This lesson will introduce learners to Indigenous culture and how the living environment is an important part of Indigenous culture, ceremonies, and way of life. This lesson also highlights why it is important to include Indigenous voices in archaeology and the interpretation of sites created by their ancestors.
Grade Level: 6-8
Objective: The goal of this lesson is to have learners hear about Indigenous perspectives of the land from an Indigenous person. In studying the archaeology of the past in what is today New York State, we are studying the lifeways of the ancestors of the Haudenosaunee, many of whom continue to live in the region. To better understand their culture and respect for the environment and the material culture we recover, we need to hear from their descendants.
Learning Outcomes: Learners will be able to discuss Indigenous ways of knowing about the world, how archaeological material culture links to the ancestors of living Haudenosaunee, and how the Haudenosaunee think about the world around them.
STEM: Life science, ecology
Materials: Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (https://americanindian.si.edu/environment/pdf/01_02_Thanksgiving_Address.pdf)
Time: 60 minutes
Overview: Today, most archaeologists acknowledge that Indigenous people and their traditional knowledge play critical roles in the process of interpretation and education, fueling a new era of decolonizing the field of archaeology. Archaeology needs to provide a place for Indigenous people and traditional knowledge to inform our learning about the past. This can be done by bringing Indigenous voices and worldviews directly into the study of archaeology. Including Indigenous voices highlights respect for the land we all live on today, and for Indigenous knowledge of life sciences. Engaging with Indigenous leaders will teach Indigenous ways of knowing the world, respect for nature, the solemn role of artifacts as direct links to their ancestors, and the place of material culture in Indigenous lifeways, then and now. Artifacts left in the ground by past communities and recovered by archaeologists tell the story of how Indigenous people lived in balance with the natural environment and the linkage of these objects to the living landscape.
Vocabulary: Indigenous, Haudenosaunee, sovereignty
Procedure: Ask an Indigenous person to discuss their culture with the learners. We invited Ms. Wendy Gonyea, an Onondaga Nation Clan Mother, to speak with us. Ms. Gonyea’s presentation includes the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (https://americanindian.si.edu/environment/pdf/01_02_Thanksgiving_Address.pdf), which examines the role of all elements in the environment in Indigenous life. Her presentation will ground previous and upcoming lessons within an Indigenous perspective that highlights respect for the land we all live on today, and for Indigenous knowledge of life sciences. She will also discuss traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Presentations for this lesson should focus on Indigenous ways of knowing the world, respect for nature, the solemn role of artifacts as direct links to ancestors, and the place of material culture in Indigenous lifeways, then and now.
Wrap up: We will return to the learning outcomes and ask learners about the presentation and how an Indigenous perspective on life science is similar or different from Western perspectives. We will also ask how Indigenous concepts relate to the artifacts recovered by archaeologists.