Cultural Lesson Plans for Teachers about the ... - Brown University

The Haffenreffer
Museum of Anthropology
Culture Connect:
Experience the Culture of the World
A Standards-Linked Resource Packet for Teachers
Enabling Teachers to Broaden their Tools
for Teaching about Multiculturalism
BROWN

CONTENTS
WELCOME!
About These Materials 3
Culture CaraVan: Bringing the Museum to You! 4
Links to State Curriculum Standards 5
What is Culture? 7
Three Objects, Three Cultures 16
Huipiles and the Highland Maya of Guatemala 16
Paj Ntaub and the Hmong of Southeast Asia 23
Cradleboards and the Kiowa and
Comanche Peoples of the Southern Plains, USA 29
Further Exploration 43
Acknowledgements 50
Cover Images
Top Left: Larabanga, Ghana; photograph by Sarah Philbrick.
Center Left: Cashinahua, Peru; photograph by Kenneth M. Kensinger.
Right: Hmong, Rhode Island; photograh by Patricia Symonds
Bottom Left: Hamar, Ethiopia; photograph by Anna Colaiace.
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ABOUT THESE MATERIALS
Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology welcomes you to our program,
Culture Connect:
Experience the cultures of the world!
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About These Materials
The Haffenreffer Museum has developed these materials to provide you and your students
with the opportunity to begin their exploration of world cultures. This packet expands on
the themes that are covered during the Culture Connect Culture CaraVan outreach
program, but activites in this packet can also be used independently of a Museum program.
The first section introduces the question: “What is culture?”, the section that follows introduces
three cultures, as well as three types of objects that those cultures made in the past
and continue to make today. At the end of each section, we suggest activities for you and
your students to do in the classroom. If your students are participating in our Culture Connect
CaraVan program, these activites will help prepare your class for our visit. The final lesson
plan proves a springbaord into the further exploration of other cultures. If your students are
participating in the Culture Connect program, this section can be used to reinforce what your
students learned during the program. You can adapt the information and activities provided
in this packet to the appropriate learning levels of your students. We also suggest some
websites and books that you and your students can use in your classroom to learn about culture
in general, as well the three cultures and objects described in this packet.
Vocabulary words are in bold and are listed after each section.
Learning Objectives
1. To expose students to the life ways of a diversity of cultures around
the world.
2.
To help students understand that all people need the same basic
things and use what they have available in their environment to
obtain those things.
3.
To teach students to respect cultural differences.
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THE CULTURE CARAVAN OUTREACH PROGRAM
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Culture CaraVan: Bringing the Museum to You!
The Haffenreffer Museum collects and maintains over 100,000 artifacts of human cultures from
around the world. We have offered experiential educational programs to the public for over forty
years. Through hands-on, object-based activities and inquiry-based teaching, our programs educate
students and teachers about people and societies from around the globe. Through our
Culture CaraVan outreach program, we deliver the world’s cultures right to your classroom,
enhancing the experience with objects from our world famous collections! Visit our web site to learn
more about our Culture CaraVan programs.
Culture Connect: Experience the Cultures of the World
The Culture Connect outreach program is a two-hour interactive program where your
students will travel the world with amazing objects from our collections to explore cultures
of today and yesterday through clothing, food, shelter, religion, music, and art. Your students
will become citizens of the world as they learn how similar people are and how exciting
their cultural differences can be. We will bring objects from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North
and South America to your classroom, turning it into a kaleidoscope of diversity and a
multicultural laboratory for teaching inquiry-based lessons about tolerance and respect. Visit
our website at brown.edu/Haffenreffer for more information.
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CURRICULUM STANDARDS
National and State Education Curriculum Standards
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Culture Connect provides you with a uniquely powerful way to teach to standards set by the National
Council for the Social Studies and curriculum standards used by the Rhode Island Department of
Education and the Massachusetts Department of Education in the social sciences, sciences, arts, and
English language arts. The standards this packet supports are listed below.
National Council for the Social Studies (for all grades)
I. Culture Standards a, b, c, d, e
II. Time, Continuity and Change Standard e
III. People, Places, and Environments Standards a, b, h
IV. Individual Development and Identity Standards e, g
VIII. Science, Technology, and Society Standards a, b
IX. Global Connections Standard a
Rhode Island Department of Education Grade Span Expectations
Civics & Government: C&G5(K-6)-1; C&G5(K-6)-2
Historical Perspectives: HP1(K-8)-1; HP2(5-8)-1; HP2(K-4)-3; HP3(K-8)-2
Engineering and Technology: ET1.1(K-8); ET1.2(K-4)
Reading: (K-8) R-3; R-7; R-11; R-13
Writing: (K-8) W-1; W-2; W-3; W-6; W-7; W-8; W-9; W-10; W-11
Oral Communication: (K-8) OC-1; OC-2
Visual Arts & Design: VAD2(K-12)-1; VAD3(K-8)-1c,d; VAD3(3-8)-2
Dance: D2(K-12 )-1
Music: M2(K-12)-1; M2(K-12)-2
Theater: T2(K-12)-1
Massachusetts Department of Education Frameworks
Social Science: 1.9, 2.7, 2.8, 4.15ACD, 4.16, 5.6, SEAO.1, SEAO.2
Science and Technology (K-2): Life Sciences: 1, 6, 8; Technology/Engineering: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2
Science and Technology (Gr. 3-5): Life Sciences: 8&10, Technology/Engineering: 2.1
English Language Arts (Gr. K-8): General Standards 3, 8, 19, 23, 24
Arts (K-8): Visual Arts: 1.1, 1.2, 3.3, 3.5; 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2; 5.3, 5.6; Dance: 1.14, 3.6, 3.7,
4.5, 5.1; Music: 1.8, 3.9, 5.7; Theatre: 2.7, 3.2
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CURRICULUM STANDARDS
WIDA Consortium standards for English Language Learners
ELP Standard 1: (Gr. 1-2) Listening: Following Directions, level 3&4; (Gr. 3-5) Listening:
Following Direction, level 3&4; (Gr. 6-8) Reading: Use of Multiple Resources, level 3&4;
Speaking: Instructions/assignments, level 3&4; Social Interaction, level 3
ELP Standard 2: (Gr. 3-5) Writing: Editing and Revising, level 3, 4, 5; (Gr. 6-8) Writing: Editing,
level 3&4
ELP Standard 4: (Gr. K) Writing: Colors, level 3&4
ELP Standard 5: (Gr. K) Speaking: Clothing, level 3; Homes in a Community, level 3&4; (Gr. 1-2)
Writing: Homes and Habitats, level 3&4; (Gr. 3-5) Speaking: Maps & Globes/Locations,
level 3; Writing: Communities & Regions, level 3, 4, 5; (Gr. 6-8) Listening: Maps, level 3.
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EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD
What is Culture?
Culture is, simply, the way of life shared by a group
of people. Humans all over the Earth need the
same basic things. We need food, water, shelter,
and clothing to survive. Although humans are
mammals (we give birth to live young, nurse, and
have hair), we are different from other animals in
some important ways. We are most especially largebrained,
bipedal (stand on two feet) and make
tools to help us achieve our basic needs, including
tools to help us harvest, make, and eat our food
or drink our water. We create our own shelters
(our homes) and clothing out of materials in our
environment or materials made by other humans.
Besides these basic needs, other aspects of culture
include technology, art, dance, music, religion, and
language.
Culture is something that we learn from the
people who live with and near us — our mothers
and fathers, grandparents, other members of our
families, our friends, the people with whom we
go to school, our teachers, and our neighbors.
Culture is passed down through each successive
generation. We also learn a system of beliefs,
values, and practices as we grow up. These beliefs
and values are part of our cultural traditions.
Culture is collective; we share our culture with a
group of people, often the people we grew up
with or the people who raised us. All humans have
a culture; we may have the same basic needs, but
From top to bottom:
Uman Islander, Micronesia; photograph by Eileen McDermott
Ethiopia; photograph by Anna Colaiace
Passamaquoddy, Maine; photograph by Joan Lester
Hopi, Arizona; photograph by Gino Conti
Cachinahua, Peru; photograph by Kenneth Kensinger
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WHAT IS CULTURE?
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each culture has a different set of values, beliefs, and views of the world. Your culture affects
the things you do, including many of your behaviors, but you might not even be aware of it!
Culture is only one thing that can shape your behaviors. Each person has his or her own
taste, talents, and interests. Just as each culture is different, each individual within the
culture is different as well. People can be part of more than one culture — for instance, one
person can be Jewish, a New Englander, and an American. Another person might be Hopi,
a Southwesterner, and also an American. Together they may share a common set of cultural
values and behaviors as Americans. Independently, each may practice different behaviors or
hold different beliefs based on their other cultural or sub-cultural traditions.
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe,
Massachusetts;
photograph by Rip Gerry
Cachinahua, Peru;
photograph by
Kenneth M. Kensinger
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WHAT IS CULTURE? — VOCABULARY
Behaviors
Beliefs
Culture
Traditions
Values
VOCABULARY
A person’s actions or conduct.
Something accepted as true by an individual or group.
The way of life shared by a group of people.
A system of beliefs, values, and practices passed down to people through
the people who come before them.
Principles or standards considered worthwhile or desirable.
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WHAT IS CULTURE? — REFERENCES
Internet Resources
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The Gateway to Educational Materials
http://thegateway.org/
This consortium project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and intended to provide American
teachers with “one-stop” access to web-based teaching resources, provides an excellent search engine
for teachers to locate lesson plans and Internet resources. The Gateway provides access to over 50,000
resources.
“Cultures of the World,” part of the American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids.
http://www.ala.org/greatsites
This excellent webpage maintained by the American Library Association’s (ALA) ALSC Great Web Sites
Committee, contains links to short descriptions of seventeen web pages with notations on their suitability
for Pre-K, elementary, and middle school-aged youths.
United Nations Cyber School Bus
http:www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/index.asp
Contains information about the United Nations and human rights issues for students and teachers. Features
on-line activities appropriate for students ages 6 and older, dependent on the activity.
Exploring Ancient World Cultures
http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
Sponsored by the University of Evansville in Indiana, this site teaches visitors about eight ancient cultures
and contains an index of internet sites for each.
Peace Corps: World Wise Schools: Educators
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/
As part of the Peace Corps’ Coverdell World Wise Schools program, this site provides a wealth of information
for educators on teaching about the world’s cultures.
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WHAT IS CULTURE? — REFERENCES
Books for Students
Faces Magazine: People, Places, and Cultures
Carus Publishing
Reading level: Ages 9-14
Books
Children Just Like Me
By Susan Elizabeth Copsey, Barnabas Kindersley, Anabel Kindersley, and Harry Belafonte
DK Publishing, 1995
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey Around the World
By Maya Ajmera, Anna Rhesa Versola, and Marian ‘Wright Edelman
Charlesbridge Publishing; 2nd Revision edition, 2001
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!
By Anabel Kindersley with Bamabas Kindersley (Photographer)
DK Publishing, 1997
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Cultures Around the World
By Kelly Doudna
SandCastle, 2004
Reading level: Ages 4-8
People Around the World
By Anthony Mason
Kingfisher, 2002
Reading level: Ages 9-12
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LESSON PLAN ONE
Lesson Plan One: What is Culture?
Content Objectives
Language Objectives
(for English Language
Learners)
Materials
Educational Standards
National Council for the
Social Studies:
Rhode Island
Department of
Education:
Massachusetts
Department of
Education:
Students will understand the concept of culture.
Students will learn about the cultures represented in the
classroom.
Students will make connections between their own cultures and
cultures unfamiliar to them.
Students will understand the term culture.
Students will be able to explain their thoughts in writing and
orally.
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Two sheets of poster paper, pencils, paper or blue-book for each
student, map, pins for the map, books and magazines with photos
of homes around the world, bulletin board.
I. Culture Standards a, d, e
III. People, Places, and Environments Standards b
IV. Individual Development and Identity Standard e
Civics & Government: C&G5(K-2)-1; C&G5(K-2)-2
Historical Perspectives: HP1(K-6)-1
Reading: (if “What is Culture” is assigned as a reading activity) (4-8)
R-3; R-7; R-11; R-13
Writing: W(K-8)-1; W(K-8)-2; W(K-8)-8; W(K-8)-9; W(5-8)-10
Oral Communication: (K-8) OC-1; OC-2
Social Science: 1.9, 2.7, 2.8, 4.15
Science and Technology (K-2): Life Sciences: 1, 8
Science and Technology (Gr. 3-5): Life Sciences: 8,
Technology/Engineering: 2.1
English Language Arts (Gr. K-8): General Standards 3, 8, 19, 23, 24
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WIDA Consortium
standards for English
Language Learners:
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ELP Standard 1: (Gr. 1-2) Listening: Following Directions, level
3&4; (Gr. 3-5) Listening: Following Direction, level 3&4;
(Gr. 6-8) Speaking: Instructions/assignments, level 3&4;
Social Interaction, level 3
ELP Standard 2: (Gr. 3-5) Writing: Editing and Revising, level 3, 4, 5;
(Gr. 6-8) Writing: Editing, level 3&4
ELP Standard 5: (Gr. K) Homes in a Community, level 3&4; (Gr. 1-2)
Writing: Homes and Habitats, level 3&4; (Gr. 3-5) Speaking:
Maps & Globes/Locations, level 3; Writing: Communities &
Regions, level 3, 4, 5; (Gr. 6-8) Listening: Maps, level 3.
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LESSON PLAN ONE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity One: Class Discussion, “What is Culture?”
· You may use the previous “What is Culture” section as information for your discussion, or it
may be used as a guided or independent reading activity.
·
·
·
·
Initiate a class discussion about culture. What is culture? What are beliefs? What are
values?
Ask your students to think of examples of each.
From your discussion, come up with a class definition of culture.
Write this on a large piece of paper and hang it in a prominent place in your classroom.
