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Maine Sampler, Part III Arctic Hunter by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith |
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Photographs by Lawrence Migdale Summary: Reggie, a ten-year-old Inupiat boy, who lives above the Arctic Circle in Northern Alaska, describes life at his family's wilderness camp after the ice breakup in June and life in the town of Kotzebue. Clear, color photographs also illustrate the differences between old and new ways. Level: RL: 4-5 IL: 4-8 Themes:
Activities: 1. On the index page of this book, there is a small map of Alaska. Native people in the North pay more attention to the tree line than to the imaginary Arctic Circle. Draw a clear map of Alaska to show how far Kotzebue is from the Arctic Circle, the tree line and the North Pole. Add important places and color. For greater accuracy, use an opaque/overhead projector for outlining. If you think that your map is acceptable, ask to file it in your library media center's vertical file on ARCTIC REGIONS, ALASKA or INUIT. 2. The native people of the North prefer to be called Inuit which means "the people". Why? The Inuit are usually divided into fourteen major groups (see INUIT COMMUNITY, page 48). Each group speaks a different dialect and has different customs. Reggie is an Inupiat and speaks Inupiaq. Look for the Inupiaq words in the text and glossary. Make two sets of flash cards -- one set with the word and pronunciation and the other set with the meaning. You might type the words of appropriate size on the word processor and glue them on cardboard and then cut them apart. Develop a game to play with a partner. Type a rule card. If your game is successful have the cards laminated and kept in the vertical file. 3. On the first page of this book, the author notes a sketch by Ludovik Choris, artist of Otto von Kotzebue's expedition to the Arctic in 1816. Find out more about this expedition. Who was in it? Where did they come from? Where did they go? If it is difficult to find information you might write to the school in Kotzebue. Present your information in the form of a brief diary. Ask to file it in the vertical file. 4. "When an animal is killed in the hunt, no part of it is wasted," says Reggie (page 16). List the animals he mentions on his hunting trip, together with the Inupiaq word. Develop a chart or database to show how each creature is caught or hunted, what it is used for, method of preservation, old and/or new equipment used in the capture and other useful information. Share with others who have read the book "Arctic Hunter" to see if your chart is accurate. 5. For the Inupiat people to hunt, it is essential for them to know the habits and habitats of the creatures of the North. Research what Arctic animals eat. Refer to the list from the previous activity, if it is available. By using circles and arrows, words and/or drawings, develop two food chains. Start one with the plants of the TUNDRA and the other with the phytoplankton/zooplankton in the ARCTIC OCEAN. How many animals can you include in your chains? Can you link both chains together? Do they both end with people? What happens to herbivores and carnivores if there are not enough plants? What if pollution enters the Arctic food web? Evaluate your food chains with an adult. If possible, add your information to the chart or database in Activity #4. 6. The gathering of food was the most important part of the camping trip. List the food collected by the campers. What natural foods could you collect in your outdoor neighborhood in Maine? Search books or magazines for ideas. Would you need permission or a license to collect? Are the plants or animals protected? Do you have to watch out for pollution? Find out if it is legal to copy recipes from material you discover. If it is, make a collection of recipes you would like to sample. If it is not, develop a recipe of your own based on your reading. Try a recipe out on your own family. What was their reaction? Keep a record of your search, cooking and tasting -- note the key words and titles of materials you used in your investigation. Report your experiences to your teacher or librarian. NOTE: BE SAFE. HAVE A KNOWLEDGEABLE ADULT IDENTIFY THE PLANTS. KEEP AWAY FROM MUSHROOMS. 7. The Inuit call all houses "igloos". What were the usual homes built in North Central Canada? How were the houses built in the Eastern Arctic and Greenland? Reggie does mention "igluvigak" or snow houses, as they were not used in Alaska. Find diagrams or pictures of the Alaskan sod-house. Build small models of the houses and tents found in Northern Alaska. Optional: make models of other dwellings of the North to show the differences. Use books such as Inuit Community or Houses of Snow and Bones to help you. For a display in the library media center, place your models near the appropriate locations on a map of the Arctic e.g. "Peoples of the Arctic" National Geographic Society, February 1983. 8. Reggie and his friends like to play outdoors (pages 24, 25, 30). Use the key words "Inuit" (maybe "Eskimo"), or "games" in the card catalog/computer to find information on games of the North. Or examine the magazine called Games. Choose a game and teach it to a group of your friends. You might safely demonstrate the naluktaq or blanket toss by making a miniature blanket with string loops and tossing a doll. Optional: Arrange for a video to be made as you and your friends play various games of the Arctic Region. Include the place of origin ("This game is played in..."); the rules, if any; and scoring, if used. If the videotape is satisfactory, have it circulated from the library media center. Add to it through the year. 9. Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith and Laurence Migdale have collaborated on books based on the lives of several children. (See Resource List). Obtain one of these books and develop some activity sheets to introduce others in your class to the culture of native peoples. Use the word processor to design your booklet. Ask to place a copy of your work in the vertical file of the library media center. 10. In many parts of the world, life is changing rapidly and old ways are being forgotten. The Inupiat leaders want to make sure that important values are not neglected in the next generation, so on page 29 there is an "Inupiat Iltiqusiat" or code for living. Match the list with a value or tradition described in Arctic Hunter. How might YOUR family follow a list of values? Discuss suggestions with your family members. Write them down. Try out your ideas. For example, see the chart below:
Iltiqusiat Inupiat Family My Family Knowledge of Language Bilingual classes Dictionary game Sharing Share trout p. 12 cookie baking Respect for others Cooperation Respect for Elders Love for children Hard Work Family Tree Avoidance of Conflict Respect for Nature Spirituality Humor Family Roles Hunter Success Domestic Skills Humility Responsibility to Tribe Universe/God/Creation Resources Note: Some of the following books refer to various areas in the Arctic and do not always include Northern Alaska. Improve your geography and be aware of the different locations.
Don't Forget:
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