Retold by Ross, Gayle. 1995. How Turtle's Back was Cracked: A Traditional Cherokee Tale. Illustrated by Murv Jacob. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803717288.
Plot Summary
Turtle and Possum were best friends. Possum would climb a persimmon tree and pick persimmons. He would alternate between eating one himself and throwing one down for turtle to eat. Wolf sneaks behind turtle and started catching the persimmons, but turtle had his eyes closed and did not realize what was happening. Possum noticed the wolf and threw down a large persimmon, which got stuck in the wolf's throat and killed him. Turtle took credit for the wolf's death, and this angered the other wolves. They caught turtle and wanted to kill him, but were tricked into throwing him in the river. Turtle's back hit a rock in the river and his shell cracked.
Critical Analysis
How Turtle's Back was Cracked is a traditional Cherokee tale and explains why it looks like turtle shells are cracked. It also teaches lessons about how to behave. If turtle had never taken credit for killing wolf and had not gone around showing off his wolf-ear spoons, he would never have gotten into trouble with the wolves and his shell would not have cracked. Turtle was able to do something wise when he tricked the wolves, though. His shell was cracked, but he did not die.
The story is identified as a Cherokee tale. The author, Ross, says she heard the tale growing up as a Cherokee, but she also did research on it. She found a simple form of the story in James Mooney's Myths of the Cherokee which was published in 1900 by the Bureau of American Ethnology. Ross practiced telling the story for years before she wrote the book.
The only time Cherokee words are used within the story is when turtle sings while healing himself. He sings, "Gu'daye'wu, Gu'daye'wu," which means, "I have sewn myself together. I have sewn myself together."
Two foods are mentioned within the story. At the start of the story, turtle and possum share persimmons from the persimmon tree. Once turtle has the wolf-ear spoons he goes from person to person eating the corn soup that they offer him. It was a custom to offer visitors this special corn soup, but turtle takes advantage of people's hospitality so he can show off the wolf-ear spoons. He created the spoons after taking the wolf's ears as a tribute from the dead wolf. It was a custom for a hunter to take a tribute from an animal in order to capture a piece of the animal's spirit.
The illustrations in the book are colorful and contain a lot of detail. The sky stands out since it is painted with bright, swirled colors. The sun is always pictured with a face. There is a lot of trees and wild life presented and the colors used for them make it seem like the story is taking place in autumn.
The turtle, possum, and wolf are pictured wearing some clothes. Possum and wolf wear an item around their waist that looks like an apron. Turtle wears a belt around his waist. The animals and people wear beads around their wrists and ankles. Possum, the wolf, and some of the people also wear necklaces. The people wear leather clothes and moccasins. The women wear dresses and have long hair, while the men wear pants and no shirts with their hair cut short into Mohawks.
The aspect of each picture that stands out the most is the eyes of the animals. The wolves all have shining yellow eyes. The turtle has a large red eye with a black star shape in the center. The turtle's head is always shown from a side view so that only one eye is seen. This eye stands out on every page and helps draw the reader's attention to the turtle.
Review Excerpts
"Despite its echoes of the more familiar Brer Rabbit story ('born and bred in the briar patch'), this Cherokee pourquoi tale has a flavor all its own. Ross notes that she remembers the tale from her childhood, found a written source, and developed it through storytelling to its present form. Jacob's distinctive acrylic paintings illustrate the story's dramatic moments in scenes rich in colors and patterns. An entertaining picture book to read aloud." -Booklist
Connections
Read How Turtle's Back was Cracked with other turtle stories during story time. Other books that can be read are Anansi goes fishing by Eric Kimmel, Turtle Splash! by Cathryn Falwell, and Turtle's Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story by Joseph Bruchac. For the craft children can color a picture of a turtle and draw in the cracks on his shell.
Showing posts with label Module 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Module 4. Show all posts
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Module 4: Code Talker
Bruchac, Joseph. 2005. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two. New York, NY: Dial Books. ISBN 0803729219.