You can refer to this definition throughout your studies of culture.
Activity Two: What Are Our Cultures?
· Ask students to identify the different cultures to which they belong by asking their parents
and grandparents or guardians, this can also include the “American” culture in which they
are participating. Perhaps your students can identify an Irish or Portuguese or Cambodian
ethnicity within their families. Are there any cultural aspects of their ethnicity that are still
practiced by their families? How are these cultures different? How are they alike? Try to
have students think in broad categories like food, religion, wedding customs, etc.
·
·
·
Have students list these on a piece of paper or in a blue book. (Grade K can draw pictures).
Compile these into a class list on a large piece of paper and pin country locations on a map
to show all the different cultures represented in your classroom.
Have students in grades 5 to 8 write an essay about their families’ backgrounds and give
presentations to the class. Students can switch essays with a partner to have their essays
edited.
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LESSON PLAN ONE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity Three: Homes Around the World
· Every human needs shelter, but our physical environment influences our culture, including
the types of homes we construct and what we use to make them.
·
·
·
·
Have your students search for pictures of homes around the world in books and magazines
or on the web.
Ask the students to create a classroom collage of different homes on a bulletin board.
Have your students consider the following questions: Why are some homes made out of
certain materials?
Talk about the influences of the environment on culture and home construction. For
example, why might a home in the mountains of Switzerland or Germany have a steeply
pitched roof? (Snow) Why are so many homes in New England built using wood? What do
all of our homes have in common? How are they different? Why?
Activity Four: Celebrations in Our Families and Around the World
· As a class, discuss the different ways your students’ families celebrate special days. What
does each family do? How often do they celebrate or get together? What kinds of activities
are done during this holiday?
·
·
Have students bring in photographs or draw pictures of their family celebrations.
Students can work individually or in teams to research one holiday that is celebrated in
another culture. Have them write and illustrate a book about that holiday, addressing the
following questions: What is the holiday? When is it? Is it the same time each year? How
do people in that culture celebrate the holiday? What activities do they do? Do they eat
special foods? Listen to special music? Play games?
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EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD
Three Objects, Three Cultures
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We will begin our exploration of cultures of the world by closely examining three types of
aesthetic objects, each with a significant connection to three different cultures. If your class
plans to participate in the Culture Connect CaraVan outreach program, your students will get
further acquainted with these three objects and three cultures during the program.
Huipiles and the
Highland Maya of Guatemala
About the Maya
The Maya are an indigenous ethnic group of
people whose traditional homelands are in parts
of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El
Salvador. In ancient times, the Maya had many
large cities controlled by kings, and they built
many large temples. In the 16th century, the
Spanish conquered Maya lands that are now
integrated within contemporary Latin American
nations. The Maya traditionally practiced slashand-burn
agriculture; growing crops of corn,
beans, and squash as staples along with fields of
chilies, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and
avocados. Turkeys, chickens, and rabbits are also
available foods in this region. In ancient times,
Maya women wore cotton blouses called huipiles
and wrap-around skirts. Men wore loin cloths
and cotton capes draped over the shoulders.
Many Maya women today still wear huipiles and
wrap-around skirts, while most men wear jeans
and t-shirts. There is no single Maya language,
but there are twenty-one related languages. Guatemalan Children;
photographs by Margot Schevill
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA
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Maya Huipiles
A huipil (we-peel) is a type of blouse worn by Highland Maya women in Guatemala. A huipil
is a rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in the center for one’s head. A design is woven
onto the portions of the cloth that are visible when the huipil is worn over the shoulders.
Most women wear wrap-around skirts without waistbands; the huipil is tucked in and held in
place with a belt. Women weave huipiles for themselves and for their relatives. Sometimes
women make them for other women in their village or for sale.
It takes a long time to make a huipil. Huipiles are made out of cotton. In the past, the
Highland Maya grew and harvested the cotton themselves, then spun and dyed the thread
to prepare it for weaving. Today, Maya women purchase factory-spun cotton yarn. Women
weave the yarn into huipiles using a backstrap loom. They use the loom by wrapping a strap
around their hips and attaching the other end to a tree or a post. The designs they produce
are very intricate and show the weaver’s skill, so it takes a long time to weave them as well.
Since the loom produces a narrow strip of cloth, women must weave several strips and sew
them together. Finally, the huipil is completed.
Sacatepéquez, Guatemala; photographs by Margot Schevill
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA
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At one time, each community or language-group made its own specific huipil designs.
Without saying a word, a woman’s huipil could tell you which community she came from.
Huipil designs can include geometric shapes, stars and suns, and natural objects such as
flowers, birds, and butterflies. Since the Highland Maya make their living by farming, natural
symbols like the sun are very important to them. The huipil designs may have religious
meaning as well. The head hole may represent the sun and the center of the universe. When
a woman puts on her huipil, she places herself in the center of that universe, surrounded
by symbols of her family and community — in short, the symbols that are important to her
and to her culture. Highland Maya women continue to make and wear huipiles and other
traditional clothes, called traje (trah-hey), today, even with the availability of European-style
clothing.
Thousands of Highland Maya people were affected by the civil wars in Guatemala that lasted
from 1960 to 1996. The Guatemalan army killed many Mayan people who were thought to
be helping the rebels. In the 1980s, the army targeted women wearing huipiles with symbols
that associated them with communities where the army thought rebels were based. To
protect themselves, many Maya women disguised the symbols on their huipiles so that the
army could not tell which communities they were from.
Close-up of a huipil from The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology’s collection;
Photograph by Sarah Philbrick
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA
Huipiles from The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology’s collection; photographs by Sarah Philbrick
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Some examples of Maya Huipiles from the Haffenreffer Museum’s collection
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA
Backstrap loom
Guatemala
Huipil
Traje
VOCABULARY
One type of loom that Highland Maya women use to weave huipiles.
The country in Central America where many Highland Maya live.
(we-peel) A woman’s blouse that is worn by the Highland Maya in
Guatemala.
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(trah-hey) The name for traditional clothing worn by the Highland Maya
in Guatemala.
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA — RESOURCES
Internet Resources
Traje en Guatemala
http://www.rutahsa.com/traje.html
This web page, authored by Janie and Ric Finch, contains photographs and information
about traje and huipiles worn by the Highland Maya.
For Students
Abuela’s Weave
By Omar Castaneda
Lee & Low Books, 1995
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Guatemala Rainbow
by Gain Vecchiato
Pomegranate, 1990
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hands of the Maya: Villagers at Work and Play
by Rachel Crandell
Henry Holt & Company, Inc, 2002
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Guatemala: A Question and Answer Book
By Mary Englar
Capstone Press, 2005
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Guatemala: Land of the Maya
By Nancy Johnson Black and Mary C. Turck
Discovering Our Heritage Series
Dillon Press, 1999
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Books
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HUIPILES AND THE HIGHLAND MAYA OF GUATEMALA — RESOURCES
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For Teachers
Costume as Communication: Ethnographic Costumes and Textiles from Middle America and the Central Andes of
South America
By Margot Blum Schevill
Bristol, RI: Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, 1986.
Maya Textiles of Guatemala
By Margot Blum Schevill
Austin, University of Texas Press, 1993
Textile Traditions of Mesoamerica and the Andes
Edited by Margot Blum Schevill, Janet Catherine Berlo, and Edward B. Dwyer
Austin, University of Texas Press, 1996
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EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD
Paj Ntaub and the Hmong of China and Southeast Asia
About the Hmong
Hmong means “free man” or “free people”
in the Hmong language. The Hmong live
in mountainous areas of Southeast Asia,
primarily in China, Laos, North Vietnam,
and Thailand. It is thought that the Hmong
originally came from Mongolia, Siberia or
Tibet, and lived in China for almost 3,000
years. The Hmong were persecuted in
China, and so many of them left for the
highlands of Laos and Vietnam. At the
beginning of the 20th century, some moved
in to the highlands of Thailand. In the
1960s and 1970s, the Laotian civil war
and the Vietnam War disrupted their home
life. During the Vietnam War, many Hmong
fought alongside the United States against
the Communists. When the Communists
took control of Laos in 1975, many Hmong
had to flee into Thailand by crossing the
Mekong River. They stayed in refugee
camps in Thailand, and many later came
to live in the United States. Others went
to Australia, Europe, and French Guyana.
Some Hmong settled in Providence, Rhode
Island.
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Hmong Hill Tribe, Thailand;
photograph by Professors Douglas and Wanni Anderson
Hmong, Rhode Island;
photograph by Patricia Symonds
In Southeast Asia, the Hmong use “slash-and-burn” agriculture, clearing the land for farming
by cutting down trees and burning them. The Hmong grow rice, yams, potatoes, corn, and
squash. They also grow hemp and cotton for textiles. The Hmong typically live in small
villages, made up of approximately 8 families or households, although these households are
quite large — some can have as many as 50 people! Entire villages move every few years
since slash-and-burn agriculture quickly strips the soil of its nutrients.
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PAJ NTAUB AND THE HMONG OF CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
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Paj Ntaub: “Flower Cloth” or Story Cloth
Hmong women are very skilled at needlework or embroidery. For centuries the women
made all of their family’s cloth and embroidered them with beautiful colors. All of the
needlework was called paj ntaub or pa ndhau (pandow) — literally “flower cloth”. These
textiles traditionally had geometric designs or spirals, which expressed the religious beliefs
of the Hmong. When they became refugees in Thailand they also began to sew cloth with
stories or myths from Hmong history. These can be called story cloths. They are important
to the Hmong because the Hmong had no written language until the 1950s, and relied on
oral histories passed down from generation to generation. When they became refugees,
they began to sew story cloths to preserve and share history. Hmong women, and more
recently men, draw a picture on the cloth with the story that the embroiderer wants to tell.
The embroiderer then sews brightly-colored thread into the fabric, transforming the drawn
design into a brilliantly colored image.
The stories on these cloths relate to Hmong culture. Some depict myths and their creation
legends. Others show festivals, ceremonies, or scenes from Hmong daily life. After the
Hmong migrated to Thailand, many of the refugees in camps began making a new kind of
paj ntaub. These story cloths told the story of the war as experienced by the Hmong and
their migration into Thailand. In this way, the Hmong preserved their culture by recording
their experiences on their story cloths.
Flower Cloths, Laos, 1985-1986
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PAJ NTAUB AND THE HMONG OF CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
Evacuation Story,
Laos, 1985-1986
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Tiger Story,
Laos, 1985-1986
Left: Ly Plia working on applique in her yard in South Providence, 1979
Right: Hmong women creating flower cloths in Providence
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PAJ NTAUB AND THE HMONG — VOCABULARY
Embroiderer
Embroidery
Hmong
Paj Ntaub
“Slash-andburn”
Textile
VOCABULARY
Someone who does embroidery.
Detailed stitches on fabric.
This means “free man” or “free people.” The Hmong live in mountainous
areas in Southeast Asia, primarily China, Laos, North Vietnam, and
Thailand. Many live in the United States, including Providence, Rhode
Island.
Meaning “flower cloth.” These are the textiles that the Hmong make and
embroider with symbols of their culture or to tell a story.
A method used to clear the land for farming by cutting the trees down
and then burning them.
A word for cloth made by weaving or knitting.
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PAJ NTAUB AND THE HMONG — REFERENCES
Internet Resources
Hmong Needlework: Traditions Both Ancient and New
http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/hmong.htm
This site explains the history of the Hmong and the story cloths.
Books
For Students
Nine-In-One Grr! Grr!: A Folktale from the Hmong People of Laos
by Blia Xiong with Nancy Hom (Illustrator)
Children’s Book Press 1989
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Dai’s Story Cloth
by Dai HCA with Chile Tahoe HCA (Illustrator), Nhia Thao Cha (Illustrator), Chue Cha (Illustrator), and Nhia
Thao Cha (Illustrator)
Lee & Low Books, 1998
Reading level: Ages 4-8
The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story
By Pegi Dietz Shea with Anita Riggio (Illustrator) and You Yang (Ilustrator)
Boyds Mills Press, 1996
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hmong of Southeast Asia
By Sandra Millett
Lerner Publications, 2001
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story
By Pegi Dietz Shea
Clarion Books, 2003
Reading level: Ages 9-12
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PAJ NTAUB AND THE HMONG — REFERENCES
For Teachers
Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America
By Sucheng Chan
Temple University Press, 1994
The Transition of Hmong Immigrants to the United States: Oral Histories from Providence, Rhode Island
By Jamie F. Metzl
Brown University, 1986
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28

