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RABBIT
SNARING
RABBIT SNARING
Author:
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Iditarod Area School District
Sarah Hanuske-Hamilton
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Elders and Local
Experts:
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Edna Deacon, Lina Demoski, Helen Dick,
Local Experts: Philip Esai, Katherine Hamilton, Grace
Holmberg, Mary Ellen Esai.-Kimball, Betty
Petruska
|
Grade Level:
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4 - 6
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Context:
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Winter Activity
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AKRSI Region:
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Interior Alaska - Athabascan
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GOALS
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Students will learn the life cycle of the
hare, its characteristics and behavior, and its habitat
through the traditional activity, rabbit snaring.
Students will apply the local traditional
and current subsistence skills to safely catch and prepare
the hare through interaction with the Elders.
Students will learn the local traditional
beliefs and values regarding the treatment of the hare and
the environment along with Native language words and phrases
that accompany rabbit snaring activities.
Students will develop science and math
skills and concepts through the traditional activities
involved in rabbit snaring.
|
ALASKA STANDARDS
The goals, knowledge and skills, and activities of
this unit address the Alaska Science and Math Content Standards and
the Cultural Standards for Students as follows:
MATH STANDARDS A student who meets the
content standards should:
A4 represent analyze, and use
mathematical patterns, relations, and functions using methods such
as tables, equations, and graphs;
B1 use computational methods and
appropriate technology as problem-solving tools.
Skills and knowledge
A student will be able to:
1. discover and use a mathematical
formula to describe the population increase of the hare.
2. analyze data from a graph to describe the
predator-prey relationship.
SCIENCE STANDARDS A student who meets
the content standards should:
A14A understand the
interdependence between living things and their
environments;
A14C understand that a small change in a
portion of an environment may affect the entire environment
(Interdependence);
A15 use science to understand and
describe the local environment (Local Knowledge); and
Dl use the processes of science; these
processes include observing, classifying, measuring, interpreting
data, inferring, communicating, controlling variables, developing
models and theories, hypothesizing, predicting, and
experimenting.
Skills and knowledge
A student will be able to:
1. recognize the hare's habitat and
describe its behavior including special adaptive
characteristics.
2. describe the interdependence of the animals,
plants, and humans through the food web and how population cycles
are affected.
3. design snaring experiments based on
knowledge of habitat and behavior of the hare.
4. list characteristics of the hare family
(classification), its body structures and functions.
CULTURAL STANDARDS Students who meet the
cultural standards are able to:
A4 practice their traditional
responsibilities to the surrounding environment;
C1 perform subsistence activities in
ways that are appropriate to local cultural traditions;
D1 acquire in-depth cultural knowledge
through active participation and meaningful interaction with
Elders.
Skills and knowledge
A student will be able to:
1. describe and practice respectful behavior
toward the hare and the environment.
2. describe older traditional rabbit hunting
practices and retell traditional rabbit stories.
3. observe and perform all the traditional
subsistence activities associated with rabbit snaring including:
making snares, setting and checking snares, skinning the hare, and
preparation and uses of the hare.
4. use Native language words and phrases with
the activities.
5. interact respectfully with the Elders and
local experts.
OVERVIEW
Elders from the Iditarod School District met in
McGrath and Nikolai to advise what students should learn about rabbit
snaring and to share their knowledge and wisdom. They told us that
formerly rabbit was a very important source of food when other
animals became scarce. During times of hardship, people had to use
all
resources. Maybe a time will come again when
people will need these skills.
In this unit students will work with Elders and
their teacher to develop subsistence and Native language skills
through which they will learn and apply math and science
concepts.
Four unit lessons have been developed with a
variety of activities in each. The learning situation and resources
will determine the order and which activities are possible. The "Habitat And Habit" and "Anatomy and Function" activities
can be
intermixed among the subsistence ones. Several assessments and some
resource information have been included. Native language
opportunities will happen more often than mentioned in the lessons.
Language arts and social studies activities can be integrated into
these lessons. When new math and science activities occur, be sure to
add them to this unit.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Habitat And Habits
Activities
Habitats of Hare and Rabbit
Snowshoe Hare Habitat
Finding and Observing Tracks
Recognizing Animal and Bird Tracks
Making Casts of Tracks
Snowshoe Hare Food Chain/Web
Hare Population Increase Problem
Hare-Lynx Population Peaks and Crashes
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III. Anatomy and
Functions
Activities
Develop own Classification System
Traditional Animal Classification
Rabbit Family -
Lagomorpha
External Anatomy of the Hare
Mammal Comparison-Teeth
Dissection-Internal Anatomy and Function
|
II. Snaring The Snowshoe
Hare
Activities
Snaring Techniques Survey
Making A Snare
Rabbit Fences and Drives
Safety Precautions
Setting and Checking Snares
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IV. Skinning and Using the
Hare
Activities
Respectful Treatment of the Hare
Skinning The Hare
Traditional Uses of the flare
Traditional Food Preparation
Stories and Beliefs
|
RESOURCES
As in all of the locally based cultural
mini-units, the most important resource for the teacher and students
is the local elders and cultural experts. They should
be invited to take part in the lessons both in and out of school.
