Dakota, which means “friend or ally”. Other Native American tribes called them a word (nadewisou, or snakes) that sounded like “soo” to the French traders that met them, so we also know this tribe as the Sioux (pronounced “soo”). The original Lakota/Sioux homelands were in what is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. The Sioux traveled freely, however, and they also lived in what is now Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and northern Illinois, and in south-central Canada. Today, most Sioux people live in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan.

Cultural and Historical Facts

The Sioux were part of the Plains Indians, who lived in the area from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to Mexico. The most important tribes of the Plains Indians were the Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, and Comanche.

Fast Facts about the Sioux/Lakota

Landmarks/Climate:

The Plains area was hotter than 100 degrees in the summer, and could drop to 40 degrees below zero with heavy snows in the winter. The region was so dry that when it rained it often flooded. The rolling land was covered with grassland and a few mountains. The Black Hills were high and steep. Few Native Americans lived on the Great Plains before white men brought the horse in the 1600’s.

Animals:

Parts of the buffalo used by the Sioux

Animals were important to the Native Americans, and often they would show respect to the spirit of the animals by dances, songs, and stories.  Some of the animals that were especially important to the Sioux were:

• Turtle
• Buffalo
• Deer
• Elk
• Bear
• Grey Wolf
• Eagle

The buffalo was very valuable to the Plains people. The buffalo meat was dried and mixed with marrow and fruit to become a food that would keep for long periods of time. The Sioux used hides to make ropes, shields, and clothing. The teepee was also made from the buffalo hide. Sinew or muscle was used to make bowstrings, moccasins, and bags. The bones were used to make hoes and runners for dog sleds. The horns were made into utensils such as a spoon, cup, or bowl. Even the hair could be made into rope.

A parfleche was used by the Plains people to carry their possessions. It was made from a buffalo hide. The hide was cut into a large rectangular shape. Belongings were placed on the center of the hide. Next the hide was folded like and envelope and tied with rawhide straps. The parfleche was made waterproof by covering it with glue made by boiling the tails of beavers.

Food:

The Sioux hunted buffalo and other game such as elk and antelope. To capture them they would surround the herd or use fire to try to stampede the herds off cliffs or into areas where they could be killed more easily. Life for the Sioux was much easier after horses. They hunted with bows and arrows even after the European traders brought guns. They hunted all year long. Because the buffalo was so plentiful, the Sioux hunters were not limited in the number of buffalo they killed. The buffalo was roasted over a fire, dried in the sun and made into jerky, and made into pemmican. Pemmican was made by pounding dried meat into powder and mixing it with melted fat and berries. The Sioux ate berries, cherries, wild greens, camas roots, and wild prairie turnip with the meat.

Homes:

Before white men came to America most of the Plains people lived along the rivers and streams where the land was fertile. In their villages the Indians lived in earth lodges. They were made of frames of logs covered with brush and dirt. When hunting, the Sioux lived in teepees. Occasionally they built wigwams. The wigwams protected the teepee from rotting. The wigwam was used to store food. To build the teepee, the women took long poles and stuck them in the ground in the form of a circle. They leaned the poles together at the top. The poles were fastened with hides. The poles were covered with buffalo hides.  Two longer poles were attached to the top corners. They were used to remove the smoke from the fire. The teepee opening always faced east. The outside of the teepee was decorated with paintings of animals, stars, or other objects. The Plains Indians had little furniture. Their beds were made from buffalo robes, skins with the hair left on. They also had back rests. Food, clothes, and belongings were stored in parfleches. A parfleche was a strong pouch made of buffalo hide.

Religion:

The Plains people believed in the Great Spirit. They believed the Great Spirit had power over all things, including animals, trees, stones, and clouds. The earth was believed to be the mother of all spirits. The sun had great power also because it gave the earth light and warmth. The Sioux prayed individually and in groups. They believed visions in dreams came from the spirits. The medicine man or shaman was trained in healing the sick and interpreting signs and dreams.

