EEP

The Wampanoag, Navajo, Iroquois, Cherokee, and other Native American’s were the first people to live here in North America before and after the Europeans came. From 1492 to today the Native Americans have lived in North America. They have gone thru a lot, they have been moved and much more, but they have contributed a lot. They have also become part of America, today they are dancers, part of the military, and more. But they still keep their traditions alive.

Sacred Ways

Strawberries are part of a Cherokee legend. The legend go’s that the first man and woman got in to a fight. And the woman left the man. The man began to go after his wife. Then the sun decided to help the man. So the sun grow raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries in the woman’s path. But the woman did not stop to eat them. So then the sun made strawberries and the woman picked a few and eat them. When she saw they were good she sat down and ate some more. This gave the man time to catch up and apologize to her. Now “strawberries are a reminder to be kind to one another”.

Bowls, Blankets, and Beyond

Native Americans have made art in the past and in modern times. The Seminole make patch work dolls with old designs but new technology. North Native Americans were the first people to use porcupine quills in there art work.

Hi, I’m going to show you how to draw a cat let’s get stared. First draw a triangle with no bottom. Once you do that do the same kind of triangle on the other side, those for the ears. Next go under the ears and draw a dot under one ear and anther under the other for the eyes. Now go in between the eyes and make a heart shape, that’s the nose.

For the mouth draw two lowercase J’s with no dot and one backwards. Now for the legs, go down a little and draw a banana shape and go over a little and draw the same banana shape again. To make a tail, draw a wiggly line that starts some were arrowed the middle of the cat. If you did it right it should look kind of like a cat now if you want you can add other things like whiskers, just go for it. Wait! I almost forgot about color you can make the cat any color you want. Ok I think that’s everything, so have fun with your new friend! (Ok let’s stop before I forget anything else, also about 15 cats were drawn in the making of these two paragraphs).

Meow!

Long ago in the area of what we call New Mexico lived a small Navajo village. In the village lived a young girl called little light. Little light was like all the other girls in the village, except one thing ever night instead of sleeping she would tiptoe out of the village and go to a small hill the same hill every night to watch the sky she waited for a light to appear in the sky. Because there was no moon so the night was black as could be and all she wanted was a little light. That was why she was called little light.

The people of the village live a normal life. Until they that little light left in the night. All that did was raise Questions. Why did she leave? I thought she like the village. Every one wonder, but when they saw her they kept quiet so she wouldn’t know that they know. But know they could not keep it a secret for long because she had a brother called young dog. He wanted to tell the people why she left but he did not because it would not help. And he know why she did cuss she had told him why she left so he would not worry about her.

Many moons past and little light sill stayed up all night at the same hill on the mesa. But one night something different happened. As she sat on the hill there was a coyote the trickster, an spirit creature. After a moment of staring at him he began to speak.

“Have watched you my sister you want something, don’t you? Coyote asked quietly.

“Yes “little light answered.

“Then what is It, for I might be able to help you” he added

“All I want is there to be light in the sky at night “she quietly said.

“But there is one thing that I shall ask of you”

“What might that be?”

“Even if your wish come true there is one thing you must do, you must you do something so that people may know what you have done”.

Little light thought for a moment .She could ether do something so the people would remember what she had done for them or let the night be dark. Finally she he made up her mind.

“I shall call the lights in the night sky stars so that they may make shapes in the sky of animals, as for me I shall become a wolf as white as snow and I shall wander the masa each night, the people of the land shall not hurt me nether shall the animals” little light answered.

“So let it be done, from now on your name shall no longer be called little light, but now your name is Zia. “Coyote said

Then all of a sudden little light got sleepy for the first time ever and then next thing she know she was asleep. And woke up feeling different when she looked at her hand there was no hand instead there was a paw so she know. She had become a wolf. But now was no time to wait cuss the sun was rising and she must hide because her brother would be looking for her, because she had promise him that she would be back before morning or he should come looking for her so she began looking for a cool place to hid and wait till morning.

Hours went by slowly. Hour after hour finally, Zia watch the sun go down and when the sun had disappeared behind the mountains Zia got out of the cave that she had be waited in. And climbed up to the top and looked up at the sky, and the entire sky was full of little lights. Zia felt like she shoed do something to let the people see this beautiful sight. Zia thought for a moment and then she know what to do.

Slowly Zia raised her head to the sky and howled young dog hear it and wonder why there was a wolf here there was few wolfs arrowed and they rarely howled. So he got up and walked out of his Hogan to see where it was he looked at it but another thing cant his eye and that was the sky full of stars, then he know that he would never see his sister again but he was happy for her. Then all of the people of the village came out of there Hogan’s and saw this sight.

Zia was happy for them so she got up and walked on. And walked until morning seeing new lands. Being a friend to all.