EXPLORE THE CULTURES OF THE WORLD
Cradleboards and the Kiowa and Comanche Peoples
of the Southern Plains, USA
Above: American Buffalo or Bison
Left: Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings,
Kiowa, Oklahoma
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About the Kiowa and Comanche
Although many Kiowa and Comanche people live today
in the Southern Plains of the United States, neither group
started out there. In the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, the Kiowa lived in present-day Montana. They
then moved to the Black Hills in South Dakota and into the
Southern Plains — Oklahoma and Northern Texas — by
the 1820s. The Comanche lived in the Rocky Mountains
of Colorado, along the Arkansas River. Kiowa and
Comanche tribes were nomadic people and hunted bison
as their primary food source. In 1867, the United States
government assigned the Kiowa and Comanche people
to a reservation in Southwestern Oklahoma. Their entire
way of life changed. The government sent children to
schools where they were not allowed to speak their own
languages or dress in traditional ways. The government
built houses for them instead of letting them live in tipis
and they had to give up hunting bison to become farmers.
The United States government closed the reservation in
1906, yet many Kiowa and Comanche people still live in
the Southern Plains region.
Cradles and Their Uses
Many Native peoples in North America used cradleboards
to hold their babies. Kiowa and Comanche men and
women made beautiful lattice cradles for their babies.
Many of the most highly decorated ones were made
between 1870 and 1920. Men made the frames for the
cradles, but the women, who made the beaded covers,
were considered the cradle makers due to the long hours
of work that they spent on the beadwork. Two long boards
formed the base of the cradle frames. These were held in a
29

