American Indian Culture featuring the Ojibwa (Chippewa) People
A resource kit consisting of many books, posters, and a resource notebook is available for use by Mitten Bay troops. Contact Valerie Edwards.
Earn the privilege of wearing this patch by completing the number of required activities listed below:
Brownie Girl Scouts—five activities from five different categories
Junior Girl Scouts—eight activities (at least one activity from each category)
Cadette/Senior Girl Scouts—ten activities (at least one from each category)
1. HISTORY AND STORYTELLING
a. Find out what the ‘Three Fires’ of Michigan are and share what you have learned about each of them with your troop.
b. Visit an American Indian event, burial site, reservation or an exhibit in a museum featuring the Ojibwa and their cultural history.c. Find out who the Anishinabe were and compare their story to other stories you know about "first people." What is the same and what is different in the stories?d. Read an American Indian (preferably Ojibwa/Chippewa) legend from a storybook with your troop. Identify what kind of incident led to the creation of the legend, discuss the events as they happened in the story, and as a troop/group, decide on the moral of the legend.
e. Invite a Native American storyteller (an Ojibwa if possible) to visit your troop and tell some native stories and explain their meaning to you.
2. FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN
a. Learn about a Native American Indian woman who made or is making a contribution to her band/tribe/society. Perform a play about her for other troops or invite the parents of your troop members to the play.
b. Find out about the different roles for women in the Ojibwa culture.c, Research one of the Eastern Woodlands Indian cultures to find out what part each family member played in a family’s life, including the children.d. Find out how the Ojibwa bands lived before they were put on reservations. Find out why they were sent to reservations and how it changed their lives. Find out how they live today.
e. Discuss the concept of stereotypes with the troop. What is a stereotype and what kinds of stereotypes do the girls have about Native Americans? After learning more about the culture, have the girl’s share how their perceptions about American Indians have changed.
3. ARTS AND HANDICRAFTS
a. The Ojibwa wove dream-catchers to decorate their wigwams. Find out how the dream-catchers were put together, the types of things placed on a dream-catcher, and make a dream-catcher.
b. Invite a Native American Indian to teach your troop how to do beadwork and make a simple necklace or bracelet.c. Learn how to finger weave and/or make a doll dressed in Native American style clothingd. Visit an exhibit of Native American Indian artwork including baskets, beadwork, sculpture, jewelry, pottery and painting or visit a Native American Indian’s studio and learn about her/his art. Make an art project like something you saw.
e. Study the decorative features used by the Ojibwa on their clothing. Create a piece of ceremonial jewelry, hair jewelry, or decorate a wrist band.
4. MUSIC AND DANCE
a. Make an Ojibwa musical instrument and learn to play it.
b. Listen to Native American Indian music or chanting, in person, or on a tape. Compare it to some modern music you like.
c. Invite a group of Native American dancers or one dancer to your meeting and learn at least one Ojibwa dance step. Practice until you can do it well.
d. Visit a powwow or Native American Indian dance festival and learn more about the dance steps and music.
e. Learn how to do a Native American round dance and perform it for another troop or your parents.
5. FOOD AND LANGUAGE
a. Prepare two Ojibwa dishes with your troop or group for taste-testing.
b. Invite a Sister Troop to a ‘powwow’ your troop has planned and include some Ojibwa and other American Indian dishes for them to sample.
c. Attend a powwow conducted by American Indian people and sample the native foods.
d. Practice using Native American Indian sign language or picture language. Write a sentence using picture language and give it to another girl in your troop to read or use sign language to "talk" with another member of your troop/group.
e. Learn about the Ojibwa language and select a female name for yourself and learn how to say it and find out what it means.
6. Games/Toys/Crafts
a. Research Native American games and select one to teach to your troop.
b. Make up a game using natural objects and teach the game to other girls.
c. Make a simple craft such as a God’s eye or dream catcher and find out how it was used by Native American Indians.
d. Find out about the stencil art that the Ojibwa women used to decorate their birchbark containers. Make your own stencil and decorate a wooden box or piece of cardboard.
e. Learn about the game, shinny, which was played by Ojibwa women. Make your own equipment and play the game as a troop.
7. CLOTHING AND HOUSING
a. Learn about different types of housing used by ancient Native Americans and why different groups used different types. Compare two shelters used by different groups.
b. Make a scale model of the type of shelter used by Ojibwas a long time ago. Set the models up in a replica of a typical Ojibwa village.
c. Learn about different types of clothing worn by the Native Americans and why different tribes had different kinds. Find out specifically about the Anishinabe, or Ojibwa clothing.
d. Visit an exhibit featuring one type of Native American housing. Study more about the culture of the people who lived in the housing and make a display about their culture.
e. Find out about how different Native American groups constructed their clothing. Make a mural that illustrates different groups and their styles of clothing.
8. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
a. Learn about the religious beliefs of the Ojibwa and another Native American group and compare the things they have in common.
b. Learn about a ceremony centered around a belief celebrated by Native Americans and share the ceremony with another troop.
c. Significant colors in the Native American culture are black, white, red and yellow (See resource box). Make a collage using these colors and meanings:
Black—adult stage of life, autumn, male, cold, disease, death, night
White—death, sacred purity, wisdom, knowledge, winter
Red—birth, vital life force, spring, sunset, thunder, blood, war, day
Yellow—laughter, youth, sunshine, day, dawn
d. Learn about sand paintings and the religious beliefs associated with the designs. Make your own sand painting (See resource box).
e. Find out what a shaman is and what special things these tribal members can do to help their people.