AN 206-001  Native Cultures of North America

Syllabus, FALL 2008

This course will investigate Native American tribal cultures throughout North America north of Mexico.  We will seek to understand Native Americans in their traditional cultural settings, and in their current relations with Euro-Americans and the U.S. government.  We will explore tribal cultures throughout the U.S., including New England tribes, Eastern Canadian Crees and Montaignas/Naskapi, Iroquois of New York, Southeastern Tribes including the Choctaws; Canadian Northwest Tlingits; Southwestern Hopis, Navajos, and Apaches; and Upper Plains tribes including the Cheyennes.  Although our primary focus will be to learn about traditional indigenous Native American cultures, we will also investigate contemporary Native American tribal communities, problems of reservation life, and Indian self-determination, as time permit. 

Students will be required to come prepared to class.  You must read assignments and pursue internet searches ahead of time, so you can participate in this course.  Otherwise you should not sign up for this course.  The Internet will be a major resource for some of the research activities.  You should plan to have access to an internet website, so you can participate fully in these activities.   You may access class materials through my Blackboard for this course.  I will place the syllabus, readings, and other materials on this Site for you to access.  You may also access this syllabus and other course materials through my BSC website located at the Faculty Home Pages site on the BSC webpage.  Click on ‘F’, then click on my name, then click on the AN 206 icon on my web page.  This will take you to the AN 206 syllabus.  Although I will hand out copies of some maps, charts, etc., I will also post overheads, maps, and charts used in class on the website or on Blackboard.  You should consult these sources to access these items.

Students will complete two mid-term exams, an impression paper, and a final exam.  Students should attend class regularly.  Absences in excess of four will result in a reduction in grade (at least 1/2 grade).  You must participate in class discussions and complete assignments on time.  Missing exams is strongly discouraged, and only a legitimate medical or other excuse will be accepted.  Additional information will be given in class about the computer search notebook assignment. Assignments will be graded as follows:

2 Mid-Term exams                                            25%  each

Tribe Comparison/Analysis Paper                       25%

Final Exam                                                        25%

Attendance/participation                                    +/-10%

The following texts will be used and should be purchased at the BSC Bookstore:

John H. Moore,                         The Cheyenne,  Blackwell, 1997    

Claire Farrar,                            Thunder Rides a Black Horse, 2nd ed. Waveland, 1996.

Sandra Faiman-Silva,                 Choctaws at the Crossroads, U Nebraska 2000

Native American websites will provide useful information sources, especially during the first part of the course.   We will use these as part of our data-base. 

A useful site for information about Native American tribes is located at: 

http://www.tolatsga.org/Compacts.html.

This site contains descriptions of more than two dozen tribes.  You can access information about the history and cultural features of tribes mentioned in class through this website. 

Another site that contains a directory of many tribes is: 

http://www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/nations.html

A site about Alaska native tribes and native knowledge is at:       

http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/

A site about Tlingit/Haida tribes of the Northwest Coast is at:  http://www.alaskanative.net/38.asp

            Click on Links to access numerous sites about the Northwest Coast and Alaska

A site about the Gay Head Wampanoag tribe is located at http://www.wampanoagtribe.net/

A site about the Seaconke Tribe of Wampanoags is at  http://www.inphone.com/seahome.html

DAILY ASSIGNMENTS:  The following Assignments should be prepared for the date listed and will be the basis for class discussions.    

DATE:        ASSIGNMENT

                        Culture Areas. Look at:  http://www.hanksville.org/sand/steretypes  

                             (this site may not work) and http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/cultmap.html

Click on Arctic which brings you to: 

            http://npc.nunavut.ca/eng/nunavut/

Click on Plateau dot which brings you to:

            http://www.hallman.org/indian/.www.html

Click on Great Basin dot which brings you to: 

http://www4.hmc.edu:8001/humanities/basin/gb-title.htm

Click on Southwest dot which brings you to: 

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/art/beads/turquois.html

Click on Florida dot which brings you to: 

http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/outline/index.htm

Click on Southern Woodlands dot which brings you to: 

http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/feature/feature.htm

Sept. 15           Sub Arctic/East    http://www.gcc.ca/index.htm  Cree website

                        Learn about Innu Nation by going to the Innu History and

                                    Culture Page    @ http://www.innu.ca/culture.html

                        *READ              BLACKBOARD:  ”‘Spirituality’ Among the Inuit and Innu of Laborador” @   http://www.innu.ca/tanner1.html

East     Look at: www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/cultmap.html and click on

Northern Woodlands  

                        Go to:  http://www.nativetech.org/scenes/index.html

For ‘virtual tour’ of Eastern Woodlands indigenous way of life

(site is somewhat elementary, but useful narratives and sketches)

                        *Go to:  http://www.tolatsga.org/wampa.html to read about Wampanoag history

Sept. 22           East, Cont.  Iroquois Confederacy, Cont.

            *Go to:  http://www.peace4turtleisland.org  to learn about the Iroquois, who call themselves the Haudausaunee, People of the Long House

See a map of the Iroquois lands at: 

http://www.peace4turtleisland.org/pages/ancestrallandsmap.htm

                        *Click on the six sites to lean about the history and culture of the six member

                                    nations who belonged to the Iroquois Confederacy:                     

                                    Sececa, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk, and Tuscarora

                        *Go to:  http://www.kahonwes.com/constitution.html to read over The

                                    Constitution of the Iroquois Nations

Sept. 29           1st Midterm Quiz

                        Video:   TBA

Oct. 6              Plains Tribes:  Read:  The Cheyenne, Ch. 1-3

                        Go to:  http://tlc.wtp.net/northern.htm   which is the Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council website where you can access websites for many Northern Plains tribes, including the Northern Cheyenne.

                        Go to:  www.nps.gov/fola/indians.htm  for an overview of the Plains tribes.

Oct. 20                        The Cheyenne, Ch. 4-6             

Go to:  http://www.montana.edu/wwwfpcc/tribes/ for information about Fort

Oct. 27            The Cheyenne, Ch. 7-11           

Nov. 3             2nd Mid-Term Quiz

Video:  Hopi:  Songs of the Fourth World

Nov. 10                       Begin Southwest:  Look at:  Look at Navajo Nation homepage 

http://www.navajo.org

                        Look at White Mountain Apache homepage:  http://www.wmat.nsn.us/

                        Go to:  http://www.nau.edu/~hcpo-p/ to learn about the Hopis

                        Begin:  Thunder Rides a Black Horse, Ch. 1-3

Nov 17            Thunder Rides a Black Horse, Farrar, Ch. 4-End

                        Take-Home Comparison Paper Handed Out Today

                        Comparison Paper Due Nov. 24

Nov. 24                        READ:  Choctaws at the Crossroads, Ch. 7-8, 9-11: esp. Pgs. 154-161

                        Take-Home Comparision Paper Due Today

Dec. 1              Choctaws at the Crossroads, Ch. 11 to end; Ch. 12

                        Choctaws at the Crossroads, Ch. 1-5

                        Go to:  http://www.choctawnation.com/ to view the Choctaw Nation website.

                        Go to the History page and click on People, then Chiefs to learn about Choctaw

Chiefs

Dec. 8              Choctaws at the Crossroads, Ch. 5 esp: pgs. 58-65, 70-75,

                        And  Ch. 6: esp. pgs. 76-80, 84-85, 92-93

                        Choctaws at the Crossroads , Ch. 13

Final Exam:     Monday, December 15    4:45 PM