Their knowledge of the animals being studied is extensive and they
can also pass on to the students valuable lessons from their
traditional Athabaskan culture.
Useful information for teaching this unit may also
be found in the following books and publications:
Alaska Alive,
Alan Dick, Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative,
University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1998.
Alaska Mammals, Alaska Geographic Volume 8,
Number 2, Anchorage, 1981 Alaska's Mammals, Dave Smith, Alaska
Northwest Books, Anchorage, 1995
Ecosystems of the Great Land
developed by The Northern Institute, Inc. for the Alaska Department
of Education, Juneau, 1986.
Make Prayers to the Raven Richard K.
Nelson, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1983.
Mammals of Alaska, Alaska Geographic
Guides, Anchorage, 1996
Rabbits And Hares, Robert Whitehead,
Franklin Watts, Inc. New York, 1976.
The Snow Book, Western Education
Development Group, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
1978.
The Wildlife Notebook Series, Alaska
Department of Fish and Game, available from APLIC, 605 W. 4th, Suite
105, Anchorage, AK 99501
907-271-2737
LESSON 1
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HABITAT and HABITS
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ACTIVITY
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Habitats of Hare and
Rabbit
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The snowshoe hare is the animal most of the
students will be snaring. Although rabbits and hares look similar and
have many of the same habits, there are some important differences.
Ask students to decide which animal could survive the best in their
area. Show two pictures, one of a rabbit warren and one of a hare
hiding in the grass.
Wild rabbits live in a warren they have dug
in a hillside. It can have many tunnels, entrances, and exits. The
warren can have a number of living areas for different rabbit
families.
Hares live in sunken places in the grass called
forms. A form is a nest where the hare's body has pushed down
the grass.
Questions:
Could rabbits dig deeply in the ground
and form warrens where the students live? What prevents this? Is
there permafrost? What is the water level? Bogs? Marshes?
When wild rabbits young, kittens, are born,
they cannot see or hear and have no fur. Helpless baby rabbits do not
open their eyes for 7 -
10 days. Hares young, leverets, are
born fully covered with fur. They can see, hear, and even walk around
after their mother has licked them dry.
Questions:
The first litter of young are born in
mid-May in Alaska. What are the temperatures in May? Which young
would most easily survive in May in Alaska, the rabbits or the
hares? Why?
ACTIVITY
|
Snowshoe Hare Habitat
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Students will first brainstorm with their teacher
about the snowshoe hares habitat. Then have them go outdoors and
explore the environment as a hare would, looking for protective
shelter and goad food sources. This is a pre-activity which will help
students later in finding good places to set snares.
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HABITAT
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Spring
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Summer
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Fall
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Winter
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Shelter
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Water
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Food
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Protection
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Food and escape trails
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Questions:
Where does the hare live? Does it stay in
the same place all day?
Does it eat the same kind of food in the winter
and summer? Does a hare eat meat and/or plants? What are the dues
that a hare has been eating something? What time of day do hares
feed?
What adaptations does the hare have to disguise
and protect itself from predators?
What does the trail system provide?
What Native names have been learned to describe
the habitat?
INFORMATION
from the Wildlife Notebook
Series:
The most common and widespread hare in Alaska is
the snowshoe (Le pus americanus). It is distributed over the
state except for the lower Kuskokwim Delta, the Alaska Peninsula, and
the area north of the Brooks Range. The arctic hare (Lepus
tirnidus) is found on the western coast of Alaska and the
peninsula, but is sparely distributed along the Arctic coast.
Windswept rocky slopes and upland tundra is the usual habitat for the
arctic hare.
from Alaska Mammals page 146:
Snowshoe hare remain in their home territory, and
seldom travel more than a few hundred yards or a quarter of a mile
from their birthplace. Most spend their lives within an area of no
more than 100 acres. A hare pursued by dogs circles again and again
through territory it is familiar with, and it is almost impossible to
drive the hare out of its home range.
Most snowshoe hare have a favorite spot, usually a
knoll or slight elevation where they will watch their surroundings
for enemies or nearby activity.
The hare sleeps fitfully during the day in the
grass in summer or under bushes and thickets during the winter. Their
trail system leads to food and shelter. Hares feed at dawn and dusk.
In quiet places or on a cloudy day, they may be found feeding during
the day. Their preferred winter food is willow, birch, popular, and
jack pine. Unless they are starving, they feed lightly, if at all, on
black spruce and green alder. They actually grow fat during the
winter as each snowfall brings them to a new level of fresh buds and
twigs to gnaw on. Twigs that have been cut off bluntly at a 45 degree
angle indicate that hares have been feeding in the area.
