Micmac Creation Story

Wabanaki Stories

Stories– links to online stories are provided in the Powerful Words Webquest: http://www.leasttern.com/Wabanaki/PowerfulWords/groups.html. Stories are also listed in the list at the end of this document.

Mi'kmaq Creation

Online at:

http://www.glastonberrygrove.net/reference/hilegend/micmac/mmcreate.html

http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore21.html

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/crmicmac.htm

Purpose:

This and other stories can serve as an introduction to the Wabanaki people and as a part of a study of creation stories.

In using the story for dedicated Wabanaki study, the following should be goals:

Objectives: following the study of this legend and other Wabanaki stories, students should be able to:

∑ Appreciate and explain the relationship between the Wabanakis and their physical world.

∑ Appreciate and describe the spiritual culture of the Wabanakis and its interrelationship with the worlds of men and nature.

∑ Identify important aspects of Wabanaki culture and daily life (values).

∑ Gain an initial understanding of the role of stories in Wabanaki life and, especially, in child-rearing

Standards (Maine Learning Results):

HISTORY C5: 5. Formulate historical questions based on examination of primary and secondary sources including documents, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, artifacts, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams, and written texts.

GEOGRAPHY B3: 3. Explain how cultures differ in their use of similar environments and resources

ENGLISH A5: Understand stories and expository texts from the perspective of the social and cultural context in which they were created

Suggested method:

Present and discuss briefly the Purposes of Oral Stories in the story-telling culture.
Tell the Mi'kmaq Creation Story as students listen. Use a Talk-Write or Talk-Draw strategy to make listening active. The story can be told in parts.
(optional) Tell the story again, having students fill-in the note-taking template. Use the Purposes organizer for follow-up note-taking or discussion.
Show students another creation story on VHS (The Frog Monster and Other Penobscot Stories) – use a follow-up strategy to make listening/viewing active (with 8^th graders, you will want to also discuss who made the film and how it was done). This is also readily available in print.
As a class, read one Wabanaki story. Use the Purposes organizer for follow-up note-taking or discussion.
Assign groups of students to one or more Wabanaki story. Task them to tell it orally and visually to the class. Allow 2 classes for preparation and rehearsal. Students should take notes on the performances. The following methods are effective:

acting (with narrator, dialogue or both)
puppetry
photographs or drawn slides and narration

HW: Assign each student to write down or record a family story that carries a lesson or life message.
(paragraph or essay) Following all performances, students should brainstorm, discuss and then write about this question: How do Wabanaki stories compare to stories reflecting your culture? Use both specific family (personal) stories and TV sitcoms or drama shows in your response.
(optional) If another oral culture has been discussed in depth, compare those stories to the Wabanaki stories.