Students will read to synthesize and analyze primary documents and nonfiction (expository) sources; students will research and support an argument for or against the use of fire as a land management tool; students will have a deeper understanding of the local tribes’ use of fire in order to formulate an argument.
In this lesson, the students will learn one of the origin stories of the Eastern Dakota, the Bdewakantonwan or Mdewakantonwan who have lived in Minnesota. They will also look closely at the land ethics usually found within creation stories and how these beliefs relate to the identity of the tribe.
Through a story about a fishing trip with an elder, students learn about a place name and its meaning in Salish aboriginal territory. Through discussions, drawing, and writing, students: identify ways that people develop a relationship with specific places; explore how relationships endure across geographic distance; explain why land outside a reservation is still important to a tribe; and identify a place that they have a special relationship with.