The snowshoe hare is also called the varying hare
because it changes color with the seasons, white in winter, grayish
or brown in summer, and mottled during the change of seasons. When
their camouflage color doesn't protect them, they can burst instantly
out of a sitting position and leap, dodge, and twist to evade
predators. The hare can outrun a fox, lynx, or wolf over a short
distance.
ACTIVITY
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Finding and Observing
Tracks
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Have the students find a variety of man-made,
machine, and animal tracks. Students can work in pairs or
individually.
Have the students imagine they are the advance
team from another planet. They have only a short time to explore the
third rock from the sun" before their spaceship leaves. They land on
a day so cold that no animals, people, or machines are moving about.
They find tracks in the snow and must decide what kind of life forms
made these tracks. Students will analyze the tracks using the
following questions and directions:
1. Draw 5 different tracks that you
find.
2. In which direction are they going?
3. Can you tell the speed at which the something
was moving?
4. Can you tell how the something made the tracks,
jumping, walking, sliding, rolling, etc.?
5. Can you tell what the size and weight of the
something is?
6. Are there other clues in the snow besides the
tracks to tell you what the something was doing?
7. Are the tracks old or fresh?
8. Make up a story for your boss back on Planet X
describing the something you found on earth based on one set of
tracks including the other clues you found.
ACTIVITY
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Recognizing Animal and Bird
Track
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Have students list the hare's predators. lynx,
fox, martin, weasel, hawk, owl,
Have students draw without looking the tracks of
the hare and its predators; then have them compare their drawings
with actual pictures of the tracks.
A concentration game could be made of the animals
and their tracks. Place the cards of each face down and mix. Each
player in turn picks up two cards. If there is no match, the cards
are placed in their original position, If the two are a pair (animal
and track), the student has another turn; otherwise, it's the next
student's turn. Using the Native names of the animals on the cards is
another variation.
ACTIVITY
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Making Casts of Hare and Predator
Tracks
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Have the students work in pairs or small
groups.
Materials:
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plaster of Paris
water spray bottles
cardboard strips 3" x 12"
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toothbrush or small, stiff
brush
paper cups
salt Borax (optional)
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Instructions:
1. Choose a clear hare or predator track; spray it
with a light mist of water which will harden the track with a thin
coating of ice.
2. Once the track is hard, make a collar to fit
around it. Push the collar down an inch into the snow and fasten with
a paper clip.
3. Mix plaster of Paris and water together in the
paper cup. It should be smooth like whipped cream, no lumps. Add a
pinch of snow to speed up the hardening process.
4. Pour the mixture slowly and carefully into the
collar until it is about 1 inch deep. Tap the collar lightly with a
stick as you pour; this will help the plaster to work itself into all
the little crevices.
5. Let the plaster harden for an hour, remove the
collar.
6. When the face of the track is hardened and dry,
lightly brush it smooth.
7. To further harden casts, boil in a solution of
5 ml Borax to 1 liter of water.
8. Casts can be painted and varnished.
9. To make a positive track, coat the first cast
with petroleum jelly and follow the instructions for making the first
cast. from The Snow Book
Questions:
Are the tracks fresh or old?
Is the animal sitting, standing, walking,
running, or darting?
What are the measured distances between the
tracks?
Follow some
tracks, observe the pattern, and find dues in the environment.
(What did the rabbit eat? Was it frightened? By what?).
Write a story based on the tracks
found.
ACTIVITY
|
Snowshoe Hare Food
Chain/Web
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Have students work in pairs or small groups to
develop a food chain/web revolving around the hare. It could be
illustrated with graphics, words and pictures, flow chart, or as a
game.
Questions:
Increase or decrease a link in the food
chain/web. What is the result? Increase hare, decrease willow;
increase willow, increase hare; increase trapping
of lynx; increase hare, etc.
What natural occurrences change the population
of plants and animals? Floods and disease decrease hare; fire
encourages growth of willow and birch
afterwards creating more food for
the hare.
ACTIVITY
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Hare Population Increase
Problem
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This math activity is to calculate how many
offspring a pair of hare would have in five years. A female snowshoe
hare has 2 to 3 litters a year starting in mid-May. Four to 6
leverets are born in each litter. The young are on their own after
one month.
For the problem the hare pair will be introduced
to your area which has no snowshoe hare. They will have 3 litters.
The first litter averages 4, the second 6, and the third 4 for a
total of 14 leverets. At the end of the first year the population
would be the 14 offspring plus the two parents for a total of
16.
No hare will die for the next four years. The
litters will have an equal number of female and males so that there
are always an even number of hare pairs.
Have the students work in pairs or small groups to
calculate how many snowshoe hare would be alive after five years if
there were no predators or disease. This could also be done as a
class project with the teacher facilitating the calculations. Hand
out a copy of the table. Fill in the first year with the students.
Also make sure they start with the correct number of pairs for the
second year. See if they can develop a formula that shows the
relationship.
