Purpose: With the renaissance of the Hawaiian Culture paralleling the Gray Whale and revival of Makah Indian Culture and language, and customs; students participating in comparing and contrasting these two regions will become aware of the culture, struggles and concerns of similar peoples.

Introduction: In Hawaii, the whaling community of Lahaina was thriving during the migration of the Humpback Whales from the Alaskan/Arctic Regions to Hawaii for the mating and birthing of new whales. The demand for oil, and other by products of whales necessitated the killing of whales. During this time the missionaries worked with the native Hawaiians and "made them more acceptable to God" by the suppressing of their cultural songs, dances, dress and other means of expressions.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Makah Indians of the Olympic Peninsula hunted the Gray Whales returning to the krill-rich feeding grounds in dugout canoes during April and May. Their last whale hunt was in l913. Like the Hawaiians and their renaissance of their culture and language in recent years, so the Makah Indians have organized their economic well-being under the Tribal Council which oversees the Forestry; Fish Hatchery; Senior Citizen Center; Museum and Cultural Center, etc. There are steps being taken to preserve the language; arts and crafts; family-owned songs; dances; games and canoe races. The Makah Indians have petitioned the International Whaling Commission to restore their whaling rights for taking 5 Gray Whales a year. Gray Whales are now off of the Endangered Species List.

For about 70 years, the Makah were suppressed from using their language and expressing their culture in song and dance by the Indian Agency. Children were sent away to boarding schools to "forget" their culture and ways. The Makah became US citizens in 1926. The Northwest Coast Indians' carvings on Bentwood boxes, totem poles, long house poles and panels showed the most advanced of any Indian Nations in the arts except pottery and dance steps. Potlatches like our Hawaiian luaus are important celebrations of births, marriages, mourning in song, dance and feasts, where gifts are given away and reciprocated at a later celebration.

As in the Hawaiian folklore, tricksters are also helpers to earth people. The Raven in the Northwest Coast Indian tribes is a shape-shifter with magical powers. He is brave, cunning, greedy and gluttonous and balances heroism with trickery to bring blessing to the people. He is the giver of light to people. Maui is also a transformer, trickster and hero. He helped give man fire from the mudhens who would not share it; and he slowed the sun so his mother could dry her tapa cloth.

Objectives: Students will be able to:

1. Compare and Contrast where they live in Hawaii to the Makah Indian Reservation in Neah Bay, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.
2. Make a Venn Diagram after hearing two stories dealing with the Trickster type characters of Maui and the Raven.
3. Put on a stick puppet play of the two trickster stories to share and present to other classes.
4. Identify and draw/color designs in the traditional style of the Northwest Coast Native Art using ovoid, U forms and T shapes.
5. Discuss how and why they think the Makah Indian Culture can survive into the future. Discover how the Makah and the Hawaiians are planning for their future.
6. View articles/pictures/videos of Lahaina/Hawaiians/Makah to aid in the comparing and contrasting of the two area/cultures. (Makah Video: The Gift From the Past)
7. Write a couple of Haiku or stories about the two regions.
8. Find the location (latitude/longitude) of Lahaina and Neah Bay using an atlas/map.

Geographic Themes: Location; Place; Human Environment Interaction; Movement and Region

Geographic Standards: The geographically informed person knows and understands...

6. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions.
10. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.
11. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.
12. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
14. How human actions modify the physical environment.
18. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.

Geographic Skills:
Explain, use, apply concepts of communities and cities.
Identify and describe geographic characteristics of home, school and community as one's unique place in space.
Use geographic tools and resources to explain the relationship between the physical and human environments.
Describe and evaluate existing and alternative uses of resources.

Lesson can be used with a unit on Indians, Communities, Whaling, Abstract Art, Geography, Language Arts, and Writing.

Materials Needed:

• World Maps, Atlases
• State Maps of Washington and Hawaii
• Local maps of Lahaina, Maui and Olympic Peninsula, Makah
• Styrofoam meat trays,
• Old pencils
• Tempera Paints: red, gold, black, white, green, turquoise blue
• Heavy white paper
• Crayons/Marker pens of the same colors may be used also
• Art Pictures of totem poles, bentwood boxes, weavings and carvings of Northwest Coast Indians and Hawaiian tikis
• Maui and Secret of Fire by Suelyn Ching Tune
• Raven, A Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott
• Worksheets: Ovoid and U Forms, Wolf Puzzle, Northwest Art Animals

Procedure:

1. Ask students to share what the Know about Humpback Whales and the importance of Lahaina and whaling. What do they want to learn about Humpbacks and whaling. Make a list of Know/Want to know/ Learned(Assessment after the lesson)
2. Teacher will share about the Makah Indians and where they are located through video The Gift From the Past, slides, pictures, magazines and books. Students will make a graphic organizer of a Venn Diagram in a whole class comparing/contrasting Hawaii and Makah information.
3. Using a map of the World, Atlases the students will locate the Olympic Peninsula; Cape Flattery; Neah Bay, WA; Lahaina, HI and Ha'iku, Maui, HI with the latitude and longitude.
4. Share the story of Raven, a Trickster Tale From the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott.
   Discuss the Beginning, Middle, Ending of the story; Characters; Problem and Solution. Talk about the clothing, art work, shelter, setting, etc.
   Do the same with Maui and the Secret of Fire by Suelyn Ching Tune. Have the students draw a picture/ and label for each heading above to compare the two stories. In doing this, they will be able to see the differences too. Make a venn diagram (another graphic organizer) to compare and contrast the two stories.
5. Divided into two groups, the class will make puppets for the two folk tales to share and perform for other classes.
6. Work on the worksheets for Art of the Northwest Coast Indian carvings to identify the pattern of this area. The students can them make up their own totem pole/ bentwood box pattern and color/paint.
7. Interview senior citizens in Lahaina /Ha'iku (wherever you live) and ask questions about what they remember of Lahaina in the past and what do they see for Lahaina in the future. Write to the Makah Senior Citizen Center and ask the same questions. Compare and summarize the results. Locate pictures from the areas in the past to see similarities and differences.
8. After looking at the regions of both places of study (weather, animals, vegetation); write a couple of Haiku (5 syllable- 7-5 pattern) or stories in the voice of being an animal, child, plant, weather element from each of the areas (Makah and where you live...Lahaina, Ha'iku).

Assessment:

1. Go back to the KWL chart done in the beginning and see what the students learned after the study by making a list; correct misconceptions; answer the questions of what the students wanted to learn.
2. The content of the students' Haiku, stories and box/totem pole art will be assessment of what has been internalized by the students.
3. Presentation of the stick puppet plays of the two trickster stories from the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii
4. Discussion and lists of possible means and steps the renaissance movements of Makah and Hawaiian cultures will take in the future. How will they survive? keep their young people interested to carry on the movements...etc.

Extensions:

Appendix:

• KidsArt: Ovoids and U forms;
• Wolf Puzzle;
• Northwest Art Animals;
• How to Read a Totem Pole
• Connecting Geography and Literature: Pages 10-21
• The Bentwood Box, An Activity Book. Nan McNutt. © 1984 ISBN 0-9614534-7-8

References:

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