CRADLEBOARDS AND THE KIOWA AND COMANCHE PEOPLES
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“V” shape by two cross pieces of wood. A piece of rawhide filled the gap in the middle of the
“V”. Another curved rawhide piece was put on the frame above the baby’s head to protect it,
and another was set below the baby’s feet to support them. The cradle maker covered the
rawhide with animal hide, canvas, or wool to hold the baby. Women lined the inside with
materials such as moss to cushion the baby and act as a diaper, which they would change
when necessary.
Women carried the cradleboard on their backs or in their arms, or hung it from a saddle
pommel if they were riding a horse. It could stand upright or be hung from a tree branch
while the mother was working. In this way, babies could be kept safe while their mothers
traveled or worked. Babies typically spent much of their time in cradleboards, from the time
they were born until they learned to walk.
Left: Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings and her son, Kiowa, Oklahoma
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CRADLEBOARDS AND THE KIOWA AND COMANCHE PEOPLES
The Meanings of Cradles
Creating and giving a cradle was a very special
act. Not every baby had a cradleboard. Not every
woman did beadwork, and only some of those
women made cradles. Kiowa families would
sometimes give a cradleboard to an auday,
a specially favored child who was usually the
eldest child or first grandchild. Before making a
cradleboard, family members would give thanks for
their new baby and for the materials they used to
make it.
Women known for their bead work
passed their skills down on to their
daughters, granddaughters, nieces and
cousins. Cradle makers sewed tiny beads
onto the outsides of the cradle covers,
using as many as four different stitches
to decorate their surfaces with geometric
or natural designs. A leaf was one of the
most common Kiowa designs, but each
bead worker created her own distinctive
designs, which no one else would copy
without permission. Comanche cradle
makers often painted or incised designs
on their cradle sticks. Some designs
have special meanings, representing
protection or origin.
The intricate beadwork on the cradles testifies to the high value that Kiowa and Comanche
men and women placed on their children. For the Kiowa and Comanche, the lattice cradle
symbolizes the arrival of a new life. The Kiowa and Comanche started decorating cradles
in the mid-nineteenth century, just as they were experiencing the difficult transition to
reservation life and its many changes in their culture. Cradles symbolized a family identity
and a connection to the past for many Kiowa and Comanche, and continue to do so today.
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Above: Kiowa woman
from Vanessa Jennings
Collection
Left: Kiowa Cradle now at
Gilcrease Museum,
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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CRADLEBOARDS AND THE KIOWA AND COMANCHE PEOPLES
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Cradleboards Today
Non-native collectors bought cradleboards from Kiowa and Comanche families in the early
twentieth century. Times were difficult, so many families sold their cradles for cash. Many
cradleboards are now owned by museums like the Haffenreffer Museum or by private
collectors. Some Kiowa and Comanche female and male artists make cradles today,
decorating them with beads and other materials. Families still use cradles for their children
on special occasions such as family photographs. Many Kiowa and Comanche families share
stories about the cradleboards that their grandmothers or great-grandmothers produced
and still remember the names of cradle makers from earlier generations.
Left: Lattice cradle, Kiowa, made by Daisy Mattonsaw (1871-1943), Oklahoma, 1880s
Center and Right: Lattice cradle, Kiowa, made by Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings in 1998
32