Year
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Number Of Pair
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Offspring
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Total Number of Parents +
offspring
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Total Hare Population
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1
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1 pair
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14
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2 + 14
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16
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2
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8 pair
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14
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3
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14
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4
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14
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5
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14
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Formula: The # of pair x 14 offspring per year +
the # of Parents (or previous years population)
Year 2
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8 pair
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x 14
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+ 16
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=
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128
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(112)
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+ 16
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=
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128
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Year 3
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64 pair
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x 14
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+ 128
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=
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1,024
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(896)
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+ 128
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=
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1,024
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Year 4
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512 pair
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x 14
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+ 1024
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=
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8,192
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(7168)
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+ 1024
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=
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8,192
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Year 5
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4096 pair
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x 14
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+ 8192
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=
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65,536
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(57,344)
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+ 8192
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=
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65,536
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Questions:
Why does the hare population never get
this large?
Predators. Two-thirds of all leverets perish within 2 weeks of
birth.
What happens to the habitat when the rabbit
population becomes too large?
Overgrazing of the plants and shrubs.
How does nature regulate populations that grow
too large?
Disease, starvation, reduced
fertility
What are some of the reasons for rises in hare
population?
Little or no predation, plenty of
food
Who are the natural predators of the hare?
Lynx, fox, wolf, bear, wolverines, eagles, owls and
hawks
What is the result to predators when the hare
population suddenly declines?
The predators also decline in population, but usually a year
later.
ACTIVITY
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Hare-Lynx Population Peaks and
Crashes
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The hare population peaks every 7 to 10
years and then crashes. Its main predator, the lynx, also peaks
and crashes, but a year later.
Have the students look at the following
graph.
HARE - LYNX
RELATIONSHIP
Questions:
Why do hare populations crash?
Starvation is the primary cause.
Why is the lynx population crashing just one
year behind the hares?
The lynx stilt have plenty of hares to eat the year they are
starving.
After the hares are dead, the lynx have no food.
Which animal controls the population of the
two? Does the predator control the prey? Or does the hare control
the lynx? The number of hare available determine how many lynx can Live
in the area.
Small willow is the main winter food of the
hare. What other animals compete with the hare for its food?
The moose.
Why do lynx trappers watch the hare
population?
They know when lynx wilt be scarce, and their income will drop
unless the price of fur rises
When the hare population is at its peak,
overbrowsing occurs. What is overbrowsing?
Eating too much brush, twigs, and branches.
Can the willow protect itself from
overbrowsing?
Yes, when the willow has been eaten back too far, it produces a
toxin which makes it inedible for the hare. That's when the hare
population starves and crashes.
If a willow line is added to the graph, what
would it look like? The willow line would be opposite the hare
line. At the peak of the hare population, the willow supply would
be at its lowest.
What happens when the willows recover and start
to grow again? The hare population grows in response with the
lynx population increasing in a year or two after the
hare.
ASSESSMENT
Performance Task for the Science Standards A14A
and A14C Interdependence of the hare on its environment and changes
that ailed it.
CRITERIA
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STAGE 1
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STAGE 2
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STAGE 3
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Correlation between willow and
hare
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Makes no statement
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Makes statement, but incomplete or
inaccurate
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Makes correct
statement
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Calculates population
of hare
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No attempt, picks wrong data
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Incorrect attempt
but uses appropriate data
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Calculates correctly
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Correlation between lynx and hare
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Makes no statement
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Makes statement, but incomplete
or inaccurate
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Makes correct statement
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Extends concept to livelihood made from
trapping
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Does not make
the suggestion
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Extends in a very limited
way
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Extends concept to several facits of making a livelihood
trapping
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LESSON 2
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SNARING THE HARE
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ACTIVITY
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Survey for Snaring
Techniques
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Have students brainstorm with the teacher what
they know about traditional ways to catch hare and where to find
them. Students can develop a survey to interview Elders/local experts
either in class or as homework. Information gathered should include
the different types of snares used, descriptions of a rabbit drive,
and a rabbit fence.
A sample table follows:
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SNOWSHOE HARE
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Summer
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Fall
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Winter
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Spring
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Snaring/hunting equipment
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Rabbit fence
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Rabbit drive
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Where to catch
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Describe habitat
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Traditions
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Safety
precautions
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Other cultures
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Native words and phrases
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Etc.
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Invite an Elder/local expert to demonstrate how to
make a snare. The material needed is #2 braided picture wire.
Students will make their own. They should be learning the Native
language to accompany these activities.
Have students predict results of trying different
snaring techniques. Here are some suggestions from
Alaska Alive by
Alan Dick.
There are several variables in setting a
successful rabbit snare. Have students plan which experiments they
will do.
Vary the size of the snares hole.
Change the height of the snare.
Experiment with snares that have a fence and
those that do not.
Of the snares that have a fence, use one with
live and one with dead sticks.
Also test different kinds of wire. Which is the
most durable? Most people use braided picture hanging wire, but
there are different thicknesses, 25 lb. 401b, 60 lb.,
etc.
