Tauhna Cauyalitahtug (To Make a Drum)
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for Cultural Standards in Practice.
by
Jim Dillard
Kodiak High School,
Kodiak, Alaska
Project
Description & Research
Writing
Social
Studies
Science
Math
Critical
Thinking
Improvisation
Caring
for Elders
Sources
Project
Description
Students will make a traditional
Alutiiq drum. During the process of the project, students will record
the research and construction of the drum in a manner which promotes
Alutiiq culture, values and the use of traditional tools. These
skills will promote the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive
schools. At the same time, the methods used to calculate and document
the steps of the construction will promote the Alaska State Academic
Standards.
Project Research and its
Academic Parallels
1. Students will read journals of
early Alaskan explorers for historically correct uses of
drums. (Promotes reading from a
historic and cultural perspective.)
2. Students will research museum
catalogs for photos and descriptions of historic Alutiiq
drums still in existence. (Promotes technical reading,
verbal description and
accurate measurement using scientific systems of
measurement.)
3. Students will research technical
woodworking manuals on steam bending - sections
on steam bending for furniture making and boat making are
especially appropriate for drum
making. (Promotes technical reading and critical
thinking to choose what factual
material is appropriate to drum making.)
Specific topics to be explored in
these manuals will be:
a. types of wood best for
steaming
b. types of grain structure in
wood and its effects on bendability
c. moisture content best for
steaming
d. durability of woods which may
be used for drum making
e. resonance factor of woods -
Which are best for drum making?
4. Students will research technical
woodworking manuals on steam bending to learn to
design and build a steamer appropriate for drum making. (Promotes technical
reading and the critical thinking needed to adapt
steamers designed for
other uses to drum making.)
5. Students will research technical
woodworking manuals on steam bending to learn
the step-by-step process of steaming a piece of wood. (Promotes technical
reading, following instructions and sequencing.) Specific
topics to researched will be:
a. preparing the wood for
steaming
b. building steaming forms to hold
the steamed wood to shape till dry
c. drying steamed wood - allowing
for expansiona and shrinkage
Writing
The following is a set of steps that
students could take to learn to write a clear, sequenced
instructional paper using standard
technical writing formats and technical writing conventions
rules.
- Students read high school level
technical writing texts to determine the reasons
and applications for accurate
technical writing. An excellent high school text for this
step is Technical Writing:
A Reader Self -Centered Approach by Paul V.
Anderson.
- Students examine real-world
examples of instructional technical writing such as
automotive manuals, television / VCR
manuals, carpentry / building manuals and so on.
Students should pay particular
attention to material descriptions, sequencing in
instruction and
measurement.
- Students read sections of
woodworking texts which contain instruction in steam
bending wood for use in
furniture making.
- Students make a simple list of
all tools used in making a drum.
- Students make a list of all
materials used in making a drum. This should be a detailed
list which would describe the
condition, quality and source of all materials.
- Students should take sequenced
notes throughout the entire drum making process.
- After the drum is complete,
students should examine all notes for clarity and syntax
and then revise notes for
correct use of technical terms and standard technical
writing conventions. (A
condensed set of technical writing convention rules is included
with this paper.)
- Students will write an
instructional paper which would take the reader through a
step-by-step process of making a drum. The paper should be made up
of three parts: 1. a list of
tools needed 2. a list of supplies and materials needed (with
sources) and 3. the instruction
itself.
- After the document is completed,
students should have a variety of community members
read and critique the writing. These readers could include other
students, someone in the
building trades, someone who works in a technical field such as
a mechanic or a computer
technician, and, if possible, an elder who has made a drum in
the past or who has been
involved in other traditional crafts. These proofreaders should
be encouraged to write on the
document and to especially make suggestions as to its
clarity and
completeness.
- Taking into consideration the
revision suggestions made by the proofreaders, students
should then revise the paper and put
it in a final, standard technical writing format currently
used by business. Examples of this
format will be found in any of the suggested high
school level texts listed at the end of this paper.
- Students should submit the paper
to their teacher for evaluation and grade credit.
Social Studies /
Humanities
To fully understand the importance
and use of drums in both modern and ancient times, students should
investigate some or all of the following topics:
- A broad definition of religion -
this should begin with the dictionary, should investigate
ancient religious beliefs of Native
peoples throughout America and should culminate
with a thorough investigation into
the beliefs of ancient Alutiiq people. Sources for
this investigation could include Masked Rituals of the Kodiak Archipelago by
Dominique Desson, Historical Atlas
of World Mythology by Joseph Campbell, speakers
from the Alutiiq Museum, and, if possible, local Native
Elders.