CRADLEBOARDS AND THE KIOWA AND COMANCHE — VOCABULARY
Auday
Bison
Cradleboards
Cradle makers
Lattice cradles
Reservation
Tipi
VOCABULARY
A specially favored child, usually the eldest child or the first grandchild.
The primary traditional food source for the Kiowa, Comanche and other
Plains Native Peoples. Many Americans refer to bison as buffalo.
Used by many Native people who lived on the Great Plains to carry
their babies.
Kiowa and Comanche women who embroidered cradleboards with
beads.
A type of cradleboard used by the Kiowa and Comanche between in
the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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A tract of land that the United States Government set aside for Native
Americans. The United States Government assigned Native peoples like
the Kiowa and Comanche to reservations in Oklahoma.
A portable dwelling used by many Native peoples of the Great Plains.
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CRADLEBOARDS AND THE KIOWA AND COMANCHE — RESOURCES
Internet Resources
Taking Care of Babies
http://www.eiteljorg.org/ejm_PlanYourVisit/PDFs/Family_Adventures.pdf
A lesson plan about Cradleboards by the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
For Students
Books
A Ride on Mother’s Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World
by Emery Bernhard with Drug Bernhard (Illustrator)
Harcourt, 1996
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Ways of Carrying Babies
By Bobbie Neate and Christopher Clark
Longman, 1994
Reading level: Ages 4-8
For Teachers
Gifts of Pride and Love: Kiowa and Comanche Cradles
Edited by Barbara A. Hail
Bristol, RI: Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, 2000.
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34