ACTIVITY
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Rabbit Fences and
Drives
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From the survey have students retell the
information they received from the Elders. They could illustrate what
they learned.
Questions:
Why were the rabbit drives important in
the past? How many rabbits did they obtain from a drive?
Which is a better fence? One made of dry or
live sticks?
INFORMATION
from the Nikolai workshop:
Young children observed rabbit snaring from a very
early age. They were wrapped up in a blanket and pulled in a sled.
Before WWII, there was not enough wire sold in the stores, so sinew
was used for the snares.
To make a fence willows were knocked down. Upright
willows were used to hold the horizontally stacked willows in place.
The fence was built where there were lots of tracks. All winter the
fence was left up. The rabbits ate the willow bark off the bushes and
the fence.
Rabbit drives could be dangerous. The men had to
yell to keep track of one another. Two to four people drove the
rabbits; they banged sticks and cans. In the spring, the rabbits are
blinded by the sun, they become confused with the noise of the people
yelling and may run right towards the hunter with the gun. This way
of hunting rabbits died out in the 1950's.
from Alaska Alive page 29:
Snares are usually set for rabbits between
freeze-up and break-up. Rabbits can carry disease more in the summer,
and people do not usually eat them unless there is nothing else. When
the snow depth is great, rabbits tend to follow the same trail. When
there is little or no snow, they wander all over and are much harder
to catch.
We used to have rabbit drives on islands in the
winter. A large group of people would start on one end of an island
walking parallel down the island while making a lot of noise. A few
people with .225 would wait for the rabbits on the other end of the
island. This is a lot of fun, but the people with the .22's
must be extremely careful, or one of the drivers could be
shot.
It is also possible to have a rabbit drive, with a
fence of dead sticks across the end of the island, and snares in the
openings of the fence. This is much safer than shooting. The fence
can be used in future rabbit drives too.
There are basically two kinds of snares, those
that hang the rabbit in the air, and those that do not. The simple
kind that does not hang the rabbit is easy to set but the rabbits
taste a little strong because they struggle. The kind of snare that
hangs the rabbit in the air dispatches the rabbit quickly, giving a
better taste.
ACTIVITY
|
Safety Precautions
|
The Elders in Nikolai emphasized that setting and
checking a snare could be dangerous. One must always be prepared for
the unexpected.
Brainstorm with students what they should be aware
of when checking snares. Have an Elder tell stories which will
emphasize awareness and safety.
Questions:
What could be in the snare instead of a
rabbit?
ptarmigan, martin, mink, birds, or possibly a larger
animal
What could be eating the rabbit? lynx, wolf,
fox, wolverine, birds
What safety measure can a student take?
Carry a club and/or a gun, take an adult.
INFORMATION
from the Elders in Nikolai:
People must treat all animals with respect, or
otherwise they will disappear. One never hunts or gets any animal on
ones own. An animal spirit or someone is always watching over the
hunter. The animals were made by God so treat all parts with
respect.
from Make Prayers to the Raven page
125:
Hares are likely to avoid the snares of someone
who offends them--they will sit in the trails and look at them
instead of entering them and being caught. When this happened in
former times, people would rub ashes on the eyes of several dead
hares while telling, "Don't look at snares.
ACTIVITY
|
Setting and Checking
Snares
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Students will learn the traditional
respectful approach to performing a subsistence activity before they
leave to set snares.
The students should have their experiment plans to
try varing sizes of snare holes, heights of snares, different types
of fences, etc.
Going out with Elders and local experts, the
students should be able to identify hare habitat and
tracks
Students should observe Elders/local experts
setting snares and then set their own. They should be describing the
locations of the snares and recording their observations. A sample
table is provided.
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SNARE EXPERIMENTS
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Site #1
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Site #2
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Site #3
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Etc.
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Snare Size
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Snare Height
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Fence/No Fence
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Dry/Fresh Sticks
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Date/Time Snare Set
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Temperature/Set
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Date/Time Snare Checked
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Observations
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Etc.
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Questions:
What is the best time of day to set/
check a snare?
Does the weather make a difference when setting
/ checking a
snare?
ASSESSMENT
Performance task self-assessment for the
Cultural Standard C1 and Science Standard D1: Making, setting, and
checking snares.
CRITERIA
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STAGE 1
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STAGE 2
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STAGE 3
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STAGE 4
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Made several different sized snares
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No attempt
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Tried needed lots of help
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Completed, needed some help
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Proficient
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Identified hare habitat and tracks
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No attempt
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Tried needed lots of help
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Needed just a little help
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Proficient
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Followed traditional practices
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No attempt
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Tried, needed lots of help
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Needed just a little help
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Proficient
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Used Native language
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No attempt
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Tried, needed lots of help
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Needed just a little help
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Proficient
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Followed safety precautions
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No attempt
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Tried, needed lots of help
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Needed just a little help
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Proficient
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Recorded observations of snares
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No attempt
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Tried, needed lots of help
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Completed, needed some help
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Proficient
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LESSON 3
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SNOWSHOE HARE ANATOMY and
FUNCTIONS
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Depending on where the students are in their
science curriculum, this activity can be used for rabbit only or be
an expanded lesson on scientific classification, mammal anatomy and
functions. Before students start any of the anatomy activities, be
sure respectful practices are followed. The activity, "Respectful
Treatment of the Hare," is found in Lesson 4 Skinning and Preparing
the Hare. These activities can be interspersed with the ones in
Lesson 4.
