Historical

Thinking Activity
February 7/ 2018
Breanna Neden
EDPB 508


Teaching Indigenous Oral History using the “Telephone Game”

Target age:
Grade 3 (could also be extended up to grade 7)
Context around stories and how knowledge is passed down from 1 generation to
another would be scaffolded based on age range** - see Big 6 connections below

Big Idea:
“Indigenous knowledge is passed down through oral history, traditions and
collective memory”.

Learning Intention:
• Students will understand that knowledge is passed down through an Oral
Tradition in Indigenous communities across Canada.
• Students will know that stories and storytellers are sacred to Indigenous
people.
• Student will be able to describe the concept of “Oral Tradition” and explain
why storytelling/storytellers are so important in Indigenous communities.

Cross Curricular Connections:

This unit could easily be combined with a Language Acquisition Unit where students
learn basic greetings in Hul'q'umi'num'. It could also compliment an English Language
Arts Unit on Indigenous Stories/Storytelling. It could also prompt the visit of an Elder
into the classroom or a field trip to a local site of significance to the First Nations
community and/or a museum.

“The Big 6” Connections:

• Cause and consequence: What happens to the meaning when a story is changed?
Why might keeping a story the same matter to Indigenous people? What happens
when an Elder/Storyteller dies? What happens to the stories he/she carried? How
do you think epidemics like smallpox/residential schools effected the lineage of
storytellers and knowledge in Indigenous communities?*** Context here would
be scaffolded: intermediate grades would consider epidemics and colonial
context.
Materials:

- Large carpeted area. If you could find a large circular carpet that has the First
Nations medicine wheel that would be wonderful for this activity.
- A few jars of play dough to be made into similar shaped balls.
- A few images of traditional villages.
- “How the Raven Stole the Sun” activity booklet.

Introduction:

Have students come to carpet or open area and sit in a circle.

Begin by acknowledging territories: “As a community we would like to begin by

acknowledging that this gathering is taking place on the territory of the
Snuneymuxw People. We say “Hu ch q’u” (thank you) to the Coast Salish People for
allowing us to learn each day on their traditional territory.”

Previous Unit knowledge referenced: “We have spoke about some aspects of Indigenous
culture in our previous Social Studies lesson. Can anyone tell me what part of Indigenous
culture we are embodying right now sitting on the floor?”

Take a raised hand until someone answers: “Sitting in a circle”

“That is correct. Indigenous people from all over the world sit in circles traditionally
when they gather to tell stories, feast, or perform ceremonies. Today we are going to talk
about why stories are so important to Indigenous people. Now let’s take a look at a
picture of a traditional village.

(Interior of Iroquois longhouse ) (Haida Plank Houses)

*Images retrieved from Historica Canada

Do we see any books there? Any paper or pens? No? Where do you think they kept all
their information is there was no library, pens, computers or books?”
Let students have a while to consider what a society without technology or literacy would
look like. Guide conversation towards how we hold knowledge in our minds. Once you
are in that ballpark, explain that when people hold knowledge in their minds, the wisest
people are called “Elders” and they share their knowledge with others by speaking. This
is called an “Oral Tradition”.

(Get them to repeat “Oral Tradition” three times and break it down into two parts. Oral
meaning spoken, and Tradition meaning a way of passing down customs and beliefs from
one generation to the next.)

“Storyteller is a very important job in Indigenous culture. This person is a living book!
Because they do not write down their stories, it is very important that the person who tells
the story has a very good memory and does not get any of the parts wrong.”

What other qualities would make a good storyteller? – Brainstorm

• Loud voice
• Dramatic gestures
• Funny
• Good memory

Storytelling is a very special role in first Nations culture. Only certain people are allowed
to tell certain stories. These people are usually respected and have excellent memories.

Let’s play a game!

Let’s try an experiment to see what happens when our community tries to tell a part of a
story. We are going to play the game “telephone tag”. I would like you to try really hard
to listen to what is whispered in your ear and repeat it quietly to the person beside you. I
am going to pass along a ball of play dough as we pass along the story. The play dough is
going to represent the story. The person listening will hold it and when they whisper to
the next person they will pass it. If they feel they changed the story at all or were
confused about what they heard, I would like them to gently press on he dough. Let’s see
what happens to the dough and the story as we pass it from person to person. I will begin
the story.”

Teacher whispers first line from “How the Raven Stole the Sun” creation myth.

“Long Ago, near the beginning of the world, Grey Eagle guarded the sun, moon, starts,
fire, and water.”

The sentence goes all the way around the room and is inevitably changed. The last person
to receive the story line says it aloud and holds up the piece of dough. We compare the
last sentence to the original sentence, which the teacher repeats. We also compare the
dough that was passed around the circle to a piece of dough that was the same shape/size
as the dough originally was. What changed? What stayed the same? Was it hard to keep
the story the same? Do we think that this would be easier if one person or small group of
people told the story?

“If the story was very special and important to our community and we really wanted to
remember it, but could not write it down, do we think it would be a good idea to have
someone with a very good memory to remember it? What if we passed away? Who do
you think he should pass it onto to hold and remember? (Explain how storytelling is
usually something that runs in a family. For example, if a Grandfather was storyteller for
the community. When he dies he does not want the stories can’t die with, so he teaches
them to his children and grandchildren so that they can remember them and pass them
on.)

Ask for a few volunteers who are strong readers. Have them stand inside the circle.

Teacher says: ”These people are going to pretend to be our Elders/Storytellers and we are
going to be members of their community. They are the living library of our community!
Inside of their heads is the history of our families for hundreds and maybe even
thousands of years. Isn’t that incredible! How do you think we would treat such people?”
Talk about the importance of treating Elders with respect in Indigenous communities and
practice attentive audience skills while the “Elders” read aloud.

Give each selected student AKA “Elder” a piece of “How Raven Stole the Run” Ledged
and have them read it aloud to the class. https://layers-of-learning.com/raven-stole-sun-
native-american-raven-legend/

After they are done students clap and we discuss as a group: What some of the benefits of
only a few people telling a story versus many people?

- It wont get changed as much

- It is only one or a few people’s jobs to remember which makes it easier on the
group
- It is clearer
- It makes more sense

**For older grades we can discuss what would happen to the stories if all the people who
held the story died at once, for example during small pox epidemics. We could go into
discuss how colonialism effected and continues to effect Indigenous culture.

Closing Activity – Students will go to their desk and illustrate a booklet about the Raven
ledged. You may ask them to think about what it might be like to only be able to draw,
listen or speak and not be able to read or write. How would their lives be different? How
would their relationships be different?
 References

Booklet Activity:

Copher, Michelle and Karen Loutzenhiser. (2017). How Raven Stole the Sun – A Native
American Raven Ledged. Retrieved from: Layers of Learning Curriculum Company, <
https://layers-of-learning.com/raven-stole-sun-native-american-raven-legend/>

Haidi Plank Houses/Iroquois Interior of Longhouse Images:

Kalman, Harold and Mills, Edward. (2017). Architectural History of Indigenous People’s
In Canada. Historica Canada. Retrieved from
<https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/architectural-history-early-first-
nations/>