LESSON PLAN TWO
Lesson Plan Two: Three Objects, Three Cultures
Content Objectives
Language Objectives
(for English Language
Learners)
Materials
Educational Standards
National Council for the
Social Studies
Rhode Island
Department of
Education
Massachusetts
Department of
Education
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After investigating an art form in each culture, all students will be
able to make connections between cultures and understand how
similar different cultures can be.
Students in grades five through eight will additionally investigate
three cultures in depth and will understand how people’s ways of life
can be determined by available resources.
All students will be able to orally discuss their own works of art to
the class.
Students in grades five through eight will be able to research, write,
and give an oral presentation about the content.
World map, map of the United States, map pins, photocopies of
huipil outline, photocopies of cradleboard outline, 11X17 cardstock,
markers, crayons, glue, beads, writing paper or blue books, pencils.
I. Culture Standards a, b, c, d, e
II. Time, Continuity and Change Standard e
III. People, Places, and Environments Standards a, b, h
VIII. Science, Technology, and Society Standards a, b
IV. Individual Development and Identity Standard e
IX. Global Connections Standard a
Civics & Government: C&G5(K-6)-1; C&G5(K-6)-2
Historical Perspectives: HP1(K-8)-1; HP2(5-8)-1; HP2(K-4)-3
Engineering and Technology: ET1.1(K-8); ET1.2(K-4)
Reading: (if “Three Objects, Three Cultures” is assigned as a
reading activity) (4-8) R-3; R-7; R-11; R-13
Writing: W(K-8)-1; W(K-8)-2; W(K-8)-8; W(K-8)-9; W(5-8)-10
Oral Communication: (K-8) OC-1; OC-2
Visual Arts & Design: VAD2(K-12)-1; VAD3(K-8)-1c,d; VAD3(3-8)-2
Social Science: 4.15AD, 5.6, SEAO.1, SEAO.2
Science and Technology (K-2): Life Sciences: 1, 6, 8
Science and Technology (Gr. 3-5): Life Sciences: 8&10
English Language Arts (Gr. K-8): General Standards 3, 8, 19, 23, 24
Arts (K-8): Visual Arts: 1.1, 1.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6
35

LESSON PLAN TWO
WIDA Consortium
standards for English
Language Learners:
ELP Standard 1: (Gr. 1-2) Listening: Following Directions, level
3&4; (Gr. 3-5) Listening: Following Direction, level 3&4;
(Gr. 6-8) Reading: Use of Multiple Resources, level 3&4;
Speaking: Instructions/assignments, level 3&4; Social
Interaction, level 3
ELP Standard 2: (Gr. 3-5) Writing: Editing and Revising, level 3, 4,
5; (Gr. 6-8) Writing: Editing, level 3&4
ELP Standard 4: (Gr. K) Writing: Colors, level 3&4
ELP Standard 5: (Gr. K) Speaking: Clothing, level 3; (Gr.
3-5) Speaking: Maps & Globes/Locations, level 3; Writing:
Communities & Regions, level 3, 4, 5; (Gr. 6-8)
Listening: Maps, level 3.
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36

LESSON PLAN TWO — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
Activity One: Readings
Depending on the reading levels of the students in your class, you may choose to use the
previous readings as information for yourself to present to the class. You may also use the
readings as shared, group, or independent reading exercises.
One option is to break the class up into teams of four to five students. Make each team
responsible for reading one cultural section. Each team will then discuss their reading and
list key points to present to the class.
Activity Two: Locating the Three Cultures on a Map
• As a class, have students locate Guatemala on a classroom map. Ask them to identify the
mountains where the Highland Maya live.
• Ask students to locate China, Laos, North Vietnam, and Thailand on a map. Ask them to
locate Mongolia, Siberia and Tibet, where the Hmong came from. Have them recall when
the Hmong lived in this area.
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• Ask them to locate the Mekong River on the border between Laos and Thailand. Have them
recall when the Hmong left Laos for Thailand and why.
• The Kiowa and Comanche lived in many different places in the western United States.
Using a map of the United States or a map of the western United States, have your students
find Montana, where the Kiowa originally lived. Then have them find South Dakota and the
Black Hills.
• To show your students where the Comanche lived, have them find the Rocky Mountains
and Colorado. Have them recall when the Kiowa and Comanche lived in the northern and
western Plains.
• See if they can find where the Arkansas River is in the mountains in Colorado. Next, have
them find Oklahoma. Have them find where the reservation was in Oklahoma on the
classroom map. Explain that although the reservation ended in 1906, many Kiowa and
Comanche people still live in the same lands allotted to them there.
• Mark these locations on your classroom map with pins so students can refer to the map
throughout this lesson.
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LESSON PLAN TWO — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity Three: Design Your Own Huipil, Story Cloth, or Cradle Design
For this exercise, students can choose which object they want to make. If your class worked
in groups for the readings, you may wish to keep students in those groups for this activity.
Huipil option Draw the outline of a huipil on a sheet of paper. Make one photocopy for each
student making a huipil. Have students research some of the designs on traditional Mayan
huipiles in books and on the internet. Using paper and markers, have students draw their
own huipil designs based on their research. Students can also create their own symbols.
Have students share their designs with the class and have them explain the significance of
their chosen symbols.
Story cloth option Have students research some of the histories and stories depicted on
Hmong story cloths. Many images of story cloths can be found with an internet image
search of “Hmong story cloths.” Students should also talk to their parents or caretakers
about their own families’ stories or histories. Then, based on what they have learned about
the histories on Hmong story cloths, have students use large pieces of paper and markers
or crayons to create their own story cloths about a part of their own or their family’s history.
Some possible ideas include their family’s migration to the United States or a move to a
new city or state, how their parents or grandparents met, or scenes from their daily life.
Alternately, just as Hmong story cloths depict stories or myths, students could depict their
own myths or stories on their story cloth (i.e. how the leopard got its spots, a story about a
special day, etc.). Have students share their stories with the class.
Cradleboard option Draw an outline of a cradle from the side. Make a copy for each student
making a cradleboard. Have students research symbols and common colors used in Kiowa
and Comanche cradleboards. They can find photographs in books or on the internet.
Using markers, crayons, and even some beads to glue on, have students design their own
cradleboards. They can also create their own symbols. Have students share their designs
and explain the significance of their chosen symbols to the class.
Larger cradle and huipil outlines are available at
the end of this Activities section.
38