- The belief in spirits of animals,
especially the concept that the animal taken for food had
to be treated with great respect so
that the spirit of that animal would return again in
the flesh to once again feed Native
people.
- Ceremonies which were held to
make contact with the spirit world to give thanks to and
pay respect to animal
spirits.
- Music (drumming and singing) as
an elemental device to make contact with the spirit
world.
- Music (drumming and singing) used
for community building and entertainment.
- The fascination that non-Native
people have with Native song, dance and drumming.
Science
The following is a list of
drum-related science questions / topics which a teacher could use to
explain various aspects of the technology used in making a drum and
in the function of the completed drum. These topics could be answered
in a simple form or could be used to launch
a full investigation into the scientific principles and their related
topics. The teacher may give the
students the included prompt, or students may discover the principle
in the prompt through research
and / or deductive reasoning.
1. Investigate: Which woods have a
high degree of bendability and Why?
Prompt: Some woods have a
long grain structure which enables them to bend
further than short-grained woods.
(related to question number two)
2. Investigate: Why does wood bend
when hot and wet, yet will break when cold and dry?
Prompt: The tubular grain
structure of the wood allows water to penetrate the wood.
The water molecules adhere to
vascular tissues and they increase the bond distance
between the cells of the vascular tissues. This allows
slippage within the structure
of the wood and allows the wood to bend without breaking.
Heat and steam cause further
expansion between the tissues.
3. Investigate: Which woods have a
high degree of resonance and why?
Prompt: When the xylem
section (central woody section) of a tree dies, the cells
in some species of wood
eventually become completely hollow (form a skeleton
cell frame). When other woods die, the cell structure remains
mostly in tact.
4. Investigate: Why do gut drum heads
stretch when wet and then shrink when dry?
Prompt: Water fills the
center of the dead cells in the gut. This causes a dramatic
expansion. When the head dries, the
cells empty.
5. Investigate: Why do cloth
(aircraft fabric) drum heads shrink (tighten) when heat is
is applied to them?
Prompt: The cotton cloth is
made entirely of cellulose. Heat causes cellulose molecules
to coil.
6. Investigate: Why do uncoated
synthetic (aircraft fabric) heads only produce a dull thud
when struck, while the same head coated
with a varnish will produce an extremely
loud "boom" sound?
Prompt: All sound is
produced by the movement of air. When an uncoated head is
struck, most of the air goes through the head.
7. Investigate: Why will fresh green
wood break if an attempt is made to steam and bend
it, while wood that has been dried and
then soaked in water will successfully bend
when steamed?
Prompt: When wood dies and
is dried out, "pits" form in the cell structure. These pits,
or holes, in the cells allow
water / steam to penetrate thoroughly throughout the
wood. Green wood still has a "closed" cells which are not broken down and
will not allow water to penetrate into all parts of the wood
structure.
Math
Using skills taught in any high
school practical math book or a book such as Workshop
Math by Robert Scharff, students
should learn to perform the following operations:
- Figure the length of a board
needed to build a drum which is 19 inches in diameter and
which has a four inch overlap for
gluing and handle attachment.
- Figure / predict the variation of
the dimensions of the drum at different stages of
construction by calculating the
amount of shrinkage in wood from its green state to its dry
or cured state. The rates of
shrinkage for different woods can be found in many
woodworking books such as Understanding Wood: A Craftsman's Guide to Wood
Technology by Bruce Hoadley.
It is likely that this drum will be made of local spruce.
Spruce will shrink laterally by 12%
and in length by approximately 2%.
- Figure the dimensions of all wood
used in the project by calculating the board feet.
Students should also evaluate the
materials at hand for quality so they can predict the
amount of waste likely in selecting a
quality board for the drum rim. This will enable them
to actually predict the entire amount
of material needed to actually produce a drum.
- Taking into consideration the
skills above (number 3) students should be able to
calculate the amount of material
needed to supply an entire class.
- Students should be able to
describe in standard business terminology the dimensions
of the materials needed to supply a
drum making class. This description should be termed
in a manner which enable them to make an accurate order of all
materials.
Critical
Thinking
All questions on this list promote
respect for the skill level of ancient Alutiiq craftsmen, and at the
same time promote adaptive / critical thinking. These questions might
be discussed in a student seminar and then could be used for prompts
in argumentative essays or paragraphs.