• Vision Quests
  • When a boy became a man he would seek a spirit that would protect him for the rest of his life. First the boy went into the sweat lodge. Inside the lodge, stones were heated and then water was poured over the stones to produce steam. The boy prayed as the hot steam purified his body. After the sweat lodge the boy jumped into cold water. Next he was taken to a remote place and left without food and water. The boy wore only his breechclout and moccasins. For the next three or four days the boy prayed for a special vision. The men of the tribe came to help the boy back to the camp. After cleaning up and eating the boy was taken to the shaman who interpreted his vision. Sometimes the boy was given an adult name taken from the vision. After the shaman interpreted the dream the village had a feast to celebrate the boy becoming a man.
  • The Sun Dance
    • The Sun Dance was a very important ceremony among the Plains people. It lasted for several days. Before the ceremony the men would fast (not eat any food for a set amount of time, maybe a day). The camp was set up in a circle of teepees. A tree was cut and set up in the center of the space to be used for the dance. Ropes made of hair or leather thongs were fastened to the top of the pole. Men tied these ropes to sticks which were stuck through the skin of their chests or backs. The men danced, gazing at the sun, whistling through pipes, and pulling back on the ropes until the sticks tore through the skin.

Games/Art:

Sioux children did the same things any children do—play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Sioux children liked to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Sioux children had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonists’ children. But they did have dolls and toys to play with, and older boys in some bands liked to play lacrosse. Sioux mothers, like many Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs–a custom which many American parents have adopted now.

Games:

Types of games played by boys included:

• the bull roarer
• cactus buffalo
• a pop gun
• a top
• two whirling bone game pieces
• a slingshot

Games for girls and women included:

• the plum pit game
• the game of bowls

Both girls and boys enjoyed sleds made of buffalo ribs.

All people played catching deer bones with a needle, but only women played it in formal competition and for betting. It consists of a long pin that was held in one hand and a set of deer bones and beaded loops that are held in the other hand. The player swings the set of bones and beads in the air and then attempts to catch them with the pin.

Art:

Sioux women are known for their quillwork and beadwork, and the men are known for their elaborate buffalo-hide and animal-skull paintings. Sioux artists also make pottery, parfleche, and ceremonial calumets (pipes carved from catlinite.)

Some of the Sioux Tribe has branched out into working with metals and other materials. Jewelry making goes back many years as people can still find ancient beads on the reservations.

The artists of the Plains used buffalo hides for their artwork. The hides were made into clothing, houses, beds, shields, belts, moccasins, and folded envelopes used for storage called parfleches. These objects were painted or beaded in geometric patterns. Stripes, diamonds, crosses, arrows, hour-glass shapes, thunderbirds, stars and hunting scenes were often used.

Clothing:

The women made their clothing from buffalo hides and deerskin. Boys wore nothing until the age of 10 then they began wearing breech clouts. A breech clout was a deerskin stretched between the legs and fastened to by a leather belt in the back and the front. In cold weather the men put on robes and high boots made from buffalo hides. The young girls wore breech clouts. When they reached adolescence they began wearing loosely-fitting, long-sleeved dresses stitched together with deerskin and decorated with fringe, beads, and small pieces of metal.

Both men and women painted their bodies, faces, and scalps with brightly colored paints made from clay and juices of berries and fruits. The men pierced their ears. Men wore their hair long and separated it into two braids that were decorated with strips of fur, leather, or a single feather. The women cut their hair much shorter than the men.

Vocabulary Words (Siouan):

• Hello — Hau (if you are a man), Hahng (if you are a woman)
• Thank you — Yé (if you are a man), Iché (if you are a woman)
• Good-bye — Tóksa akhé
• Peace — Wolakota
• Please — Philámayaye
• Music — Wanahotonyapi

About the Music:

Powwow songs are created and performed for different events such as grand entries, dance categories and honoring ceremonies. While they differ in tempo (speed), words and emotions, all powwow songs follow a similar structure. Among the Dakota, traditional dance songs generally begin on a high note, led by a soloist who sings a phrase that is then repeated by a group. This phrase then swings to a lower pitch until there is a brief pause. The second part of the song often includes “honor beats”, usually in the form of four beats representing cannon fire in battle. The entire song may be repeated several times, depending on the lead singer. Singers are not judged by the sweetness of their voices. The sound is produced at the back of an open mouth and throat. Women sing an octave higher and sometimes join the men. Women may “trill” at special places in the song to indicate deep emotion such as joy or appreciation of the song.

