Multicultural Community Celebration: Native American Heritage Month

Materials included:

• Glossary handout

• String

• Beads

Materials not included:

• Device with internet

• Book by Indigenous author OR device with internet

• Kitchen supplies and ingredients for fry bread, strawberry drink, OR strawberries (see activity 3)

Welcome:

Let’s make the Girl Scout sign and say the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law together. Would anyone like to lead it?

Introduction and icebreaker:

Today we are going to celebrate Native American Heritage, honoring the cultures, histories, and countless contributions that Native American communities have provided to the world. Native American Heritage Month is in November, but these activities should be enjoyed year-round.

Culture is your way of living (food, language, traditions, beliefs, and more!), passed down from your family and community. What languages did your family and community teach you?

Activity 1: Find your home on a map.

Supplies: Device with internet

Use a map of treaty and tribal lands (https://theways.org/map.html) to find where you live.

Ask the Girl Scouts:

• Where do you live?

• What Indigenous nation lived on and cared for the land before you? (Treaty lands)

• What Indigenous nations are in your community today? (Tribal lands)

Activity 2: Learn about Haudenosaunee beadwork and bead a bracelet.

Supplies: Device with internet, string, beads

The Haudenosaunee is the group of indigenous nations that include Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Haudenosaunee were called Iroquois by the European colonizers, and you may hear either of those words refer to the same people. As the original inhabitants of the northeast US and southeast Canada, Haudenosaunee roots are in New York, Niagara Falls, and the surrounding areas. The United States took Haudenosaunee land and forced the nations to relocate. The Oneida were removed to Wisconsin, where the Oneida Nation and government still are today.

Many Indigenous nations have different styles of beadwork; the Haudenosaunee have a style called raised beadwork. Watch a video to see examples and learn more about the tradition and style! https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/wisconsin-lifeiroquois-beadwork/

Try beading by creating a bracelet.

Ask the Girl Scouts:

• Does your culture have special patterns, beadwork, cloths, clothes, or jewelry traditions? Make a beaded bracelet using your culture’s style or by making up a new style!

Activity 3: Prepare and enjoy Indigenous foods!

Supplies: Depends on recipe chosen, see below

Cook fry bread, make a strawberry drink, or enjoy some fresh strawberries!

Fry bread is a delicious bread that can be eaten by itself, with taco toppings, wrapped around a hot dog, or with sweet toppings as a dessert. Though fry bread is a beloved tradition in Indigenous communities throughout the United States now, it is not made from ingredients that were found in Wisconsin and Michigan historically. Instead, it was created less than 200 years ago with government rations of flour, sugar, and lard, which Indigenous nations were given after they were removed from their homes and relocated to lands that could not sustain their traditional food ways.

Strawberries are a gift that we can enjoy growing wild or from our gardens. In Oneida language, the sixth month of the year is awʌhíhte, which means strawberry, because that is when they are ready to eat. We can find strawberries at the grocery store any time, but they aren’t quite as sweet as those that grow close to home. We can eat them fresh or use them in cooking!

Fry Bread

Find a fry bread recipe online or check out “Kevin’s Fry Bread” available in Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard. Check the book out from a library, purchase for your troop, or watch the free read aloud here (recipe at 12:17): https://www.pbs.org/video/fry-bread-english-captions-kutu0t/.

Haudenosaunee Strawberry Drink

Supplies:

• Blender

• Pitcher

• Mixing spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of fresh strawberries

• 1 cup sugar or maple syrup

• 1/2 gallon water

Find full recipe from the Oneida Nation: https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/celebration-of-the-strawberry/.

Strawberries

Simply wash and enjoy!

Ask the Girl Scouts:

• What special food traditions does your family have?

• Where did the traditions come from?

Activity 4: Read a book written by an Indigenous author.

Supplies: Book by an Indigenous author or device connected to internet

Check a book out from the library or watch a read-along video! Find book recommendations from the American Indian Library Association’s American Indian Youth Literature Award list here: https://ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youthliterature-award/ or listen to Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Nobel Maillard: https://www.pbs.org/video/ fry-bread-english-captions-kutu0t/.

Ask the Girl Scouts:

• Who are the characters in the book?

• How was their story similar to yours?

• How was it different?

Wrap-up:

We end each Girl Scout meeting with a friendship circle and a friendship squeeze. Being together in a circle is also part of many Indigenous cultures—circles are complete and each person is equal. Like our friendship circle, a talking circle allows each person to share one at a time while the rest of the group listens respectfully. This tradition is especially helpful so that everyone can share their feelings, perspectives, and opinions on big decisions or problems. Let’s end our meeting today with a talking circle, where each Girl Scout can share one thought or feeling they had about our activities.

Have the Girl Scouts help with any clean-up tasks. Talk about what you are doing at the next meeting, get their ideas for activities, and share upcoming meeting dates, homework, volunteer needs, and other relevant information with caregivers as they arrive for pick-up. Consider sending a follow-up text with this information if needed.