Plot Summary
Kii Yazhi is a Navajo boy who is sent to a boarding school when he is young. At school he given the name Ned Begay and is forced to speak English and ignore his culture. Ned becomes a good student and learns English well. When he is older, Marine recruiters come to the area looking for Navajo men who know both English and the Navajo language. He eventually joins the Marines and becomes a code talker. Ned serves as a Marine throughout World War Two, but must keep his work as a code talker secret. In 1969 he is finally able to share his important role as a code talker with his family and others.
Critical Analysis
Code Talker is written in an engaging style since it feels like the reader is being told the story in person by an elder. Although this is a historical fiction novel, while reading the book it feels like Ned Begay is a real person who is truly sharing his story with his grandchildren. There are many cultural markers in the story, and although it is a fictional work Bruchac says in the author's note that "everything that happens to Ned Begay happened to real Navajo people." Code Talker can help readers to understand aspects of Navajo culture and to understand World War Two.
One cultural marker present is physical appearance. When Ned first goes to school he and his classmates are dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry. There are other dark-skinned people at the school, but they have short hair. At first Ned does not realize that they too are Navajo since he has never seen a Navajo with short hair before. Ned and the other children are given matching military style uniforms and caps to wear. Everybody's hair is cut short, leaving them to feel "naked and ashamed." When Ned joins the Marines he goes through this same process, but this time his hair is shaved off completely. He is able to make a joke about it, though, and calls himself a plucked turkey.
Ned's Marine unit fights against the Japanese, and he discovers that he resembles a Japanese man. Some of the Indian Marines are mistaken for Japanese and are injured or killed. Ned later learns that his white friends Georgia Boy and Smitty were told to stay by his side to keep him safe.
Many aspects of Navajo culture are present in Code Talkers. When Ned first arrives at school he and the other students introduce themselves to each other. He explains the proper greeting when he says, "We said hello, spoke our names, told each other our clans and where we were from." Ned's introduction is "Yaat'eeh. I am Kii Yazhi. I was born for Mud Clan and Born to Towering House. My birth place is over near Grants. I am the son of Gray Mustache."
While going to school he and his family had become Catholic, but they still kept their Navajo traditions and did not "forget the Holy People and our Navajo Way." Before Ned leaves to join the Marines a Blessingway ceremony is performed for him to provide him with protection. The Blessingway is described in detail in the story. At the end of the ceremony Ned is given a pollen pouch. He says, "I reached into the pollen bag and took some out to scatter from north to south. I inhaled the dawn four times, giving a prayer to myself, to the new day, and to all that exists." Ned repeats this action with the pollen every morning throughout the story. At one point Ned sends his dirty uniform home so that his family can perform another ceremony using the clothes he has worn in battle.
When Ned is in war he must get used to being around dead bodies. This is difficult for Navajos since they are supposed to avoid the dead. "To even look upon the body of a dead person may make you sick. If someone dies inside a hogan, that hogan is abandoned forever." The Navajo also believe that it is possible for the spirit to get sick from war. Ned shares the story of Monster Slayer, who killed many of the monsters who were harming people. Monster Slayer became ill and "the first Enemyway ceremony was done to cure him by restoring him to balance." When Ned returned home from the war he was ill and had many nightmares so the Enemyway ceremony was performed for him. He says that at the end of the ceremony, "when I opened my eyes, I was home, truly home. Big Schoolboy was shaking his rattle and I was at peace. My balance had been restored. I could go forward on a path of beauty."
Language is one of the most important cultural markers of the story and many Navajo words are incorporated. When Ned goes to school he is not allowed to ever talk in Navajo. He cannot even keep his own name and is given the name Ned Begay by a teacher. Once when he accidentally speaks Navajo his mouth is washed out with soap. It is a horrible experience that leaves him disoriented and bleeding with soap coming out of his mouth, nose, and eyes. He is unable to walk and has to be led to the dormitory by classmates.
Once Ned joins the Marines his knowledge of both Navajo and English become important. Navajo words must be chosen as code words for everything that the code talkers will need to say during war. A special alphabet made up of Navajo words is also used to spell out words that do not have a Navajo translation. One of the difficult aspects of being a code talker is committing all the words and codes to memory. The code continued to evolve throughout the war and the code talkers would meet in Hawaii to learn the changes that had been made. Some of the messages that were sent in the Navajo code are included in the story.