About the Artist and Song:

The Porcupine Singers are a Northern Plains style traditional Lakota singing group centered in Porcupine, South Dakota, and one of the greatest groups of Native American voices. The Porcupine Singers are a famous group among the Lakota people and all of Native America. Their singing and commitment to Lakota culture inspires countless young people to explore and sustain their culture through traditional ways.

The song you will hear is an honor song for Native American veterans, or soldiers who have returned from war.  Honor songs are requested to honor a person such as a returning son or a deceased relative or people or for almost any occasion. A drum from the honored person’s home or a favorite may be requested.

Veterans are well-honored in the tribes. They are flag-bearers and retrieve dropped eagle feathers.  This respect for veterans is an important part of Native American culture from the time when the welfare of the village depended on the fighting men. To be a warrior was a man’s purpose in life. Veterans were honored because they were willing to give their lives so people could live. In some tribes bravery is honored as one of the four virtues: generosity, wisdom, fortitude and bravery.

Listen to the song and look at the lyrics.  Tell in the comment box what you think about the song — what instruments do you hear? what does the song make you think of? Have you heard something like this before? Would you listen to a song like this again? Remember to answer all four questions in the comment box!

Lakota Flag Song/Veterans’ Song

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the music, the information about the Sioux, and the pictures in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think about the Sioux as a culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, March 28.  This is the end of the quarter (Thursday, Mar. 29), so make sure you get all your assignments in!

Native American: Inuit

Our next “country” is Alaska and the north of Canada, and the culture of the Inuit.  The Inuit are Native Americans who have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. Some areas formerly occupied by the Inuit are no longer inhabited.

Cultural and Historical Facts

The word igloo actually means any type of house, not just a snow house. The snow-block house that we usually think of when we hear igloo was not used by all Inuits.  There were no snow-block houses in Alaska.  The Alaskan Inuits lived cabins made from driftwood and covered with soil.

To make an igloo, hard-packed snow was cut into blocks with a long knife made of bone, ivory, or metal. A man could build an  igloo in an hour. In the igloo, Inuit slept on a low snow platform covered with twigs and caribou furs. Each igloo had a skylight made of freshwater ice. When summer arrived the igloo melted, and the family had to move into tents made of animal skins.

Men and women did different things.  Men were the hunters and home builders, while women prepared the food, worked on skins and made the clothing.  Men and women needed each other.  Every Inuit got married.  Inuit were fond of children and orphans loied with relatives and were well treated.  In a land where there were no vegetable foods or roads, a mother nursed her children and carried them everywhere on her back until they were 3 years old.

    

Fast Facts about the Inuit

Climate:

The lands where the Inuit live are cold and harsh.  They have long cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a lot of snow.  On the average there are between 15 and 90 inches of snow each year.  The snow doesn’t melt until spring, and winter storms can force people to remain inside for days at a time. 

Food:

The Inuit people hunt for their food.  They eat primarily fish, sea mammals and a few land mammals. They hunt seals, especially, the ring seal.  inuit know a great deal about how seals live.  They also know about ice that covers the sea in the winter.  They know where to go on that ice to find the seals.

The Inuit people hunt seals during winter through the frozen ocean ice.  Seals are mammals and must breathe. Seals scratch a holes through the ice as it begins to freeze.  Seals come back to these holes for air. The Inuit hunter stood with a poised harpoon over these breathing holes, waiting for the seal to surface. Often the hunter had to stand this way for several hours in the bitter cold.  Harpoons are still used, though rifles are also used.

In the spring and summer, when the ice melts, seals are hunted from boats called kayaks.  The kayak holds only one hunter.  It  is covered all over with sealskin or caribou skin. The hunter sits in it, dressed in tight-fitting waterproof clothing made from seal or walrus intestine. The kayak moves silently through the water.  The hunter can get very close to seals without being heard.

Caribou are also hunted for food, as well as for their skins for clothing and antlers for tools.

Tools:

The Inuit used all different kinds of tools.  They used them for hunting, for transportation, for games, and for making other things they needed.

