Reconciliation is the unlearning and relearning that must occur to equalize ourselves and our history, while as an educator it is a call to action.

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Local Indigenous Culture Lesson Plan

Part of the grade 4/5 Curriculum includes knowing and understanding the history of the local indigenous culture.Ā  In Prince George British Columbia, the local indigenous culture is the Lheidli T’enneh.Ā  Many of our students recognize the land acknowledgement that often is stated to them, but they often do not understand the significance or reasoning behind the acknowledgements.Ā  In the lesson plan that I have attached below, I address this and conclude with an activity that pays tribute to the indigenous culture.Ā  The tree bark carvings that are shown in the brochure attached, were intended as a tribute to the Lheidli T’enneh peoples.Ā  The soap carving activity that is included in the lesson below addresses this and helps students to learn in a hands on interactive environment.

Intro to local indigenous culture

2017 Tree Bark carvings Cottonwood Island Park brochure

NorthWest Coastal Art

Brief Description

North Americaā€™s Northwest Coast First Nations groupsā€™ fine art practices have been developed over time to create a distinct art form.Ā  This style is essentially of the West Coast First Nations groupsā€™ own people with roots in their own traditions.Ā  There are seven ethnographically distinct peoples along the coast: the Coast Salish, the Nootka, the Kwagiutl, the Tsimshian, the Haida, the Bella Coola people, and the Tlingit.Ā  All seven of these Indigenous groups live along the coastal waters and river valleys of the Northwest coast of North America.Ā  Many stories accompany the art forms that have been created within the parameters of Northwest Coastal art.

The Basic Components

Form Line

  • Forms the structural outline of subject matter

Ovoid

  • Space filler
  • Can be used to create eye socket, head of creature, major joints, shape of a wing, tail, fin, blowhole of a whale
  • May be solid or outline

Inner Ovoid

  • Can be used to create eyeball

U Form

  • Contour the body of animal
  • Used as form line in ears, tails, etc.

Split U Form

  • Space filler
  • Feather details

S Form

  • Space filler
  • Leg/arm forms
  • Series of S forms within the body create a rib cage

 

Use Of Colour

Colour access was limited to natural pigments previous to the fur trade in North America.Ā  Principle colours included black, red, and green, blue, or blue-green.Ā  Black was traditionally sourced from lignite, graphite, or charcoal.Ā  Red was traditionally sourced from ochers, and several specimens of paint stone such as hematite.Ā  Greens and blues were traditionally sourced from copper minerals.

Black and red are the two main colours used in painting with black being primary and red being secondary.Ā  Black is most commonly used to create the form line with red being used in form lines of secondary importance to the design, details, accents, and continuants of primary designs.Ā  Blue-green, blue, and green are recognized as tertiary and are used very minimally.Ā  The tertiary colours are commonly used in small spaces to add detail, as eye sockets, joint details, or inner and outer ovoids of the eye design.

Rules of Northwest Coastal Art

  • In contemporary art, the use of overlapping to achieve the effect of depth is common. In Northwest Coastal art however, there are only a few cases of overlapping that have been seen.Ā  As a general rule, overlapping is supposed to be a no go.
  • White or ā€˜blankā€™ space must be used to avoid overlapping
  • Colours must be used in the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary allotments (See ā€œUse of Colourā€)