Review Excerpts
"Other famous code talkers are introduced throughout (along with a certain future president), several of whom respond less well to their ambiguous status after serving honorably in the military. That realistic perspective, combined with multiple heart-stopping battle scenes, makes this detailed novel a dramatic yet thoughtful complement to nonfiction offerings such as Aaseng's Navajo Code Talkers (BCCB 12/92). An author's note and selected bibliography expand the historical picture." -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Connections
Share nonfiction books about the code talkers. Some of these books are Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers by Kenji Kawano and Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng. There are two versions of Navajo Code Talkers. The juvenile version was published in 1992, and the adult version was published in 2002.
Share the book Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People's Forced March from Their Homeland by Joseph Bruchac. This will help to further explore a portion of history which was mentioned in Code Talker.
Share the book Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa by Shonto Begay. This collection of poems can help to further explore Navajo tradition while providing a modern view of the culture.
Plot Summary
Kii Yazhi is a Navajo boy who is sent to a boarding school when he is young. At school he given the name Ned Begay and is forced to speak English and ignore his culture. Ned becomes a good student and learns English well. When he is older, Marine recruiters come to the area looking for Navajo men who know both English and the Navajo language. He eventually joins the Marines and becomes a code talker. Ned serves as a Marine throughout World War Two, but must keep his work as a code talker secret. In 1969 he is finally able to share his important role as a code talker with his family and others.
Critical Analysis
Code Talker is written in an engaging style since it feels like the reader is being told the story in person by an elder. Although this is a historical fiction novel, while reading the book it feels like Ned Begay is a real person who is truly sharing his story with his grandchildren. There are many cultural markers in the story, and although it is a fictional work Bruchac says in the author's note that "everything that happens to Ned Begay happened to real Navajo people." Code Talker can help readers to understand aspects of Navajo culture and to understand World War Two.
One cultural marker present is physical appearance. When Ned first goes to school he and his classmates are dressed in their finest clothes and jewelry. There are other dark-skinned people at the school, but they have short hair. At first Ned does not realize that they too are Navajo since he has never seen a Navajo with short hair before. Ned and the other children are given matching military style uniforms and caps to wear. Everybody's hair is cut short, leaving them to feel "naked and ashamed." When Ned joins the Marines he goes through this same process, but this time his hair is shaved off completely. He is able to make a joke about it, though, and calls himself a plucked turkey.
Ned's Marine unit fights against the Japanese, and he discovers that he resembles a Japanese man. Some of the Indian Marines are mistaken for Japanese and are injured or killed. Ned later learns that his white friends Georgia Boy and Smitty were told to stay by his side to keep him safe.
Many aspects of Navajo culture are present in Code Talkers. When Ned first arrives at school he and the other students introduce themselves to each other. He explains the proper greeting when he says, "We said hello, spoke our names, told each other our clans and where we were from." Ned's introduction is "Yaat'eeh. I am Kii Yazhi. I was born for Mud Clan and Born to Towering House. My birth place is over near Grants. I am the son of Gray Mustache."
While going to school he and his family had become Catholic, but they still kept their Navajo traditions and did not "forget the Holy People and our Navajo Way." Before Ned leaves to join the Marines a Blessingway ceremony is performed for him to provide him with protection. The Blessingway is described in detail in the story. At the end of the ceremony Ned is given a pollen pouch. He says, "I reached into the pollen bag and took some out to scatter from north to south. I inhaled the dawn four times, giving a prayer to myself, to the new day, and to all that exists." Ned repeats this action with the pollen every morning throughout the story. At one point Ned sends his dirty uniform home so that his family can perform another ceremony using the clothes he has worn in battle.