A bow drill was used for carving.   The men carved combs, beads, pendants, thimble holders, and bottle shaped needle cases.  Needles looked the same as our needles but they were carved of stone.

The Inuit used 3 kinds of knives: wood, bone, and ivory. Fathers carved blunt “story knives” out of walrus bone for their daughters.  The girls then drew pictures in the snow with them and told stories about the pictures. 

The Inuit used a knife with a triangular stone blade and a wooden ‘T’ shaped handle called an ulu for skinning animals.  They also used a large bone needle shaped knife called umiuk for cleaning skins.

They used a stone tied onto a branch for a hammer. They made harpoons out of wood, with bone or stone blades. An ice-fishing harpoon was called anunaak.

Sports/Recreation:

Tug-of-War, Inuit Style

Blanket Toss: Originally a large durable blanket was made by sewing together several walrus hides. The blanket was about 10 to 12 feet wide. One player would sit or stand in the middle of the blanket, and a group of twenty or thirty players would spread out around the blanket and vatapult the middle person high into the air.

Toe Jump: Take off your shoes, squat down, and grasp the toes on each foot with the hand on the same side. By extending your bent knees, try to jump forward as far as you can, landing in balance, without letting go of your toes. For an added challenge, try the Tandem Toe jump with a partner. Partners stand side by side (like in a 3-legged run), squat down together, and jump at the same time. Here’s the clincher. With his outside hand, one partner grasps the toes on his outside foot but his inside hand grasps the toes of his partner’s inside foot. Partners may or may not have to cross their inside legs. A little coordination and trust are needed to get this one together.

Knee Walk: Just what it seems. You really do try to walk on your knees, but first you have to be able to balance on them. Kneel down on the grass or ground, keeping your back straight. Lift your heels toward your rump, and grasp each foot in front of the ankle. You should now be balanced on the top of your kneecaps. See if you can move forward a few knee steps. To start, make it a little easier by grabbing the back of your pants leg instead of the front of your ankle. You can try this one with your partner, too. Just get side by side and grab your own ankle with one hand and your partner’s ankle with the other. 

IGLAGUNERK: An Inuit laughing game. Each player faces a partner, generally holding each other’s hands. At an agreed-upon signal everyone begins to laugh. The partners who laugh the hardest and longest are declared the winners. Because laughter is so contagious, people sometimes end up rolling on the ground!

Travel:

For traveling, Inuits use kayaks, umiaks, snowshoes and dogsleds.

The kayak is a boat that can carry only one person. It is quiet for hunting. It is small and covered in seal skins. Around the edge it was slightly raised so the passenger could fasten his coat to the rim. This way the man and the boat could be one water proof unit. The kayak’s paddle is a long stick which has a paddle on each side.

The umiak is a larger and more open boat.  It is covered with animal skins. It was made to carry large loads: an entire family or a two-ton load of blubber. The normal length of an umiak was 35-40 feet. But for its size it was quite light, light enough for two men to carry. 

The best known transportation was the komatik or dogsled. The komatik has a light but sturdy frame on runners with reins. The reins are hitched up to six or so huskies.

Snowshoes are racket-shaped platforms which have leather straps across the frame which tie on your feet.

Clothing:

Only fur clothing was warm enough in such a cold place.  The Inuit preferred the fur of the caribou, though they sometimes used fur of other animals such as seals and polar bear. 

Clothing consisted of coat, trousers, stockings, shoes or boots.  In very cold weather two of each garment were worn.  The inner one had the fur against the skin, the outer one had the fur outside.

Boots are called kamiks.  They are made from sealskin because it lasts long, is warm,  and isn’t hurt when it gets wet.

One Inuit garment, the hooded coat called the parka, has been adopted by skiers and others who spend time in the cold. An atiqik is a Inuit parka made with goose down.

Vocabulary Words (Inuktitut):

• Hello – Ainngai (and rub noses instead of shaking hands)
• Thank you – Quana
• Good-bye – Atsunai
• Peace – Tutkium
• Please – Atii
• Music –

About the Music

Throat singing was traditionally performed between two women. The songs are sung as a friendly competition; played as a game. One person sets the rhythm, the pace the sound and the other follow. The first person to not laugh is the winner, as each song tends to end in laughter.

