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Instructional Units

Many Blackfoot tipis were painted with special designs that came to people in dreams. These designs helped the family have a good life. Glenbow Archives NA-919-37.These instructional units were created to compliment and extend the Niitsitapiisini Virtual Exhibit and web activities. Classroom teachers, the Glenbow Museum and members of the Canadian and American Blackfoot Nations worked together in a collaborative effort to produce the materials that are found within these units and resource documents.

The lessons include activites and assessment strategies to meet a variety of learner styles. Each unit also includes a resource document that provides cultural and historical resources to support the unit.

The instructional units match and extend the major areas of focus in the virtual exhibit:

Buffalo printRelationship with the Land
Buffalo printRelationship with the Buffalo
Buffalo printRelationship with Family
Buffalo printRelationship with Others

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Land Icon Relationship with the Land

An Amsskaapipikani – (South Piegan) Seasonal Round

Blackfoot camps were composed of members of an extended family and
          other people who may have joined the clan. The arrangement of the tipis was not strictly defined in these camps, although all of them faced
          east. This allowed the morning prayers to travel towards the rising sun, helping it to come above the horizon for another day.Glenbow
          Archives NA-1463-1Target group: Grade 4 to 6
This instructional unit is designed to help students understand how topographical features influenced the lifestyle and culture of the “Amsskaapipikani – South Piegan” tribe through the exploration of the seasonal Round. This unit contains historical and cultural resources to help students recognize the concepts of time and the seasons in the historical perspective of the “Amsskaapipikani – South Piegan” tribe. The unit includes maps, archival images and a historically documented interview with Jim Blood

Buffalo print Land Unit (pdf file 282 kb)
Buffalo print Land Resources (pdf file 955 kb)
Buffalo print Land Seasonal Round Resource (pdf file 884 kb)

 

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Buffalo Icon Relationship with the Buffalo

Rattles were made from buffalo bulls' scrotums. Collection of Glenbow Museum.The Pisskun unit has been developed as a way for students and their teachers to explore this particular aspect of Blackfoot life and culture. These lessons focus primarily on Language Arts and Social Studies outcomes. This unit also contains adapted materials to support a diverse learner group. The unit includes archival images, and historical background on Story Robes and the buffalo.

 

Buffalo print Buffalo Unit (pdf file - 2.63 mb)
Buffalo print Buffalo Resources (pdf file - 879 kb)
Buffalo print Story Robe (pdf file - 879 kb)

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Family Icon Relationship with the Family

The Blackfoot used a travois to move their belongings. This one is pulled by a horse, but dogs were also used to pull smaller travois.
        Photograph by Edward Curtis, Glenbow Archives NA-1700-156In this unit students will explore and discover how the Blackfoot people of the Canadian and American prairies lived and thrived within their environment. The lessons focus primarily on Language Arts and Social Studies outcomes. This unit also contains adapted materials to support a diverse learner group. The unit includes archival images, and historical background on Story Robes and the buffalo.

 

Buffalo printFamily Unit (pdf file 1.24 mb)
Buffalo printFamily Resources (pdf file 1.00 mb)

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Other People Icon Relationships with Other People

Trade Goods. Collection of Glenbow Museum.Through this unit, students will come to understand how, in living with other people (both First Nations and others), the Blackfoot culture, territory and way of life has been impacted, especially over the last two hundred years.
Students will reflect and comment on the changes the Blackfoot people have undergone and, at the grade six level, will be asked to compare the Blackfoot experience to another indigenous culture, somewhere else in Canada or the world. This unit also contains adapted materials to support a diverse learner group. The Others resource document includes archival images to support the unit. Teachers can also print off the historical information from the Blackfoot Culture section of the toolkit.

Buffalo print Others Unit (pdf file 466 kb)
Buffalo print Others Resources (pdf file 995 kb)

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About the images (in order of appearance):

Many Blackfoot tipis were painted with special designs that came to people
in dreams. These designs helped the family have a good life.
Glenbow Archives NA-919-37

Blackfoot camps were composed of members of an extended family and other people who may have joined the clan. The arrangement of the tipis was not strictly defined in these camps, although all of them faced east. This allowed the morning prayers to travel towards the rising sun, helping it to come above the horizon for another day.
Glenbow Archives NA-1463-1

Rattles were made from buffalo bulls' scrotums.
Collection of Glenbow Museum

The Blackfoot used a travois to move their belongings. This one is pulled by a horse, but dogs were also used to pull smaller travois. Photograph by Edward Curtis, Glenbow Archives NA-1700-156

Trade Goods
Collection of Glenbow Museum


Blackfoot Culture
Learning Resources
Image of the Blackfoot Territory