Native American Indian Children and Their Life Lessons

1
Native American Indian Childrenand Their Life
Lessons

• Individual Development and Identity
• Bryan Ensel
• 10/17/2007
• EDU 432
• Dr. M. Maughan

2
How did Native American children learn?

• No schools
• Learned by watching and helping family members
• Stories passed down from family members

3
Schooling

• Schoolhouse was the home, village, forest, river,
  lakes or streams
• Teachers were parents, relatives, neighbors
• Lessons were life skills needs for survival in
  woodlands
• Teachers were patient and loving but firm
• Taught crying never worked

4
Learning Life Lessons

• Life is a gift from Great Spirit that has purpose
• It is important to be appreciative of lifes
  opportunities
• Elders should be treated with respect and
  kindness
• Good behavior and deeds are rewarded
• Bad behavior and deeds gain nothing
• Children should listen and learn to feed their
  spirit
• Animals have spirits too, and should be treated
  well
• Animals should onmly be killed for food or
  clothing

5
What did young boys do?

• Had bows and arrows
• Learned to shoot guns and stalk birds
• By 8 or 9 hunted in the woods for rabbits and
  birds
• By 12 or 13 sent to woods alone for days to
  prove he could survive

6
What do young boys do today?

• Brainstorm a list!

7
What did young girls do?

• Corn husk dolls
• Played house
• Helped in the fields
• Watched the babies and changed diapers
• Learned to cook, sew, grind corn, make clay pots
  and clean the house

8
What do young girls do today?

• Brainstorm a list!

9
Create your own story!

• Story Web
• Hamburger Guide
• Peer Review