Ancient Myths and Stories of the Blackfeet Nation

Introduction

Introduction:

Welcome to the fascinating world of Native American myths! In this webquest, we will embark on a captivating journey through the rich tapestry of American Indian cultures and explore the captivating stories that have been passed down through generations. Get ready to discover the diverse legends, symbols, and themes that shape the unique identities of the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana.

Webquest Goals:

Goal 1: By completing the webquest on Native American mythology, 7th-grade students will develop an understanding of the rich cultural diversity among Native American tribes, especially the ones present in the state of Montana. They will explore different myths, legends, and creation stories from various tribes, recognizing the uniqueness and significance of each narrative in shaping their cultural identities.

Goal 2: Analyzing Symbolism and Themes. Through this activity, students will learn to analyze and interpret the symbolism and themes present in Native American mythology. They will identify recurring motifs such as animals, nature, and ancestral spirits, and understand how these elements reflect the values, beliefs, and traditions of the tribes.

Goal 3: Creative Expression. Students will create multimedia slide show presentation that re-tells one of the stories / legends, using media they find online.

Process

Part 1: Discovering the Blackfeet Tribe

  • Learn about the history and culture of the Blackfeet Nation to understand the context of their folklore and mythology. Read this short article published by the University of Montana.

Part 2: The Geographic Area of the Blackfeet Nation / Tribal Lands

  • Where were the Blackfeet traditionally located? How might their geographic surroundings have affected their culture? 

Part 3: The Blackfoot Creation Story

  • Read the following creation story. How does this story shape the Blackfoot tribal identity? 

Part 4: The First Marriage

  • Read the story of the first marriage. What does this story suggest about nature of men and women within the Blackfoot tribe?

Part 5: Old Man & The Migration

  • The following is a short myth about the first leader of the Blackfeet and their migration. What does it suggest about Blackfoot history? 

Part 6: Animal Stories of the Blackfeet

  • The Glenbow Museum has a collection here of six short stories from Blackfoot mythology, several of them about animals. Read one of the animal stories and observe the relationship between the human and animal characters. 

 

Evaluation

Based off your reading, re-tell one of the Blackfoot stories as a Google Slides presentation. The presentation should include:

  1. At least 6 slides
  2. The text of your re-telling
  3. Plenty of images / illustrations that accompany the story 

Category

4

3

2

1

Narrative

The presentation captures the all the important details of the narrative and increases the audience’s understanding

The presentation includes important information but the audience may need more information to understand fully

Presentation relates to the narrative but is too general or incomplete. The audience needs more information to understand

Details of the presentation have little or nothing to do with the narrative

Use of Graphics & Images

All images are related to the story and make it easier to understand

All graphics are related to the story and most make it easier to understand

All graphics relate to the story

Graphics do not relate to the story

Organization

Story is very organized with clear titles & formatting

Story is organized with titles

Story is organized, but titles are missing or do not help the audience understand

The story appears to be disorganized

Layout and Design

All the words on the presentation is in focus and can be easily viewed and identified

Most of the information in the presentation is in focus and most can be easily viewed and identified

Some of the information on the presentation is in focus and some of the content is easily viewed and identified

Much of the information on the presentation is unclear or too small

Mechanics 

No grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors

Almost no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors

A few grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors

Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors

 

Conclusion

Now that you've completed your re-telling, share it with the class on Google Classroom! 

If you feel comfortable presenting it to the class, we will go over them in class next week. 

Credits