When Ned is in war he must get used to being around dead bodies. This is difficult for Navajos since they are supposed to avoid the dead. "To even look upon the body of a dead person may make you sick. If someone dies inside a hogan, that hogan is abandoned forever." The Navajo also believe that it is possible for the spirit to get sick from war. Ned shares the story of Monster Slayer, who killed many of the monsters who were harming people. Monster Slayer became ill and "the first Enemyway ceremony was done to cure him by restoring him to balance." When Ned returned home from the war he was ill and had many nightmares so the Enemyway ceremony was performed for him. He says that at the end of the ceremony, "when I opened my eyes, I was home, truly home. Big Schoolboy was shaking his rattle and I was at peace. My balance had been restored. I could go forward on a path of beauty."
Language is one of the most important cultural markers of the story and many Navajo words are incorporated. When Ned goes to school he is not allowed to ever talk in Navajo. He cannot even keep his own name and is given the name Ned Begay by a teacher. Once when he accidentally speaks Navajo his mouth is washed out with soap. It is a horrible experience that leaves him disoriented and bleeding with soap coming out of his mouth, nose, and eyes. He is unable to walk and has to be led to the dormitory by classmates.
Once Ned joins the Marines his knowledge of both Navajo and English become important. Navajo words must be chosen as code words for everything that the code talkers will need to say during war. A special alphabet made up of Navajo words is also used to spell out words that do not have a Navajo translation. One of the difficult aspects of being a code talker is committing all the words and codes to memory. The code continued to evolve throughout the war and the code talkers would meet in Hawaii to learn the changes that had been made. Some of the messages that were sent in the Navajo code are included in the story.
Review Excerpts
"Other famous code talkers are introduced throughout (along with a certain future president), several of whom respond less well to their ambiguous status after serving honorably in the military. That realistic perspective, combined with multiple heart-stopping battle scenes, makes this detailed novel a dramatic yet thoughtful complement to nonfiction offerings such as Aaseng's Navajo Code Talkers (BCCB 12/92). An author's note and selected bibliography expand the historical picture." -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Connections
Share nonfiction books about the code talkers. Some of these books are Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers by Kenji Kawano and Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng. There are two versions of Navajo Code Talkers. The juvenile version was published in 1992, and the adult version was published in 2002.
Share the book Navajo Long Walk: The Tragic Story of a Proud People's Forced March from Their Homeland by Joseph Bruchac. This will help to further explore a portion of history which was mentioned in Code Talker.
Share the book Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa by Shonto Begay. This collection of poems can help to further explore Navajo tradition while providing a modern view of the culture.
Module 4: Rain is Not My Indian Name
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. Rain is Not My Indian Name. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 006029504x.
Plot Summary
At the beginning of Rain is Not My Indian Name, Rain is celebrating New Year's Eve and her fourteenth birthday with her best friend Galen. On his way home Galen is hit by a car and dies. Rain becomes depressed and distances herself from family, friends, and activities she previously enjoyed. As Galen's Fourth of July birthday approaches Rain begins to realize that she needs to regain her life. Rain gets a job as a photographer for the newspaper, taking photos of her aunt's summer Indian Camp. After experiencing the Indian Camp funding controversy and family troubles she is able to come to terms with Galen's death, make new friends, and become a supportive family member.
Critical Analysis
Different cultural markers exist in Rain is Not My Indian Name. The book provides an interesting look at Native American life from the perspective of a girl with mixed heritage. Rain is Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish from her mom's family and Irish-German-Ojibway from her dad's family. In one of Rain's journal entries she says that her father never talked about their Ojibway blood and that her grandmother "called herself "just Irish" or "black Irish" everyday of her life." These journal entries, which are at the beginning of each chapter, provide the reader with information about Rain's family as well as memories from Rain's past. They help to personalize the story and bring depth to Rain's character.
People who do not know Rain often do not realize that she is an Indian since she has a light complexion, light brown hair, and hazel eyes. Rain describes her brother, Fynn, as a "Native American Fabio." Rain says that people will often ask them what they are and will tell her that she doesn't seem Indian to them. She assumes that their view of Indians "involves construction-paper feathers, a plastic paint pony, and Malibu Pocahontas." When Flash, the reporter she is working with, questions her knowledge of Indians in the community she is annoyed and tells him, "I should know how many Indian live in Hannesburg. It's not that big of a town, and I'm one of them. Me, my brother, my uncle, Aunt Georgia, and the Headbirds."