ACTIVITY
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Develop Your Own Classification
System
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Materials
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12 random objects
large piece of paper
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Instructions: Working in groups have the
students:
1. Draw a large circle at the top of your paper.
Write the names of the twelve objects in the large circle.
2. Choose a characteristic, such as color, size,
shape, sharpness, roundness, softness, etc. to divide the 12 items
into 2 subgroups. Draw two circles below the large one; write the
names of the items in the two circles and list the properties that
divide them into the 2 subgroups.
3. Find another property in each subgroup and
divide the two groups into four subgroups. List the objects in each
circle and write the property/characteristic beside the
circle.
4. Continue subdividing until only one object is
in each circle.
5. Have the teacher select a classroom item. Where
does it fit in your classification system?
6. Compare classification systems
7. How many divisions did it take to separate all
the items?
8. Compare your classification system to the one
for the arctic hare. How many groups did you have?
Kingdom
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Animalia
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Phylum
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Chordota
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Sub-Phylum
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Vertebrata
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Class
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Mammalia
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Order
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Lagomorpha
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Family
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Leporidae
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Genus
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Lepus
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Species
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americanus
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ACTIVITY
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Traditional Animal Classification
System
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Are students familiar with any traditional
stories? Is there a traditional classification system for fish,
birds, and mammals? Are there local stories telling who rabbit/hare
is related to? Have students invite an Elder to class to tell them
about this.
INFORMATION
All peoples have looked at living and
non-living things and arranged them in some order that made sense to
their way of thinking and living. About 350 B.C., Aristotle, a
Greek philosopher and naturalist, revised the existing system of
classifying plants and animals. His system was used for almost
2000 years. Then an English biologist, John Ray, devised a
classification system for plants in the 1600's. The next
change came in 1758 when Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist,
arranged living things according to their structural similarities. He
divided each group into smaller and smaller groups. The smaller the
group, the more alike were the living things in it.
from Make Prayers to the
Raven:
The Native people also have classification systems
for describing animals. When I asked about relatedness among animals,
people usually answered with reference to their social behavior and
personality. For example, a Distant Time story reveals that bears and
porcupines are cousins, and people cite as proof their occasional
sharing of a den. When relatedness is not mentioned in a story it may
be revealed by a tendency to get along. Muskrats and beavers often
live close together, and they eat the same kinds of plants, so they
are considered relatives. Wolves may kill a loose dog, which show
that the two are not related.
Animal relationships are also shown by shared
characteristics, but usually not those chosen by Western taxonomists.
One story of the Distant Time says that all the smaller animals were
related as sisters who lived together in an underground house. These
included red squirrel, mink, fox, several owl species, short-tailed
weasel, ptarmigan, and others. Another related group includes the
four water mammals: otter, mink, beaver, and muskrat. Stories also
reveal that the raven is minks uncle. And in obviously paired
species, the larger is considered the older brother to the smaller-
brown bear to the black bear, for example, and flicker to the
woodpecker.
The Koyukon people conceptualize a natural order,
but its structure and foundation are quite different from our own. No
one described to me a system of phylogeny or biological inter
relatedness, but I did not probe the matter exhaustively and may have
failed to ask the right questions. Such a system might exist, or
perhaps the worlds make up is sufficiently explained in the
stories.
ACTIVITY
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Rabbit
Family-Lagomorpha
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Students will need to research this information.
Here are some ideas to get started.
Questions:
What are the differences between rabbits
and hares?
What other hares/rabbits are found in Alaska.
What is their range and characteristics?
What other animals are found in the order
Lagomorpha? What are their similarities and differences to
the snowshoe hare? Which ones are found in Alaska?
What other continents have rabbits and
hares?
How do domestic rabbits differ from the
snowshoe hare?
INFORMATION
from Rabbits And Hares page
118:
Rabbits, hares, cottontails, and pikas all belong
to the scientific order Lagomorpha (lag-uh-MOR-fuh), meaning "form of
a hare." Rabbits and hares look so much alike that some breeds of
hare have often been misnamed rabbits, for example, jackrabbits are
hares and Belgian hares are rabbits.
from Alaska's Mammals page 38:
A pika looks like a guinea pig and sounds like a
kazoo. There are 19 species of pikas worldwide, and one of these
species is Alaska's collared pika. It is 6 to 8 inches long; 4 to 5
ounces.