- How were ancient Alutiiq
craftsmen able to make drum rim boards to a consistent
thickness which would result in a
nearly perfect round drum? Keep in mind that the original
Alutiiq drum makers started with a
log and stone tools.
- How were ancient Alutiiq
craftsmen able to carve drum rims, handles and decorations
without the use of metal
tools?
- How were ancient Alutiiq
craftsmen able to steam long boards without the use of
modern steamers and especially
metal pipes?
Improvisation - Having
Fun Making Do
Watching the Elders make do with the
materials and tools at hand was a genuine learning experience for me.
I have always been one to use "the proper tool for the job," and as a
result am sometimes severely limited in what I can accomplish in arts
or crafts outside my shop. As the Elders worked on different crafts,
they always seemed to have everything they needed to finish the
project at hand.
As several of the elders were
building a skiff in camp, I noticed that there were no plans, no
blueprints, no sort of device to keep everything to scale. I was to
learn that these items, had they been there, would have only hindered
the process. All measurement was by the length of parts of the human
body, an arm span a hand span, nose to fingertip and so on. The
finished project was beautifully balanced in form and was totally
symmetrical.
As the boat was actually being
constructed, the tools used were minimal. Knowing the importance of
braces and clamps in such a project, I doubted that the quality of
work would be what it should be without (manufactured) clamps. I
watched with some delight as the braces and clamps were made on the
spot. Several boards and a small beach log were wedged between trees
close to the project. To apply downward pressure, boards were wedged
from other boards which were wedged between trees - a bit complicated
and maybe even comical to look at, but quite effective. Clamps were
made of boards around which was tied scrap line scrounged from the
beach. Strong driftwood spruce limbs were used to twist the line
tightly around the boards to clamp glue joints perfectly together
till dry. In essence, hundreds of dollars worth of tools were
replaced by locally available materials and true ingenuity. The best
part of watching the entire process was listening to the Elder boat
builders as they joked and laughed at the "homely contraptions" they
had constructed to do their work.
Several of the men at camp, including
myself, decided to make darts for Uksgaaq, the whale - dart game. I
had brought lead wire of the proper diameter to weight the heads of
the darts, but soon discovered that I did not have the proper size
3/32" drill bit to install the lead wire in the dart heads. I was
somewhat surprised one evening to find that several of the elders
were actually finishing their sets of darts. I put down what I
was doing and examined a dart made by one of the Elders. The weights
in the head were made of the shot from a shotgun shell. The holes
were drilled with a pocket knife and the lead shot was held in place
by pressure applied to the shot with the side of a pocket knife. When
I questioned that particular Elder as to where he learned the lead
shot trick, he kindly explained that he had never really learned the
method, and as a matter of fact, he had never used that particular
method before, but, he told me, "That's just what I happened to
have."
Throughout the rest of the week I
frequently saw similar incidences of on-the-spot ingenuity. From my
experiences I learned to not limit myself so much to using only the "proper tool." I
have learned that common items found in any camp or boat can be used as effective
tools. I discovered that an acceptable
tool for a given job may be in my pocket or even on the beach right
in front of me. I have begin to experience the special humor-laden
pleasure of completing a job by improvisation.
Caring for
Elders
A memorable event for me at the 2001
Academy of Elders Camp was an evening discussion group with Cecilia
Martz, a Yup'ik educator. Although I had a variety of things running
through my mind at the time of the discussion, I still remember
(without notes) the majority of the material in that discussion. One
of the main points of focus in this discussion was a set of rules
that Cecilia was taught as a child to follow . These were the rules
regarding the care and treatment of Elders in the community. In my
own village experience I had participated in sharing with Elders in
the community, but after this discussion, I now realize that a fairly
strict set of guidelines could have made that sharing much more
meaningful for both the Elders and myself.
I remember often coming home with a
tub full of king crab. I would always have my children climb in the
back of the truck. We would drive around to the Elders' homes, honk
and hold up a crab or two. If we received an affirmative nod in
return to the honk, one of the kids would run up to the house with
the crab. At the time, this act seemed noble enough, but I never
thought past that moment. It can be a significant burden on an Elder
to have to prepare a crab or any other wild food. Cecilia told us
that one of the strictest rules to be followed is that food taken to
the elders "must always be fully prepared." The burden of food
preparation should never be placed on the Elder. This made total
sense, especially in light of the fact that cooking a few more crab
would be an insignificant amount of extra work when one is already
cooking a few dozen. Several additional minutes of easy and
pleasurable work on the part of the giver could certainly be a relief
to the Elder on the receiving end. A small effort on the part of one
can be a wonderful gift to the other.