The other cultural presence in the small town of Hannesburg is Rain's ex-best-friend Queenie's family, which is black. In one of Rain's journal entries she shares a memory of Queenie from when they were five. Rain had asked if she could touch Queenie's braided hair. The journal entry says, "It was the first time I'd ever touched a black person's hair. I'd been curious about how the texture might feel under my fingertips." At another point in the story Rain remembers when Galen had asked her if she would ever date someone who was black. He and Queenie had been dating and he seemed worried about how his mom would react. Rain said she would date someone who was black, but remembered her family saying that it was only okay to be friends with a black person, nothing more.
Rain's complete name is Cassidy Rain Berghoff. In a journal entry she says, "Rain is not my Indian name, not the way people think of Indian names. But I am Indian, and it is the name my parents gave me. They met for the first time at Bierfest, during one doozy of a thunderstorm." Rain's grandfather calls her Rainbow. The Indian name that does have importance in the story is Aiyana. It was Rain's mother's name and is going to be the name of her brother's baby when it is born. Rain shares that "Aiyana is an old name, a musical name. My mom's name, after her Cherokee great-grandmother. It means "forever flowering.""
Rain is presented as an ordinary American girl. She eats a wide variety of American foods. She attends a Baptist church. She is a fan of science fiction. She has a laptop and uses the Internet. She wears jeans and high tops and paints her fingernails black. Rain loves photography so she always has her camera with her. Even after she gives up her photography job so she can join the Indian Camp, the newspaper says she will still be able to work for them on other projects.
Rain does want to stay connected to her Indian culture. She looks forward to the trip being planned for the Indian Camp so that she can learn more about her Ojibway heritage. There are two items that hold a special meaning to Rain. One is her mother's traditional tear dress. The dress was still hanging in her mother's bedroom where her mother had left it right before she died. When the room is being remodeled she finds that someone has saved it for her and placed it in her own room. In a journal entry she shares her memory of her mother and the dress. She says, "I can still smell the pork cooking, taste the lukewarm coleslaw, hear the songs, and feel the rhythm of the shell-shakers. I remember ribbons and tear dresses and me trying to dance like Mama."
The other special item is the necklace that Galen gave her on her birthday. The necklace is a small suede pouch in the shape of a half-moon with seed beads hanging from it. She remembers seeing it during the summer on a Lakota trader's table at a powwow in Oklahoma City. Galen had secretly bought it for her and saved it for her birthday. After Galen dies she is unable to wear the necklace and keeps it hidden away. She finally begins wearing it as Galen's birthday approaches and she is able to stop dwelling on his death.
Review Excerpts
"There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives. As feelings about the public funding of Indian Camp heat up, the emotions and values of the characters remain crystal clear and completely in focus. It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her "patchwork tribe." " -School Library Journal
Connections
Have students find information to share about Rain is Not My Indian Name or Cynthia Leitich Smith on the author's web site, http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/index.html.
Share the books listed on Smith's web site on the page If you liked Rain you might like... at http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/CLS/cyn_books/rain/rain_youmightlike.html. She lists photography, newspaper, grief & healing, Internet, Native American, and interracial books.
Plot Summary
At the beginning of Rain is Not My Indian Name, Rain is celebrating New Year's Eve and her fourteenth birthday with her best friend Galen. On his way home Galen is hit by a car and dies. Rain becomes depressed and distances herself from family, friends, and activities she previously enjoyed. As Galen's Fourth of July birthday approaches Rain begins to realize that she needs to regain her life. Rain gets a job as a photographer for the newspaper, taking photos of her aunt's summer Indian Camp. After experiencing the Indian Camp funding controversy and family troubles she is able to come to terms with Galen's death, make new friends, and become a supportive family member.
