WHOUY SZE KUINALTH
"Teaching Our Many Grandchildren"

 

 

 

Where Does Our Food Come From?

STATE STANDARDS English/Language Arts A. A student should be able to speak and write well for a variety of purposes and audiences. B. A student should be a competent and thoughtful reader, listener, and viewer of literature, technical materials, and a variety of other information. C. A student should be able to identify and select from multiple strategies in order to complete projects independently and cooperatively. E. A student should understand and respect the perspectives of others in order to communicate effectively. Geography A. A student should be able to make and use maps, globes, and graphs to gather, analyze, and report spatial information. B. A student should be able to utilize, analyze, and explain information about the human and physical features of places and regions. E. A student should understand and be able to evaluate how humans and physical environments interact. F. A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future. CULTURAL STANDARDS B. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to build on the knowledge and skills of the local cultural community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic success throughout life. C. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to actively participate in various cultural environments. D. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to engage effectively in learning activities that are based on traditional ways of knowing and learning.

© Bill Hess Moose quarters and head hang under a tree ready for final butchering and use.   OBJECTIVES Students will: 1. learn about the sources, location and availability of local food. 2. develop mapping skills. 3. interact with Elders to gain pertinent information. 4. understand subsistence issues of the past and present.

Lesson GRADES K -12 Activities: Make a list of foods commonly found in your area. With the help of Elders, construct a chart. The chart will be different depending upon where you live. It may look similar to this example:

Type of Food	Availability	Methods of Getting Food	Location
Moose	Hunting Season	Hunting (Adults)	High in mountains during early fall lakes & ponds
Caribou	Winter	Hunting (Adults)	Tundra Areas
Salmon	June, July, August	Fishing (Adults)	Rivers
Blueberries	Late Summer	Gathering (Adults & Children)	Scattered Growth

2. Make a list of foods that an Athabascan person can obtain today. This time, include foods you can buy at a store and commonly eat. Think of: a. availability b. method of obtaining food c. location d. cost e. nutritional value 3. Make a map of the area around your community and label the map, "Food Producing Areas." a. Color those areas that produce food. b. Make a scale plastic overlay marked off in a grid. Place it over your map and count the square units (measure in miles) that can support life to supply food. What percentage of the total area supports food sources? 4. Make a seasonal hunting chart like the one above for your area. 5. Report your findings using Power Point or a similar program to the class and schedule a meeting with the Village Council to present findings. 6. Reflect upon findings in a journal entry. 7. Speak with the Tribal Council and Elders about subsistence issues of the past. Discuss the importance of these issues to the Village. Research current day issues. Connect any continuing subsistence issue trends from the past to the present in State laws, politics, or court decisions. 8. Recall from memory (mental mapping) areas that are sources of food for the Village. Have an Elder listen for accuracy to your recollection of these areas. 9. Arrange for an outdoor field trip with an Elder(s) for food gathering, i.e. root gathering.

Teacher Note: Local food sources vary from one Village to another. Local food may come to us from forests, flats, tundra, rivers and lakes (i.e. fish,caribou, geese, ducks, moose, berries, roots, etc.). Each Village has different resources and, therefore, different sources. The Elders and Village Council can help you and the students identify the important food sources for the Village.

Discussion Ideas:

1. What was life like in the Village when all food was collected by fishing, hunting, or gathering?

2. What percentage of your food is obtained from hunting, fishing, and gathering? What percentage is store-bought?

3. Discuss the benefits and costs of obtaining food locally. What processes are eliminated when you gather food locally? (Freight, packaging, advertising, etc.) What do you gain when you gather food locally? (self-sufficiency) What expenses do you incur? (equipment, expense/repair, guns, shells/bullets, etc.)

 

Mentasta student, Dawn Marie Rice.

Courtesy of Megan Holloway

 

	Dedication MSTC Mission Statement Introduction Prelude In A Sacred Manner, by Wilson Justin Learn & Serve Focus Groups
	ELDERS DENAEY (PEOPLE) Interview of Elders Clans of Chistochina & Mentasta Why Are We Here? Who We Are		NANINEH (LAND) Our Way of Life Mapping the Village What A Waste Raw Materials Our Natural Resources Weather/Climate
	TUU (WATER) Water, Water Our Watershed		C'AAN (FOOD) Where Does Our Food Come From? Gathering, Traditions and Nutrition of our Food Keeping Ourselves Healthy A Student Led Health Fair
	Assessment & Performance Evaluation Rubrics Learn & Serve Program Sources, Resources Thank You

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