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Houghton Mifflin, 1992.
Summary: The trail taken by the Nez Perce Indians in 1877 is seen through the eyes of Chief Joseph's daughter. Relentlessly pursed by American soldiers, the Indians were driven from their home in Oregon and fled for five months before giving up north central Montana
Level: Grades 5-8
Themes:
Bravery,
betrayal,
cruelty,
independence
Activities:
1. List the Native American tribes mentioned in the story. Draw a map showing where the tribes lived in the late 1800's. Describe how the Nez Perce were different from and/or similar to any other tribe. Include how each tribe dealt with Westward Expansion. Or make comparison charts with small illustrations about at least five facets of Indian life (e.g. lodging, transportation, religion, tribal structure).
Research Tip: When finding information about Native American tribes it is helpful to determine to which cultural area they belong. (Plains, Plateau, Northeast Woodland, etc.). Students should find this research strategy most beneficial. For example information on squids may be found in a chapter on a book about mollusks, but students also need to learn that general characteristics of a larger group often can be applied to sub categories.
2. Soft rush bags were made by the Nez Perce. These were decorated with designs of corn husk false embroidery and or colored wool. Simple directions as well as patterns may be found in North American Indian Arts. If making rush bags sounds like too large of a project, students could gain a feel for the designs by experimenting with computer drawing programs: Logo, KidPixª, Pixel Paintª.
This was done on hypercard.
3a. How has the Nez Perce range changed over the last 150 years? Map the full extent of their lands before the Gold Rush, after the 1877 exodus, and their current reservation lands.
b. Compare the present day Nez Perce Indians to those described in the book. How are they alike and how are they different? Compare the present day Nez Perce to other Indians of today. How have they handled adaptation to the modern world?
c. Throughout the United States history, most "whites" either fought Native Americans or tried to force them to give up their way of life. Write a short story that reverses those roles. (Picture a region or a locale in which the Native Americans have taught the Europeans to adopt their life style).
4. Skim through Thunder Rolling in the Mountains and make note of each food mentioned. Include the page number in case you need to refer to it later. Describe the foods eaten by the Nez Perce. Have you eaten any of these same foods? What clues help you guess the time of year by the foods being eaten? Research camas? Draw a picture of the plant. Describe where it grows and what parts the Indians used in the caption.
5. Draw pictures of Running Feet's clothes. Find pictures of girl's garments from other tribes. Explain why there are differences and similarities as part of your illustration.
6. Locate the "Land of the Spirit Fountains." What was the "water spouted high"? Develop a model of this area. For a science project have one group of students figure out a way to demonstrate what makes the "water spout high."
7. Coyote was a famous trickster, often used in Indian tales. Find and read as many Coyote tales as you can. After careful study, develop rules for writing a true Coyote tale and write your own. Hold a contest and award a prize for the best one. Publish a collection of them and add to your school library.
8 a. Determine what the weather might have been for the Nez Perce walk - week by week. Use the geography of the areas and current weather information for help. Where is the "Old Lady's Country?" Why was it given that name? On page 88, the Native Americans are following the "star that never moves." Explain or demonstrate with objects that statement.
b. Develop a model of the temporary camps used by the Nez Perce while on the trip.
c. Develop a plant and animal diorama for the entire walk. Remember to investigate how the changes in elevation can affect the environment.
d. Compare and contrast Thunder Rolling in the Mountains with Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears. Compile a list of famous exodus which could be printed in a permanent fashion to post in the classroom. Add to the list as other marches are discovered. Invite the class to make some generalizations.
9. The Nez Perce described the telegraph as a "silver wire that talks all day." Ask small groups of students to make similar definitions of a television, a car, a computer or any other modern day technology?
10a. Develop a debate about the decision to move the Nez Perce off their lands. Who might have been for the move and why? Who might have been against it and why? Make a class time line which chronicles these events. The true story of the people involved in these decisions makes fascinating reading; be sure to uncover information about General Oliver Otis Howard!
b. How do you feel about the soldier attack on the Nez Perce at the Big Hole in chapter 10? Write a letter as if you were one of the soldiers writing home describing and justifying the attack.
c. What part did the discovery of gold play in the treatment of the Indian tribes in the American West? Research how other native American tribes were treated. Compare/contrast to the Nez Perce's treatment.
11. Research the type of rifles used by the Indians. Draw a scale model of these rifles and the Indian horses. Is it possible to ride bareback and shoot this rifle in the manner described in the story? How could you prove it?
12. Research the origin of Native American names. Using what you have learned, develop Indian names for some of your classmates. Be able to defend your choices. Find out what Chief's Joseph's original name was. Why was it changed?
13a. In the introduction Elizabeth Hall (Scott O'Dell's daughter) tells the reader about her father's commitment to writing this book. She lists the primary resources that they used. Obtain at least one of them and compare with fictional biographies of Chief Joseph and Thunder Rolling in the Mountains. Compare and contrast the family's attitudes to the white invasion, specifically looking at Old Chief Joseph and Chief Joseph's younger brother.
b. In the first chapter, the French name for the tribe, "Nez Perce," is defined as "Hole through the nose. Running Feet says, "None of our people ever put ornaments in their noses." Do other historians agree with this? (See Freedman.) How can you decide which source is correct? Discuss the difficulties in maintaining accuracy of historical events.
Resources
- Bealer, Alex W. Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears. Illus by William Sauts Bock. Little, Brown, 1972.
- Freedman, Russell. Indian Chiefs. Holiday House, 1987.
- Garst, Shannon. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces. Illus by Douglas Gorsline. R.E.C. 1953.
- Stevens, Janet. Coyote Steals the Blanket. Holiday House, 1993.
- Caduto, Michael and Joseph Bruchac. "How Coyote was the Moon," "Four Worlds," and "Old Man Coyote and the Rock." in Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children. Fulcrum, 1989.
- Whiteford, Andrew Hunter. Indian Arts. Golden Press, 1983.
Prepared by Nancy Grant, S.A.D. # 4 , Guilford
(with Abigail Garthwait, Asa Adams School, Orono)
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