Critical Analysis
Different cultural markers exist in Rain is Not My Indian Name. The book provides an interesting look at Native American life from the perspective of a girl with mixed heritage. Rain is Muscogee Creek-Cherokee and Scots-Irish from her mom's family and Irish-German-Ojibway from her dad's family. In one of Rain's journal entries she says that her father never talked about their Ojibway blood and that her grandmother "called herself "just Irish" or "black Irish" everyday of her life." These journal entries, which are at the beginning of each chapter, provide the reader with information about Rain's family as well as memories from Rain's past. They help to personalize the story and bring depth to Rain's character.
People who do not know Rain often do not realize that she is an Indian since she has a light complexion, light brown hair, and hazel eyes. Rain describes her brother, Fynn, as a "Native American Fabio." Rain says that people will often ask them what they are and will tell her that she doesn't seem Indian to them. She assumes that their view of Indians "involves construction-paper feathers, a plastic paint pony, and Malibu Pocahontas." When Flash, the reporter she is working with, questions her knowledge of Indians in the community she is annoyed and tells him, "I should know how many Indian live in Hannesburg. It's not that big of a town, and I'm one of them. Me, my brother, my uncle, Aunt Georgia, and the Headbirds."
The other cultural presence in the small town of Hannesburg is Rain's ex-best-friend Queenie's family, which is black. In one of Rain's journal entries she shares a memory of Queenie from when they were five. Rain had asked if she could touch Queenie's braided hair. The journal entry says, "It was the first time I'd ever touched a black person's hair. I'd been curious about how the texture might feel under my fingertips." At another point in the story Rain remembers when Galen had asked her if she would ever date someone who was black. He and Queenie had been dating and he seemed worried about how his mom would react. Rain said she would date someone who was black, but remembered her family saying that it was only okay to be friends with a black person, nothing more.
Rain's complete name is Cassidy Rain Berghoff. In a journal entry she says, "Rain is not my Indian name, not the way people think of Indian names. But I am Indian, and it is the name my parents gave me. They met for the first time at Bierfest, during one doozy of a thunderstorm." Rain's grandfather calls her Rainbow. The Indian name that does have importance in the story is Aiyana. It was Rain's mother's name and is going to be the name of her brother's baby when it is born. Rain shares that "Aiyana is an old name, a musical name. My mom's name, after her Cherokee great-grandmother. It means "forever flowering.""
Rain is presented as an ordinary American girl. She eats a wide variety of American foods. She attends a Baptist church. She is a fan of science fiction. She has a laptop and uses the Internet. She wears jeans and high tops and paints her fingernails black. Rain loves photography so she always has her camera with her. Even after she gives up her photography job so she can join the Indian Camp, the newspaper says she will still be able to work for them on other projects.
Rain does want to stay connected to her Indian culture. She looks forward to the trip being planned for the Indian Camp so that she can learn more about her Ojibway heritage. There are two items that hold a special meaning to Rain. One is her mother's traditional tear dress. The dress was still hanging in her mother's bedroom where her mother had left it right before she died. When the room is being remodeled she finds that someone has saved it for her and placed it in her own room. In a journal entry she shares her memory of her mother and the dress. She says, "I can still smell the pork cooking, taste the lukewarm coleslaw, hear the songs, and feel the rhythm of the shell-shakers. I remember ribbons and tear dresses and me trying to dance like Mama."
The other special item is the necklace that Galen gave her on her birthday. The necklace is a small suede pouch in the shape of a half-moon with seed beads hanging from it. She remembers seeing it during the summer on a Lakota trader's table at a powwow in Oklahoma City. Galen had secretly bought it for her and saved it for her birthday. After Galen dies she is unable to wear the necklace and keeps it hidden away. She finally begins wearing it as Galen's birthday approaches and she is able to stop dwelling on his death.
Review Excerpts
"There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives. As feelings about the public funding of Indian Camp heat up, the emotions and values of the characters remain crystal clear and completely in focus. It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her "patchwork tribe." " -School Library Journal
Connections
Have students find information to share about Rain is Not My Indian Name or Cynthia Leitich Smith on the author's web site, http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/index.html.
Share the books listed on Smith's web site on the page If you liked Rain you might like... at http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/CLS/cyn_books/rain/rain_youmightlike.html. She lists photography, newspaper, grief & healing, Internet, Native American, and interracial books.
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