Learning About the Native American Culture

On Monday April 30, 2012 me and Edgar went to Fremonts Adult School to volunteer at the F.U.S.D Native American Studies Program. As we walk into the classroom we are greeted by Christina Cruz who is one of the directors of this program. Christina begins by explaining the program and how volunteers help. She tells us that many of the kids that are in the program are Native Americans from different tribes. The first thing that I noticed was the Native American Museum which is inside the classroom. Christina gave us a tour of the museum and explained their culture and their way of living. What I found most intresting was how different each tribe was and how creative they were in using the resources that they had. When we were done with the tour Christina asked us to make questions and write observations about the museum so she can improve on explaining the different tribes. After we were done with that I helped one of the students from the program with her math and spanish homework. I noticed that many kids from different grades come to this program and they come from many tribes as well. For example, two of the students there are from a tribe named black foot which I thought was pretty cool. I really enjoyed my first day at the Native American Studies Program and I couldn't wait to return the following day.

My second day in the Native American Studies Program was even better. As me and Edgar signed in, Christina greeted us and she began to explain this project she has in mind. She explained to me how Elementary Schools support the program and usually want them to visit the schools and talk to the kids about the Native American culture. She was thinking in sending kits to the schools with simple crafts for children to do and have background information about the object so they can connect it to the Native Americans. An example of a craft that kids could do is making jewelry by using corn or pine nuts which would represent the resources that tribes had like the Plains had lots of corn which would be used as food or jewelry and the pine nuts represent the Californians because they had alot of pine nuts which was also used for food and jewelry. Christina had us and a group of kids make bracelets of corn, shells, pine nuts, and eight color beads. The color of the beads are also symbolic for example the four main colors are black, white, yellow, and red. Black representing African Americans, white would be white people, yellow is Asians, and red representing the Native Americans. They also represent the north, south, west and East. After we were done making the bracelets we all gathered in a circle and Christina held an eagle feather which she passed around and when you received the eagle feather you had to talk about yourself.

I really enjoyed volunteering at the Native American Studies Program. Im looking forward in returning to this program and learn more about the Native American culture and the program itself.