LESSON PLAN TWO — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
Activity Four (for grades 5-8): Research on the Regions
Keeping the teams from Session One, have students research the climate and resources
available to the three cultures:
Assign a team to research the climate of Highland Guatemala and find out what resources
the Maya obtain from their environment to make food, clothing, and their homes.
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Assign a team to research the climate of the mountainous areas of China, Laos, North
Vietnam, and Thailand. Have them find out what resources were available to the Hmong in
their homelands.
Assign a team to research why the Kiowa and Comanche moved from their northern homes
to the southern Plains in the 1800s. Have them find out what resources were available in the
north and what resources were available in the southern Plains.
Each student will write an essay about their topic. Have students switch papers for peer
editing.
Each team will present their findings to the class.
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LESSON PLAN TWO — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity Five: Making Connections
Discuss with your class the connections between these three objects/cultures. Although
each culture has a different form of art, each form served the purpose of communication.
Each used symbols to tell a story or to convey meaning, i.e. although Maya women have
access to contemporary clothing like t-shirts, many choose to continue to make and wear
huipiles because they believe it is important to communicate their identities. The Hmong
women traditionally embroidered on clothing, but when they were in refugee camps,
they started making story cloths to record their history and past ways of life. Although
Kiowa and Comanche women may use contemporary baby strollers for daily use, many still
make traditional and decorative cradle boards for use on special occasions. This serves to
continue a tradition and to communicate their heritage. It attests to the special treatment
of babies in their culture.
•
•
•
•
Discuss how each object is both utilitarian and aesthetic, i.e. huipiles are clothing but also
have decorative weaving and embroidery; Hmong story cloths are forms of record-keeping
and story telling but are also embroidered works of art; Kiowa and Comanche cradleboards
were used to carry babies while keeping a woman’s arms free, but they are also works of art
with intricate beadwork.
Discuss how identity plays a role in the designs, symbolism, media, and colors used in each
object. Have your students bring or wear an article of clothing that they feel expresses
their culture or identity. Ask them to show the example to the class or a small group and
describe why it is important to them. Have students discuss ways in which they record their
history or stories, i.e. journals, diaries, letters to friends, blogs, twitters, or through painting,
drawing, or sketching, etc.
Have students ask their parents or guardians what was used to carry or hold them. Why
did their parents use the baby carriers that they chose? (For instance, did they look for the
safest car seat? Did they use a cradle that had been passed down in the family?) How did
these change as they grew?
40

Teachers: Enlarge by 162% on 11x17 paper
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology

Teachers: Enlarge by 140% on 11x17 paper
Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology

LESSON PLAN THREE
Lesson Plan Three: Further Explorations
This lesson plan is designed to help you recapitulate with your students the main ideas in the Culture Connect
program.
Content Objectives
Language Objectives
(for English Language
Learners)
Materials
Educational Standards
National Council for the
Social Studies
Rhode Island
Department of
Education
Massachusetts
Department of
Education
Students will learn to question stereotypes.
By studying cultures in depth, students will gain tolerance and
respect for classmates and people in their communities.
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Students will understand the term stereotype.
Students in grades four through eight will be able to interview, take
notes, research, and write a report.
Photographs of stereotypes used in the media, photographs of people
from around the world, drawing paper, pencils, crayons or markers,
recorders for interview (optional), blue books or paper.
I. Culture Standards a, b, c, d, e
II. Time, Continuity and Change Standard e
IV. Individual Development and Identity Standards e, g
IX. Global Connections Standard a
Civics & Government: C&G5(K-6)-2
Historical Perspectives: HP2(5-8)-1; HP3(K-8)-2
Reading: (K-8) R-3; R-7; R-11; R-13
Writing: (K-8) W-1; W-2; W-3; W-6; W-7; W-8; W-9; W-10; W-11
Oral Communication: (K-8) OC-1; OC-2
Visual Arts & Design: VAD2(K-12)-1; VAD3(K-8)-1c,d; VAD3(3-8)-2
Dance: D2(6-8)-1
Music: M2(6-8)-1; M2(K-12)-2
Theater: T2(6-8)-1
Social Science: 1.9, 2.7, 2.8, 4.15, 4.16
English Language Arts (Gr. K-8): General Standards 3, 8, 19, 23, 24
Arts (K-8): Visual Arts: 1.1, 1.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6; Dance: 1.14,
3.6, 3.7, 4.5, 5.1; Music: 1.8, 3.9, 5.7; Theatre: 2.7, 3.2
43

LESSON PLAN THREE
WIDA Consortium
standards for English
Language Learners:
ELP Standard 1: (Gr. 1-2) Listening: Following Directions, level 3&4;
(Gr. 3-5) Listening: Following Direction, level 3&4; (Gr. 6-8)
Reading: Use of Multiple Resources, level 3&4;
Speaking: Instructions/assignments, level 3&4;
Social Interaction, level 3
ELP Standard 4: (Gr. K) Writing: Colors, level 3&4
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44

LESSON PLAN THREE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity One: A Discussion About Stereotypes
The most important lesson students can take home with them after learning about the
many cultures discussed in the Museum’s Culture Connect CaraVan program is that all
people around the world are alike in that they need the same things for survival, and all
people obtain and do those things differently based on their cultures. It is never too early to
help students learn to tolerate and respect cultural differences, and to learn to recognize a
stereotype.
•
•
•
•
•
Gather magazine images or locate images on the internet from movies, television, cartoons,
toys, and other consumer products that promote stereotypes, like this cigar store Indian
once did.
Ask your students what they think of when they see these images.
Do they have a pre-conceived image in their minds when they hear “Indian” (Native
American), “Asian,” “Hispanic,” “white,” or “African”?
Ask them to draw and discuss in groups how they came up with these images.
Find images of people on the internet that would
challenge your students’ pre-conceived ideas. Did
your students laugh or say “gross” when they learned about a
particular cultural practice during their studies (an example
might be body tattooing)? Have students research that
cultural practice further and have a class discussion about
it. (Why do people have body tattoos? Does it have special
meaning/significance? Is it for special ceremonies? Is it a
form of beautification?) In your class discussion, connect the
practice with something similar in American culture. (Do some
Americans get tattoos? Why? What other things do we do
to express meaning to others? Do we wear t-shirts or jewelry
with symbols or phrases that tell others something about our
personality? Do we wear special clothing or ornamentation
when we go to church, funerals, weddings, or other
ceremonies? What do we do to make ourselves “beautiful”?)
Cigar Store Indian, 19th Century;
Haffenreffer collections,
photograph by Sarah Philbrick
45

LESSON PLAN THREE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
•
•
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Would someone from another culture laugh at something we do? How does it make us feel
when someone laughs at us or calls us “weird,” “different,” or “gross”?
Have a class discussion about the importance in having a deeper understanding of a
person’s culture rather than making a quick judgment based on a stereotype. For example,
discuss the difference between a stereotype of an “Indian” with the understanding of an
aspect of Kiowa and Comanche culture. Use cultures examined in this packet and in the
CaraVan program in your discussion.
Lead the discussion so that students understand that having a deeper understanding
of a culture can help them see the similarities and differences with their own cultures.
Understanding cultural connections will better prepare them to appreciate rather than fear
differences.
Activity Two (for grades 4-8): Cultures in My Community
Have your students research the cultures in their communities by interviewing community
members. For Rhode Island, this might include the Cape Verdean, Narragansett,
Wampanoag, Portuguese, Irish, or French Canadian communities, among many others. You
can have your students work in teams or individually. Students may use recorders if available
or take notes. Use the interview sheet on the following page as a guide.
Fancy Shawl Dancers at Mashpee, Massachusetts;
photograph by Rip Gerry
46

