Indigenous Poetry Mini-Lesson

I have been working with a group of brilliantly fabulous (or fabulously brilliant) juniors and seniors this semester. My honors American lit kids rock, but I noticed a common theme in the readings we were doing...*cough* everything has been written by dead, white guys *cough.*

When doing early American literature, you can't do it without including Indigenous literature. There isn't early American literature without it. I began the lesson by asking my students to think about the stories they have been told their whole lives and who has been telling them these stories. I asked them about the stories we have read in class and who's voices are dominate them. After asking them these questions, I explained how we have almost exclusively been hearing the stories and voices of white people-and the danger of only hearing one side of the story. I explained that the purpose of today's lesson was to hear another side of the story. I reminded my kids that we read to make sense of the world and connect with others, but we can't do that if we only hear one side of the story.

I began my introduction into Indigenous literature with this video. This video was created by the producers and cast of the TV show Yellowstone. The purpose of the video was to get the students thinking about the injustices and oppression Indigenous communities have suffered at the hands of colonialism and its lasting impact on these communities. I noted that, yes, this show was also created by a white male which may seem to contradict what I had previously said, BUT the creator uses his position and privilege to shed light on the Indigenous community while the books we have read contained a nearly all white cast of characters. In addition to shedding light on the injustices, the show also highlights some fascinating parts of their culture. I wanted to emphasize the cultural aspect as well, so they do not only see Indigenous communities as oppressed groups of people, but people with their own unique culture and experiences that is worth learning about alongside the harsh realities they face. I wanted them to understand why it is necessary to educate ourselves on not only oppression, but the things that give others' lives meaning.

To further illustrate this sentiment, we read "Carrying Our Words" by Ofelia Zepeda and "Remember" by Joy Harjo, both Indigenous authors, and the Iroquois creation myth, "The World on the Turtle's Back." The lesson was aimed at determining the theme and developing a thematic statement. I noted how theme is often focused on the author's attitude toward human condition and nature. I explained to the kids that theme is a way we can see what the author's beliefs are, and in turn, it can give us a glimpse into the beliefs of a group of people or time period. As a ticket out the door, I had them do a quick write where they wrote down their thematic statement for "The World on the Turtle's Back," noted some of the literary devices they saw, and then wrote a brief reflection on why we should read stories by people with different backgrounds, stories, beliefs, and life experiences than our own.

My students had a lot of fun with this lesson, especially reading the Iroquois creation myth. Some aspects of the story seemed super farfetched to them. Their faces said "what the heck?" But, this allowed me to respond by reminding them that this is their creation story, not ours. I told them to think about how someone who is entirely unfamiliar with Christianity, for example, would likely find some of the stories in the Bible to be just as farfetched--which is why we must think of the stories we have been told and what we believe, who told us to believe them and why we believe them. That is why it is so important to show our kids a diverse array of literature, not because we want them to believe in the Iroquois creation myth, but because we want them to consider their beliefs and the beliefs of others and how there are many, MANY ways to understand, make sense of, and exist in this world.

Here is the mini-lesson template I used. The poems and video are linked in this post and in the outline.

in high spirits,

Ms. Joiner

Indigenous Literature Mini Lesson Outlin.

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