Video

Culinary Creativity Supplemental Power Point

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Transcript

Creating Culinary Poetry and Prose at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Information and writing activities by Jan Knispel, Nebraska Writing Project.

 

To accompany the video by National Park Service Ranger Chris Mather.

 

NOTE TO TEACHERS:

This presentation is intended to give your students information inspired by the artifacts at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument and the Native American culture. Give examples of writing by Native American authors. Give writing prompts based on the information given. Please feel free to stop the video to allow student writing time. Please have your students access the links following before starting the rest of the presentation.

 

Please have students access these webpages for reading.

 

  • “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo, US Poet Laureate and member of the Mvskoke Creek Nation at Poetry Foundation webpage.

 

  • ”Making Bread” by Dr. Debbie Reese.  Reese is a member of the Nambre Pueblo at Poetry for Children.blogspot celebrating-native-american-heritage webpage.

 

  • “Knife Wielder” by Lois Red Elk. Red Elk is a  member of the Fort Peck Sioux in Montana, at Poetry Foundation webpage.

 

  • ”Traditional Lakota Foods” at delishably.com

 

Please stop the video to access and read Joy Harjo's poem, "Perhaps the World Ends Here." Making Meals and Table Time: Harjo’s  poem speaks of a kitchen table and all

the activities that occur there. Research shows that making and sharing food builds bonds with family members and friends.

 

WRITE about times when you have shared a meal with someone: at home with family, in the cafeteria where you sit daily during school, a meal with team or group traveling to a game or activity, going to a restaurant with friends, having a picnic or other meal.

 

Please stop the video to access Debbie Reese’s poem “Making Bread” by using the blog weblink. Think about a favorite food that you and others enjoy preparing together. WRITE about this meal. Who taught you to make this food or meal? What is your favorite memory about this food or meal? Foods, cooking utensils and techniques are universal. For instance, think about the various types of breads that exist. Every group,

culture, country may have several versions of bread. Here are just a few: yeast bread,

pita bread, taco shell, fry bread. WRITE about bread? Have you made it? Do you like eating it? Do you have a favorite bread? What do you usually eat with or on bread?

 

Please stop the video here to access Lois Red Elk’s poem “The Knife Wielder” at the web link given. After reading Red Elk’s poem, think about how hard the speaker worked to help prepare the deer for use as food. Her mother tells her to be proud of what she does and wear her knife at an upcoming celebration. Lois Red Elk’s poem “The Knife Wielder” Recall the three knife sheaths Ranger Mather  showed in the video “Culinary Creativity.” Which do you think would be worn at a dance? WRITE about a difficult job you have done and how it felt to be told you did a good job? How did you celebrate? Write about a tool that you use that illustrates a job you are proud to do. Making a favorite meal… Many foods that are traditional at Thanksgiving were utilized by Native Americans for centuries before Europeans came to this hemisphere. Now these foods are used around the world. Tomatoes, sweet potatoes or yams, corn, turkey, beans, potatoes and pumpkin. Traditional Meals and Celebrations. We often share meals for traditional or special occasions; birthdays, weddings, family reunions, holidays such as the Fourth of July or religious holidays. Native American celebrations have food, music, and dancing and sometimes horse races, rodeos or tribal traditions which are integral parts and foods prepared there. Write about traditional get togethers and foods prepared there.

 

There is an account of a visit from Red Cloud’s Lakota people during a birthday party at the Cooks' ranch. The Lakota were amazed by the birthday cake as they had never seen or tasted one before. Write about a special meal or celebration you've part of. What kind of food is usually made for this occasion? Have you gone to a celebration where you ate a new kind of food? What was your reaction? Traditional Lakota Recipes.

 

Access the website at delishably. Com to find information on the traditional Lakota diet and the Importance of game animals. Names of foods in the Lakota language.

Recipes for traditional foods such as Wahonpi, a soup made with bison or beef, wild prairie turnips, and wild potatoes. Wasna or pemmican, Wojapi, a berry dessert usually eaten with fry bread. WRITE ABOUT: Describe your favorite meal to someone who has never eaten these foods. Write a recipe for the history of your family meals. Write about your state. Does your state have an official state food? Why was this chosen? Do you agree with the choice? If not, Write about what your state’s food should be? Describe it and tell why. Write about an event in your life as if were a recipe. What ingredients? In what amounts? How is or was it put together? How is it cooked? Write a recipe for a special occasion-how do you make a birthday party? A Fourth of July celebration?

A graduation? A wedding? Or pick your own topic. Share your writing. After writing your first draft, share with another person or a group. Don't give a critique just appreciate what the other people wrote. Write additional drafts for your teacher. Your teacher may wish you to share and critique these drafts.

 

Submit your work for the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. We hope you enjoyed these videos and these writing activities.

Description

This video is the supplemental power point to accompany the Culinary Creativity video. It provides more background about the artifacts in the Culinary Creativity video, shares writing samples from Native American authors, and provides writing prompts based on the artifacts and the writing samples. NOTE: Audio Description is built into the main video.

Duration

7 minutes, 15 seconds

Credit

Nebraska Writing Project

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