October/November 2005

A fun magazine for kids!

The Native American Experience in Kansas

On The Cover

Many Native American children take part in powwows, as shown on the cover of this issue of Kansas Kaleidoscope. Traditional clothing is worn with pride as they perform dances and celebrate their heritage.

For Parents and Teachers:

This magazine is designed to provide teachers with tools to address the new history and reading curricular standards whenever possible. Several stories in this issue meet specific standards. "Conflict of Cultures" addresses the fifth grade history standard: "The student examines the interaction between European explorers and American Indians." "A Place to Call Home" addresses the fifth grade history standard: "The students explains how various American Indians adapted to their environment in relationship to shelter and food." The story "How Coyote Was the Moon" lines up with the fourth grade history standard: "The students uses traditional stories from regions to help define the region." It also meets the fifth grade reading standard: "The student uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions."

Visit History

The Native American Heritage Museum tells the story of the Great Lakes Indians who were forced to emigrate to Kansas in the 1800s. The museum is housed in a mission school built by the Presbyterian Church in 1845 to educate Iowa and Sac and Fox children. Today you will find quillwork, baskets, and other artwork of present-day descendants of emigrant tribes. Through the interactive exhibits, Native Americans tell stories in their own words.

Did you know that twelve Kansas counties are named for Native American tribes? Can you name them?

Located one mile north of U.S. 36 and two miles east of Highland, the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. Groups tours by appointment, call 785-442-3304 or email nahm@kshs.org.

Who is Indian?

Although it may seem like a simple question, it's not so easy to answer. First of all, you have to decide what you mean. When Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492, he thought he had landed in India.

What kind of a home do you live in? Does your best friend live in a house just like yours? People today live in all different kinds of homes.

The Wichita tribe of Kansas built homes shaped like a beehive covered with grass. These homes were permanent dwellings for the people. If they were properly cared for, the houses were very durable, and would last from ten to fifteen years.

The Pawnee tribe also used materials that were easy to find in Kansas. They used logs secured in holes in the ground to make the frame of their homes. They dug a big circle about three feet down to make the floor of their home.

The tipi was a good home for people who traveled. It could be put together and taken apart easily in hot or cold weather. The tipi was also easy to carry from place to place.

Traditionally Native American boys and girls did not go to school the way we think of school today. When the children were very young, they stayed close to their mothers and other female relatives. As they grew older, the boys would learn from the men how to do the things the men of the tribe did.

In 1884 a government school was started in Lawrence, Kansas, for Native Americans. Then it taught students in grades one through five about farming. Today it is a university with more than 1,000 students.

Boys and girls today are proud of the badges they earn at scouts and the ribbons and trophies they win at field day and other events. In the same way the Wichita people were proud of who they were and what they did.

This story is a Kalispel (Idaho) story from the book Native American Stories told by Joseph Bruchac. It is published with the permission of Fulcrum Press.

Pawnee Earth Lodge

Teacher Supplement