Indians of the Pacific Northwest

We have been studying the Native Americas of the Pacific Northwest.

We made a mask craft from History Pockets: Native Americans...

which went along really well with Raven, A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest.

We played Inuit games like blanket toss...

and made some
Totem Pole pictures.

To make the Totem Pole pictures, take a piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise.

Dab small globs of paint along the fold. You can't tell so much from this picture, but we used about four different colors in no particular order. We used acrylic paint.

Fold your paper again on the crease and run your hand down the fold to spread out the paint. You  may have to use your fingers to squeeze the paint from the fold outward.

Open the paper up and let the paint dry. Once it is dry, look at the paint and see what figures you see in it. If you can, you can use markers to draw in the details...

or you can draw the faces on white paper...

and cut them out and glue them onto the totem pole picture...

and the totem poles come to life!

and become snakes...

and bears...

and birds

and faces.

Sources:

• Totem Pole Art at Sea Kettle Diaries
• Inuit Games at It's a Boy's Life (other games there, too.)
• History Pockets:Native Americans, Evan Moor
• Raven, A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest, Gerald McDermott

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