Wabanaki Studies > Wabanaki Lessons

Seasonal Migration

Seasonal Migration is a core concept in understanding the Wabanakis. Many values (territorial identity and freedom, conservation, relationship to nature, hunting, gathering, fishing, the concepts of "community" and of "family") depend in part upon this seasonal repetition. Because this is a concrete activity that helps many to read the stories and research materials more actively, it is helpful to have students complete some aspect of this activity before undertaking the Powerful Words WebQuest or a study of the larger history or WorldView. Excellent teacher resources and support materials are found in The Wabanakis of Maine & the Maritimes and Maine Dirigo.

The teacher should be alert to the stereotype inherent in teaching about this aspect of Native life. Some students, and perhaps the textbook, will romanticize this "nomadic" life. In fact, seasonal migration was essential to the economic worldview of the Wabanakis. Teachers should be aware, however, that the nature of seasonal movement was different for each tribal group. This lesson focuses on the Penobscot Nation.

Printable version of this lesson - .doc, .pdf

Maine Learning Results:
Geography B2 Explain patterns of migration throughout the world
Geography B3 Explain how cultures differ in their use of similar environments and resources
Economics B1 Demonstrate knowledge of economic concepts supply, demand, price, the role of money, and profit and loss.

Materials:
1. Seasonal Migration Assignment, Organizers and Assessments - available for download online:

Assignment - printable web page	.doc	.pdf
Differentiated Assignment - printable web page	.doc	.pdf
LAS rubric	.doc	.pdf
Differentiated LAS rubric	.doc	.pdf
6 Traits rubric for paragraph A	.doc	.pdf
6 Traits rubric for paragraph B	.doc	.pdf
6 Traits rubric for Differentiated assignment parargraph and diary	.doc	.pdf
Organizer for Paragraph A	.doc	.pdf
Organizer for Paragraph B	.doc	.pdf
Calendar Pies - Roman, lunar (blank)	.doc	.pdf

2. Drawing paper, string, tape, and colored pencils or markers

3. Laptops or writing supplies (for paragraphs)

4. Dictionaries or Internet access

5. Graphic organizers -printable - see table above

6. Student copies of Penobscot lunar calendar - The Wabanakis of Maine & the Maritimes D-25 (or other)

7. (highly recommended): Classroom copies of The Wabanakis of Maine & the Maritimes, Maine Dirigo, and Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back by Joseph Bruchac.

Paper activity: Students will read a passage from a Penobscot oral history, "map" it by drawing pictures of the seasonal food-gathering activities, and write about it in two extended paragraphs answering Guiding Questions. The Differentiated activity limits and structures the reading and the written and creative responses. See the Assignment links above.

1. If you have not already done so, discuss briefly the following:
   1. Different Wabanaki peoples followed different seasonal migratory patterns pre-Contact. Post-contact (European) migrations were not only dependent upon food/shelter needs, but often on personal safety and political needs (see the Molly Ockett biography – available only by contacting Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain - and the Teaching Timeline).
   2. Wabanaki housing and transportation (not covered as 'needs' in the passage).
   3. Supply and demand. The lesson will require students to understand how this concept applies to beaver pelts (European view) and how the concepts of price, money, profit and loss were not needed by the pre-Contact Wabanakis. Specific points:
      1. Wabanaki families and tribes had ancestral and agreed-upon beaver hunting areas, but were initially willing to share territory, and beaver, with Europeans
      2. "Profit" in terms of "extra beaver" was shared within the tribal groups (pre-Contact)
      3. Wampum was not money until post-Contact times – the concept of a "price" was also new
      4. Trade goods in exchange for beaver was not a new idea for the Wabanaki; tribes had traded for centuries. It was the nature of the trade goods that was new.
      5. Loss of the beaver and loss of beaver trade were NOT the same thing for the Wabanaki – they had different outcomes. Loss of beaver trade had an immediate impact on Native economy and resulted in sale of tribal lands.
      6. When more Wabanaki men trapped beaver, they were not available to do other things within the Wabanaki "economy" – students can benefit from speculating on this
      7. When beaver trade brought helpful European products that changed or improve Wabanaki lifestyle (guns, kettles, cloth for example), traditional handcrafts and technologies were affected - the Eurocentric view is that this was a "cultural loss" - the Native view is that this is selected adoptation of new tools and technologies, much the same as trading for better arrow chert.
   4. Ask students how they would feel if their family patterns, technologies and/or income were suddenly to change (a good Learning Log question).
2. (suggested): Read "A Penobscot Boy's Thoughts" in The Wabanakis of Maine & the Maritimes, C-35. Assign some or all of the questions, B-91.
3. Distribute the Assignment and the approprate organizers, etc. to each student. This is appropriate for HW or classwork.
4. Review the Assessment rubrics. One rubric contains only MLR assessments. Others are included for the paragraphs (6+1 Trait writing).
5. It is a good idea to have students work through the rubrics in heterogeneous groups, but write and create images individually.

Visual activity: My students have made three student-created representations of the cycle available to you.

Picture 1 - Picture 2 - Picture 3
used with permission of the (anonymous) student artists

After completing the paper activity, look at the above images.  Ask your class (this is an excellent group activity):

1. In what ways does the image accurately represent the text?
2. In what ways do stereotypes or preconceptions (of the student artist) appear in the picture?
3. What would you add to the picture?
4. What do the pictures tell you about values important to the Penobscots? To the artist?
5. Can we ever make an accurate picture of life in the past?

Optional Follow-up Activity: The paragraph assignments can be briefly debated in class. This is good practice for a formal debate.

Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain
Updated 8/8/07