LESSON PLAN THREE — STUDENT HANDOUT
Cultures in My Communitiy
Name:___________________________ Date:_____________
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Assignment: Interview someone who lives in your community who participates in a culture
other than your own.
On a separate sheet of paper, write your own interview questions. Use the questions below
to guide you.
Possible Interview Questions:
What is life like for a child in your culture? Are there traditional games, stories, and
toys?
Does your family cook or buy traditional foods? What are they? Is it easy to find the
ingredients for those foods in your neighborhood?
Do you or anyone in your family wear clothing that represents your culture? What are
they?
What celebrations or holidays does your family observe?
Are there other people in your neighborhood that share the same culture?
Have you faced discrimination when practicing aspects of your culture?
Do people of other cultures in your neighborhood welcome you?
Are there aspects of your culture that your parents or grandparents practice that you
no longer practice? Why?
After your interview: Go to the library and research further about the person’s culture.
What did you find out in your research about this culture? Based on your research, are there
other questions you would like to ask this person?
Your report to your teacher should include (1) your interview questions, (2) your interview
notes, (3) an essay about your background research, (4) your bibliography.
Bonus: Interview a second person and compare the experiences of the two people. Are
there similarities and differences between the two cultures? Are there similarities and
differences between each person’s experiences?
47

LESSON PLAN THREE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
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Activity Five (for grades 6-8): Exploring Aspects of Culture
An advanced assignment will give students their choice of a research topic. Have your
students research their favorite aspect of culture and give an oral and visual report to
the class. For example, a student that studies ballet might research a type of dance from
another culture. That student can even take a dance class and use that experience in his/her
report. A student who loves to read can read a book by an author from another culture. A
student who likes sports can research a cultural sport unfamiliar to him/her. A student of
art can research an artist and visit a local art museum. Some examples are given below with
suggested research questions. There are endless possibilities, so feel free to come up with
your own or invite your students to develop their own topics.
Research Research and Questions
Topic
Dance Take a dance class or watch a performance. Research books in the library.
How was the movement similar or different from what you are used to?
Are there certain dances for certain occasions in this culture? What special
clothing is worn / special music is played for this type of dance?
Food Find a new recipe or take a cooking class of a food from a culture other
than your own. Research the ingredients. Where can they be found? Is this
recipe prepared for special occasions or is it a common meal? How was the
food prepared traditionally and how is it prepared today? Share the recipe
with your classmates and bring sample ingredients to school. Ask your
teacher if there are concerns with food allergies before having your classmates
try any food.
Religion Research another religion. Attend a service, but ask for permission first.
How are the services structured? What do people wear? Who leads the
service? What is proper behavior? Are there restrictions to who can attend?
Ask if you can take photographs, or find photographs in books. Bring the
photographs to school and share what you learned with your class.
Sports / Research or watch a sport or game played by people from a culture other
Games than your own. When is the sport or game played? Who can play it? What
are the rules? Are there spectators? What is appropriate behavior for a spectator?
How is the winner determined? Bring photographs to school to share
with your class.
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LESSON PLAN THREE — TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS
Literature /
Oral Storytelling
BROWN
Read a fiction book written by an author from a culture other than your own.
Research information about the author. How is the author’s culture apparent
in the work? You may choose instead to watch and interview a storyteller.
Are there clues to other cultural aspects such as food, ceremonies, or
daily life in the story? Bring the book, or photographs of the storyteller, to
school and share with your class.
Family Life Visit a family or research family life in another culture. How is the family
structured? Do males and females, adults and children have different roles
in the household? Are there expected customs when guests arrive? What is
daily life like? Bring photographs to school and share with your class.
Music Check out a CD from the library or attend a performance of music from a
culture other than your own. What kinds of instruments are played? What is
the music like? Are there certain forms of dance that accompany the music?
Are traditional and modern pieces both included in the performance?
Does the artist create new works using traditional instruments? Have the
instruments been altered to make a modern sound? You may need to also
research the instruments in the library or online to find these answers. Bring
music or a video sample and photographs to school and share what you
learned with your class.
Visual Art
(painting,
pottery,
other crafts)
Attend a workshop to make a craft from a culture other than your own. You
may choose to instead visit a museum to study a cultural artifact or modern
work of art of an artist from a culture other than your own. What medium
is used? What colors are used? How are the pigments made? How are the
pigments applied? Are there colors and symbols that portray meaning? Research
the background of the artist or craft at the library and on the internet.
Is the craft or piece purely aesthetic or utilitarian? Bring the craft you made,
or a photograph or sketch of the work of art you studied to school and share
with the class.
Clothing Research clothing styles from a culture other than your own. Try to visit a
museum that has examples of clothing. What materials were traditionally
used to make clothing? How did the people traditionally obtain the materials?
Are different materials used now? How have styles changed over time?
Do males and females, adults and children wear different styles? What symbols
are used on the clothing? Are there different styles for everyday and
ceremonial wear? Bring a photograph or sketch to school and share with
your class.
The Haffenreffer
49
Museum of Anthropology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledgements
Project Director — Geralyn Hoffman,
Curator of Programs and Education, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
These materials were written by Marion Wingfield, Curator of Programs and Education (2005)
and Geralyn Hoffman, Curator of Programs and Education (2010)
Edited by Kevin P. Smith,
Deputy Director, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Special editing thank yous to Barbara Hail, Curator Emerita, at the Haffenreffer Museum of
Anthropology, for the “Cradleboards and the Kiowa and Comanche Peoples of the Southern Plains”
section; Dr. Patricia Symonds, Brown University, Department of Anthropology, for the “Paj Ntaub and
the Hmong of Southeast Asia” section; and Margot Schevill, Museum Anthropologist,
for the “Huipil and the Highland Maya of Guatemala” section.
Graphic Design and Illustrations by Sarah Philbrick,
Graphics Coordinator, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Photography coordination by Rip Gerry
Photo Archivist, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
Evaluation
We welcome questions and comments. Teacher feedback on the use of these materials in the class
room is appreciated. Please email us at haffenrefferprograms@brown.edu.
Creative Commons Attribution
This publication may be copied or reproduced without prior permission when used for educational
purposes. Please attribute the work to the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncnd/3.0/
or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California,
94105, USA.
2010
The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
300 Tower Street
Bristol, RI 02809
401-253-8388
The Haffenreffer
www.brown.edu/Haffenreffer
Museum of Anthropology
BROWN
50