ASSEMBLY FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS - ON - NATIVE WOODLAND INDIANS
BEST IN THE BUSINESS - 30 YEARS IN SCHOOLS Piankeshaw Trails Native Woodland Educational Programs
Who Are We? Piankeshaw Trails is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve Native Woodland Cultural History through authentic educational hands-on interactive presentations. The director is Sheryl Hartman with over 25 years experience in teaching children in the classroom, and at numerous sites throughout the country. She has a degree in Anthropology. Sheryl has some Shawnee ancestors and works as a sub for Indiana Schools. She has authored several books and short stories available at our programs and on our website. Piankeshaw Jessica Eaton has seven years experience with Native programs and Steve Tucker is a retired teacher and serves as our president and illustrator.
What Do We Offer? Through extensive hands on demonstrations & audience involvement, we offer insight to the Native cultures in the Midwest. The programs are generated through audience participation. We guide the audience into a new understanding of themselves by introducing them to past cultural lifeways that have a profound effect on our current lives. We offer teachers opportunities to incorporate our research into their curriculum. We engage the audience with information about Native cultural history in their own area so that it becomes more personal for each specific group or school.
We enhance traditional classroom lesson plans and encourage students to use their imaginations. We show students how technology, math, and science were used in ancient times. From the foods we eat to the roads we drive over, we show our audiences how Native people contributed much that we make use of even today in our high tech world. School programs strive to meet or exceed academic standards for social studies for grades 3-4-5.
What Do We Cover? We cover the Woodland Indians from 2,000 years ago including Hopewell, Mississippian, Fort Ancient, and Miami, Shawnee, Piankeshaw, Lenape, Potawatomi, Ojibwa, and touch on others. We emphasize the sophistication of tools, structures, clothing, lifeways and the uses of plants and animals. We try to move the audience, from the old way of looking at “Indians,” as just beyond “cave dwellers,” to thinking about them as highly developed cultures with complex processes for raising their children, tending to their homes, and food supplies.
What Do We Bring? We bring in over 150 items including samples of plants, containers, clothing, textiles, and hunting equipment, which are used in safe hands on demonstrations. We also offer the means for students to learn the basics of hide tanning from scraping off fur and membrane, to using the brains, and trying on the finished products. We ask that three large tables be arranged ahead of time for the artifacts, clothing, tools, and educational items. We also offer several publications for sale that enhance or illustrate further the information presented in the programs. The programs feature many sensory experiences, therefore are great for special needs audience members.
Who Is Our Audience? Audiences range from students or scouts of 15-250 in a classroom, museum, auditorium, library, or outside camp. We also do general audience programs, talks, lectures, and hands on activities for museums, civic organizations, and special events.
When and Where Are We Available? We are available all year long and travel to areas of the Midwest including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Michigan. If we travel over 150 miles we like to be able to schedule more than one program in that area such as several elementary schools or a school presentation one day and a historical society meeting perhaps the next day.
Where Does the Documentation Come From? We rely on firsthand accounts left by Native Americans, Church, Explorers, traders, and the Military. We also have access to interviews with real Native Americans from the region and utilize period artwork. We consult with museums, libraries, and archeologists regularly.
What is the Length of the Program? We offer programs that are introductory 1-hour programs and more in-depth programs that are about 2-hours long. We also offer to repeat the program for more than one grade level or audience during the day.
What Are the Fees? Classroom Programs Range from: $150 for one-hour to $250-$300 for two-hour programs within 100 iles. All day programs or two 2-hour presentations can range from $350-$600 depending on distance. Gas mileage is included in the price. Special weekend events can range from $450 up to $700. Overnight accommodations are an additional fee in some cases. We try to keep our prices as low as anyone in the field of school assemblies.
Suggestions for funding: Try local businesses, banks, PTO or Grants. The economy is tough, but this is a worthwhile investment in learning, so please contact us today. We can work together!
812-508-2243
977 Arthur Rd. Springville, IN 47462
SchoolAssembly programs usually last around 2-hours— some schools hire us for an all day adventure with one grade level, while a few others have time for just a 1 hour or 1.5 hour program. Here are many of the highlights of such presentations. Variations include length of time devoted to each topic, addition of games, language lesson, and special requests. Some of these activities may not be included in the shorter presentations or revised due to lack of time. All programs are hands on, interactive , & engaging for all ages and audiences. Historical Society meetings, scout camps, social service organizations, and other general audience programs vary accordingly.
Brief Introduction to Basic School Assembly:
Greeting and Introduction to Audience– Brief
There are 3 Major Areas that are covered:
1. Prehistoric Native Woodland Cultures
Plants, Stone Tools, Shell, Bone, Weaving, Twine, Clothing, Wampum, Food
2. Hunting, ID of Animals, Tools, Hide Tanning Procedures, Clothing
3. Fur Trade
(Extra — Games, Language, Special Requests for Topic or Materials, & Questions and Answer Time)
1. Prehistoric Native Woodland Cultures:
Touch on Paleo, Woodland and Emphasize Hopewell, Mississippian, Fort Ancient
A. Showing Models of Native Woodland Houses after questions to students regarding what types of houses were used by Native Woodland Indians
B. Discussion and audience generated demonstrations of use of stone tools, cutting raw materials and girdling a tree—students learn to construct dugout canoes
C. Showing samples of plants starts questions, discussions and demonstrations of village site location, procurement of plants, processing them, and what they were used for and how important they were in ancient Native Woodland cultures– revealing samples of pottery that have fabric impressions from ancient villages
D. Students try on simple burden straps, belts, twined bags, samples of plant fiber clothing, jewelry, and more
E. Discussion of communication leads to use and making of wampum, with student demonstrations
F. Discussion of Hopewell & Mississippian cultures as technologically advanced leaving behind monumental earthworks and agricultural practices that were continued and altered by Euro-Americans along w/ trade networks bringing unusual items such as shells from pacific, obsidian, copper, and galena from outlying regions.
G. Introduction of Foods—Containers, Agriculture, roles of Native families in production
H. Stone tools—students are shown types of stone, and cut twine with stone tools–
I. Student tries on wood slat armor—technology abandoned upon arrival of Europeans
2. Hunting Practices, Hide Processing
A. Students ID animals from woods
B. Students are asked what weapons are used and are part of hands on demonstrations
C. Hide Tanning Begins—students are introduced to major steps of important activity including fleshing, scraping, softening, (use real brains) braining and staking - both teachers and students are invited to participate
D. Students try on finished samples of furs, quillwork and tanned hide clothing
3. Fur Trade
A. Students are asked to name the culture, country, specific person and location of an event that came into the Great Lakes and changed the lives of the Native people forever ( Europeans; France; Robert Cavalier de La Salle; South Bend of St. Joseph River in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. They are asked to identify the reason for the activity. Students are given roles to play as fur traders (voyageurs) and Native village members and are given clothing and props fitting the roles
B. Students are shown trade items and comparison is often made to Native made items to open discussion on stereotypes of European items generally accepted as better—hoping students will change their thinking on that when things are sometimes revealed to be only more easily accessible and not necessarily “better.”
C. Marriage between French and Native Women is demonstrated through a brief wedding between the French voyageur and a daughter of the chief (Although very amusing in class, is based on real historical events)
D. If time allows, one or more students try on clothing comparing the materials and styles through the ages, as Natives become more reliant on fur traders and Americans in 19th C.
4. Games and Language Lesson—Q&A
A. If time allows—Double Ball, Fire Tender games played—Nearly all programs end with a brief and amusing Miami language lesson and brief Q&A— Thanks for being a Great Audience
