Let's start with just a bit of general history that the children and I discussed this morning. We gathered in a circle and had a brief conversation about the rich heritage of tribes all over North America, the Pacific Islands, and more. I told the children that, while Native American dance is fun to watch and quite beautiful in nature, it isn't really done for "fun". There is a purpose to all dances--storytelling, ceremonial and spiritual. We discussed the idea of prayer through dance, and that was an interesting thing for children to consider. I asked them how they might talk to God through dance, and what ways they already prayed at school. Little brows were furrowed and in deep thought as children ruminated over how they might use their bodies to express prayer or thanks to God.
I told children about costumes, drums and singing, and how found natural items would become rattles or shakers. I had an opportunity to collect some pods from a Robinia tree and we tried those out today--they produce a wonderful, mellow rattling. We even pulled some apart to observe the seeds inside.
The Robinia Tree (Otherwise known as Black Locust):
We also explored some wonderful Native American flutes I have that were a gift from Miss Sally this year, and the children really enjoyed listening to me play and exploring them a bit. We watched this very cool Lakota Sioux Native American dancer (shown below), and then we tried telling some stories with our own moves!
All in all, it was a great day full of cultural learning and exercise!
As students left, I passed out this coloring page with a little information on Native American dance. The four year old class pretended the papers were a magic hat that made them invisible. They had to keep their bodies and voices quiet so no one could see them walking down the hall... :)