Inuit Throat Singing

Many throat songs were created to mimic the sounds of daily life or surrounding natural elements and wildlife. As an example a song called “The Cleaning” mimics the sounds you would hear as the rails of the Qamutik was being cleaned; while another mimics the sound of a saw. These games helped to entertain children and women while the men were out hunting.  Many celebrations within Inuit communities be they northern or southern community events are accompanied by the sounds of throat songs.

The Inuit drum is a traditional instrument seen across the north.  Drumming was performed at various celebrations, whether it was celebrating the first successful hunt of a young boy or the birth of a child. Inuit drums were traditionally made from caribou skin stretched over driftwood which was softened and made into a ring.  The drum has a handle which points downward to hold and rotate the drum. The handle was often covered in fur such as seal skin. The Inuit drum is played differently than most drums in that it is not the skin which is struck but rather the rim of the drum.

Inuit Drumming

Drumming is often accompanied by dancing such as the polar bear style, in which the drum held low and the drummer dances around mimicking a polar bear while playing.  Drumming is also the thing that sets the pace for songs often enough. The drum can be heard accompanying certain kinds of songs appropriately called “ayaya”.

About the Artist and Song:

Tudjaat are Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk, two Inuit women from Nunavut, Canada, who are keeping the ancient tradition of Inuit throat singing alive. Tudjaat’s music combines Inuit traditional singing and modern music.

Their first song, “Kajusita (When My Ship Comes In)”, describes the forced exile of a group of Inuit to the High Arctic in the last century. It is a tribute to those who suffered and died as a consequence of a government decision.

“Qingauiit”, the song we are listening to, is about the hardships of the cold winters and the fear of having nothing to eat if the hunters return without food.

Listen to the song and look at the lyrics.  Tell in the comment box what you think about the song — Does it remind you of other music you may have heard?  What does it make you think of? What instruments do you hear?  Would you listen to other music by this group?  Make sure to answer all questions in the comment box!

Qingauiit

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the music, the information about the Inuit, and the videos and pictures in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think about the Inuit as a culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, March 21.

Music History: North and South America

We’ve covered Africa and Asia so far this year, and now we’re going to spin our musical globe and tackle the Western Hemisphere! North America, Central America, and South America will host us as we discover the music of these places.

There are lots of different types of music in this part of the world.  For this quarter we will be studying the music that was here before white people came from Europe — what is called indigenous music, or music from people who were in a place first.  Native Americans, from the tippy-top of Alaska down to the bottom of South America, have created unique instruments and styles of music, and many fun and interesting songs, of course!  We’ll start with an overview of the several different areas and their main styles of music and instruments.

South American music is usually fast and makes people want to dance.  Many types of dances have their beginnings somewhere in South America – tango, samba, bossa nova, salsa, rumba, bomba, and bolero.  Instruments from South America range from our very well-known guitar to the more unusual rain stick.  The mix of peoples and languages in South America makes their music varied and interesting – Mayan, Quechua, Rapanui, and Inca are some of the tribes.  Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of a South American tango! (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Tango!

Central America and the Caribbean have some of the same types of music as South America, with the addition of salsa, reggae, and calypso music in the Caribbean.  Music from these warmer regions can range from fast and crazy to laid-back and warm — especially from the islands!  Some of the tribes from this area are Aztec, Mayan, Carib, and Arawak.  Instruments they use are often percussion, like maracas and steel drums.  Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of a Caribbean calypso! (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Calypso!

North America had many tribes living on the land before the European settlers came, and their music was often for storytelling, to get them ready for war, or to honor the spirits.  Some North American tribes are Sioux, Iroquois, Inuit, Maoli, and Cherokee.  Drums, flutes, and shakers are common instruments, and others include ukuleles and fiddles. Click on the blue link below to hear a sample of Native (North) American music. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the links under “Featured Artists”.)

Native American

Listen to at least one of the music types. Tell in the comment box what you think about the song you heard.  What kind of music did you listen to? Was it similar to something you’d heard before or not? What was the same or different?  Make sure to answer all these questions in your comment!

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the song and the information in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think the place and culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, February 1.