ACTIVITY
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External Anatomy of the
Hare
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Before skinning the hare, observe and draw the
exterior and label body structures in English and the Native
language.
Note. Follow respectful treatment of the hare from
the activity in Lesson 4 Skinning and Using the Hare
Observe the special adaptations of the arctic
hare:
1. Look for the two layers of fur in its
coat. What does each layer do?
2. Check the nose. Inside each nostril is a
sensory pad. Hares are often seen sniffing the air. Why are they
doing this?
3. Hares have larger ears than rabbits. How do
large ears help a hare?
4. Describe the hare's hind feet. Measure the
length of a hind foot. What are its characteristics and how does
this help the hare?
INFORMATION
The underfur is soft, wooly, and thick with the
longer, tougher guard hairs growing out of it. They give the fur its
color. Every year the hare molts. The old guard hairs are lost, and
new ones grow in. Since the hare is out in all kinds of weather,
these two coats of fur keep it warm and dry
Hares and rabbits have a keen sense of smell used
to detect predators. The hare has extremely good hearing. Their ears
swivel independently.
The front feet have five toes each, but the back
feet have only four. The feet are covered with coarse hair that is
longer in the winter. Most other animals have pads of tough skin on
the soles of their feet. The hairy soles help them get a better grip
on slippery rocks and ice. The hare spreads its long toes wide so its
weight is distributed across a greater surface on the snow. It
travels over the snow more easily than any other animal, giving it
greater mobility to get away from its predators.
ACTIVITY
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Dissection-Internal Anatomy and
Function
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After the hare is skinned (see Lesson 4 for
information on skinning), have the Elder demonstrate how to cut it up
for cooking. While cleaning and sectioning, body systems and
functions can be reviewed.
Consider taking the sinew from the back. Thread
can be made. This is a suggested activity under "Traditional Uses" in
the next lesson
ACTIVITY
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Mammal Comparison - Teeth
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Using a hare caught for the class, review with
students the characteristics of a mammal.
vertebrates-have
a backbone
outer covering -
hair
warm blooded
babies born live
feed milk to young
Mammal eat a variety of foods; some feed on only
insects, others eat plants. Those called carnivores are flesh-eaters.
Some animals eat a combination of foods. By looking at a mammals
teeth, you can usually tell what it eats.
Review the four kinds of teeth found in mammals.
Use pictures or animal skulls; students can look at their own
teeth.
incisors
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premolars
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canines
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molars
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Compare the teeth on a hare skull with other
mammals (include a flesh eater).
Questions:
Compare the appearance of the hare's
teeth and ____________
their incisors are (short, long, large,
small) and (blunt, pointed, sharp, chisel-like). How are their
teeth used?
The hare has (large, small, no) canine teeth.
The ______ has (large, small, no) canine teeth. What is the
function of the canine teeth? Which animals have premolars? Which
have none?
Compare molars of animals. Which have molars
for cutting flesh, and which have molars for grinding plant
fibers?
What are the Native names for the animals being
compared?
INFORMATION
Gnawing animals like rodents and rabbits/hares
have large chisel-like incisor teeth. These incisor teeth never stop
growing. Rodentia such as mice, beavers, squirrels, and
porcupine and Lagornorpha ,
rabbits, hares, and pikas, must constantly
gnaw on plants to keep them worn down, If they don't, they will not
be able to eat properly and will starve. Hares gnaw like rodents, but
they have an extra pair of small teeth behind their upper incisors.
They have two kinds of teeth, very sharp incisors for cutting and
molars for grinding. Between the molars and the incisors there is a
wide gap, or diastema. This is used to store food while nibbling.
Hares move their jaws from side to side in order to chew properly,
while rodents move their jaws back and forwards.
LESSON 4
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SKINNING and USING THE
HARE
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ACTIVITY
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Respectful Treatment of the
Hare
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Have an Elder or local expert explain how a snared
hare is treated and why.
Why is it important to treat the dead animal with
respect?
INFORMATION
from the Elders workshop in Nikolai:
Several ways were shared in which to show respect
for the rabbit. In Nikolai a small nick was made in the hind leg
before skinning. In Shageluk the rabbit was put behind the stove, and
children were told not to make any noise. A variation was to wrap a
flour sack towel around the rabbits head and leave it overnight
before skinning. The rabbits spirit was still around, and it wasn't
to be disturbed. Otherwise the rabbit wouldn't come around anymore.
Long ago in Lime Village when men and women brought lots of rabbits
home, they were brought in through the window not the door. This
would insure that there would be more rabbits around.
The bones are not given to dogs; they are strong
and sharp and could choke a dog. Bones should not be walked on. They
should be cut up and placed back where the animals came
from.
from Make Prayers to the Raven. page 125:
When snowshoe hares are brought home for
butchering, they should be treated respectfully to sustain a good
relationship with their spirits. People used to break their hind legs
when they were brought inside the house to thaw. This kept their
spirits from "running around," which would be
dangerous for anyone nearby. Once hares are brought indoors they
should remain there until they are skinned; and they should not be
taken back out the same day (this rule also applies to fur bearers).
