THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410260213
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03B EDITION: BAYSIDE
SOURCE: BY HEIDI GLICK, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Four totem poles mark the entrance of a Northwest plankhouse, a remake of a native American Indian dwelling. Inside this structure hang moccasins, beads, a fishing spear and colorful masks to keep away evil spirits.
Nearby are a tepee, decorated with Indian symbols, as well as two other dwellings, a Northeast longhouse and a hogan house.
Fifth-graders at Holland Elementary don't have to go to a museum to see this life-sized Indian village. They made it themselves - out of plywood, construction paper, grocery bags and newspaper.
Under guidance from Holland social studies teachers, Lynn Elliott, Dana Clark and Merrill Wahaba, the students made the village in conjunction with their study on native American culture. For two weeks, they researched in the library and read their social studies books to find out how Indians lived, the roles of men, women and children and the different ceremonies.
``We wanted them to learn how to do research, which they mastered very well,'' Elliott said.
For instance, the students learned that Plains Indians didn't make houses out of wood because wood was scarce. Also, not all Indians wore moccasins.
Copying encyclopedia drawings, the students worked on the dwellings, stapling paper to plywood, writing messages on the tepee using Indian symbols. They also made life-sized Indians and buffalo and designed masks and totem poles.
Included in the project is an Indian hoeing a three-dimensional corn field and an Indian woman skinning a buffalo.
``It's like back when the Indians lived,'' said student Joseph Sherman, as he walked inside one of the dwellings. ``I wish I lived back then. I wish I had a time machine.''
Another student, Joey Mayer, disagreed. ``Not me. There's no TV.''
Joseph responded. ``I'd bring my portable TV.''
The students then discussed how Indians back then would view television.
``They'd think it was cursed,'' said Daniel Messerschmidt. ``They would see the people on the screen and think that someone had shrunk the people.''
The students' research on Indian life paid off. They easily rattled off historical facts about Indians and their culture and language.
``It was neat to see what was found as they did research,'' Elliot said. ``It was not dry at all.''
Trying to make the tepees look as authentic as possible, LaToya Lynch wrote messages on them using Indian symbols but found it difficult because Indian word usage was different from words used today. ``They didn't have words like `any' or `go','' she said.
``We're also going to put a dream catcher in here,'' said Joshua Joyner, as he stood inside the plankhouse. ``They made a pot with a stick around it. . .
Nathan Fury made a miniature replica of a pueblo house and explained that Indians came into this type of dwelling through a hole in the roof. When enemies came to attack they'd pull their ladder into the house and close up the opening in the roof.
``One Indian group built a house so strong it survived a hurricane,'' explained Chris Hudson.
And when it came to hunting buffalo in the old days, the students said women had it tough.
``The Great Plains Indian women did all the work,'' LaToya said. ``They put together the long house and they'd have to get the buffalo after the men killed them.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by HEIDI GLICK
Students crowd inside a replica of a hogan - a home used by some
American Indians - to finish the interior.
by CNB