Another food rule that struck me as a
powerful caring tool was the fact that a certain percentage of the
main courses of every meal were designated for Elders. Most of us get
in a hurry, we forget, we rationalize, we find it easy to not do what
we promised ourselves that we would do. However, most of us are
creatures of habit, and once we form a habit of preparing that
little bit extra, we will find it easy to do our ethical duty to the
Elders. Making the bit extra will become automatic, because it is a
personal rule - just something that we do.
There were other "rules" related to
us by Cecilia that all were easy - an insignificant amount of work
for the giver - that would mean a great deal to any Elder. But these
were all kindnesses which would only reach their full potential if
practiced as a routine part of one's life. They all have to be built
into our personalities to become truly effective.
I fully realize that what worked for
Cecilia Martz as a child may not always work in a modern society such
as that found in Kodiak, Alaska. And I fully realize that in our
culture, where most of our food comes from the grocery store, that to
share a bit of everything would be a financial burden on most of us.
My evening with Cecilia did, however, set my mind to work with what I
could do within my own schedule and within my own financial
limits.
As my fishermen friends tell me to
come down to the boat to "take what I want," I now make it a habit to
take a few extra, and when my wife and I grill those salmon and black
cod we cook a few extra fillets for the Elders down the street. It's
little trouble for us, and the response we get is magical. When
making a month's worth of kindling, it is only twenty minutes extra
work to fill a box which can be left on an Elder's steps. And, as I
begin to build our new fish smoker in the next few months, thanks to
Cecilia, we will designate one rack on the top as the Elder
rack.
Jim Dillard, participant at the 2001
Academy of Elders/ Science Camp
Sources
Technical Writing:
Technical Writing : A
Reader Self-Centered Approach by Paul V. Anderson,
Harcourt, Brace 1995
The School to Work Sourcebook
by Pat Sebranek, Verne Meyer and Dave Kemper
- D.C. Heath and Co. 1996
Technology by Brad and
Terry Thode - Delmar Publishers 1994
Woodworking:
Understanding Wood: A
Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology by Bruce
Hoadley - available from Highland Hardware, 1045 N.
Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA
30306
Wood Bending Handbook by
W.C. Stevens and N. Turner - available from
Woodcraft Supply, 560 Airport Industrial Park, P.O. Box
1686, Parkersburg, WV
26102
Math:
Workshop Math by
Robert Scharff - available from Highland Hardware,
1045 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanda, GA
30306
Drums:
The Etholen Collection:
The Ethnographic Alaskan Collection of Adolf
Etholen in the National Museum of
Finland by Pirjo Varjola Pub.
National Board of Antiquities of Finland (Excellent
photos of Alutiiq drums collected on Kodiak Island in 1846.
Has precise measurements which
can be used to replicate student-made drums.)
Drums, Use of:
Crossroads of Continents:
Cultures of Siberia and Alaska by William Fitzhugh
and Susan A. Kaplan Pub. Smithsonian Institution Press,
1988 (for a brief description
of Aleut / Alutiiq pre-Christian religion)
Masked Rituals of the Kodiak
Archipelago by Dominique Desson, Ph.D. (copies
available for loan at the Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak)
Inua: Spirit World of the
Bering Sea Eskimos by William Fitzhugh and Susan
A. Kaplan Pub. National Museum of History with the
Smithsonian Instutution Press.
(Althouth not about Alutiiq culture, this book explores
in great detail the purposes of many
aspects of traditional Native ritual, and explains
the functions of made objects in those rituals.)
Social Studies /
Humanities:
Alaska Standards for
Culturally-Responsive Schools Pub. by the Alaska
Knowledge Network, 1998
Historical Atlas of World
Mythology by Joseph Campbell Pub. Harper and
Row, New Youk (explanation if the
importance of ritual in Native American cultures)
Ask an Elder.
Science:
Any high school botany
book.
Plant Physiology by Frank
B. Salisbury and Cleon W. Ross Pub. Wadsworth Publishing,
Belmont CA
Handbook
for Culturally Responsive Science Curriculum by Sidney Stephens
Excerpt: "The information and insights contained in this document will be
of interest to anyone involved in bringing local knowledge to bear in school
curriculum. Drawing upon the efforts of many people over a period of several
years, Sidney Stephens has managed to distill and synthesize the critical ingredients
for making the teaching of science relevant and meaningful in culturally adaptable
ways." |