I learned no special ways to dispose of hare remains, but Sullivan
(1942:111) writes that the Nulato Koyukon put the bones in an
out-of-the-way place and keep them away from the dogs. I suspect that
the Koyukuk River people would agree though they may not follow this
very strictly today.
ACTIVITY
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Skinning the Hare
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Invite Elders /
local experts to teach the students how to
skin the hare. Students can observe, participate, and record the
activity in a variety of ways:
video, journals, report, pictures,
drawings.
As a precaution rubber gloves should be used when
skinning. The disease, Tularemia, has been found in some hares in
Alaska.
INFORMATION
from the Nikolai workshop:
The rabbit is skinned in one piece and left to dry
with the fur inside. When the skin is held up, people could see that
it was the natural way to make clothing in one piece
- a parka
with a hood.
from Make Prayers to the Raven page
125:
Hares are skinned by peeling the hide off from the
rear, turning it inside out the way some people do when they remove
their socks.
ACTIVITY
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Traditional Uses of the
Hare
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Students can survey their Elders and local experts
or invite them to class to tell about traditional uses. Some projects
may be suggested if enough rabbit skins are collected. A relaxing
project is to make samples of thread from sinew.
INFORMATION
from the Nikolai Elder's workshop:
Rabbit skin is warm, but it tears easily. It is
used for liners in mittens, boots, and hats. Blankets are made by
either sewing the skins together or cutting a long spiral strip down
the skin. Using many strips a blanket is then crotcheted.
Rabbit skins were always used for small children.
Wolverine or other large animals were not used as their spirits are
too strong for young children. Young children had rabbit skin parkas.
Rabbit skins were used as diaper lining in the birch bark cradles and
also as liners for a woman's monthly period.
Before baby bottles the rabbit skin would hold
nutritious blackfish juice. The baby could suckle on the arm part
which would make a nipple. this would save a baby whose mother
had died or perhaps the baby had been adopted.
Rabbit sinew was taken from the back to make
thread. In Shageluk the feet were used as paint brushes. In other
areas the feet were used to wash dishes.
ACTIVITY
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Traditional Food
Preparation
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Discuss the diet changes that have occurred
because different animal populations have increased or decreased in
number over the years. Moose which is common now was seldom seen in
former times.
Have students collect traditional rabbit recipes
and prepare one or more of the dishes for the Elders and local
experts who helped with this unit. Learn the Native names for these
dishes.
INFORMATION
from Elders in Nikolai
Small game was very important to survival, because
moose were rare in the Iditarod area in olden times. Moose first
appeared in Nikolai in 1930. A good rabbit stew has the liver
squeezed into it. The rabbit delicacies are in the backbone and ribs.
There is not much meat, but it is very tasty meat. The head is also a
delicacy; people like the brains and rib cage. The closer the meat is
to the bone, the better it tastes.
from Make Prayers to the Raven. page
215:
Going back thirty years Koyukon people subsisted
primarily on snowshoe hare, grouse, ptarmigan, beaver, muskrat, and
fish. The only large animals available were bears, which were hunted
extensively, but could not be taken in large numbers. The older
Koyukon usually emphasize their former dependence on snowshoe hares
and ptarmigan through the winter months, and on fish in the summer
and fall. Of these, snowshoe hares are often singled out as most
important, because they happened to be plentiful during the years
after caribou vanished and before moose had arrived here. A Huslia
man recalled his mother bringing in catches of forty hares from
routine checks of her snare line. "If it wasn't for rabbits," an
elder once told me, "we wouldn't be alive today."
Hares are usually cooked in the stewpot-the meat,
head, heart, liver, and intestines are all eaten. The koleeyo', a
part of the viscera, is not eaten by woman lest their children
born afterward cry too much.
ACTIVITY
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Traditional Stories and
Beliefs
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Have students learn and retell stories and beliefs
from the Elders and local experts.
INFORMATION
from Edna Deacon at the Nikolai
workshop:
In former times a young woman would be tested by
her future mother-in-law. A young couple left to snare rabbits for 5
to 6 days. The young couple received some food to eat but they were
not to eat the rabbits. The young woman had to skin the rabbit, dry
the meat, heart, liver, and intestines. When the young couple
returned they were weak from hunger, but she passed the test. All the
meat and body parts matched with the number of dried
skins.
from Make Prayers to the
Raven page 125:
Hares are invested with a fairly powerful spirit,
but it has little of the malevolence that characterizes some of the
other animals so endowed. A Distant Time story includes a song that
the hare-man sang, and people can still sing it to bring themselves
luck in catching these animals.
Stealing hares from someone else's sets invites
spiritual retaliation, though not as severe as with animals like the
wolverine. Bad luck or illness could befall the offender.
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." |