The Long House
Build a Long House: Explore how environment, culture, and myth influence Northwest Native American Art.
Grant Street School
Teaching artist: Kim Fairbanks Grade 2
Lesson: Student groups of three construct a Long House decorated on the exterior with
animals created in the Northwest Coastal Native American style. Four elements are included in the interior: fire, sleeping mats, Bentwood boxes, and fish lines.
Student:
Target learning: Draws animals in style of Northwest Coastal Native American Art.
Criteria: Student uses oval, ovid, triangle, crescent and circle shapes in interior of animals without overlapping.
Target learning: Identifies and uses animals important to Coastal Native Americans in art in construction.
Criteria: Student names and chooses native northwest animal from traditional stories for long house decoration.
Target learning: Groups construct and add key contents of Long house.
Criteria: Include a fire, sleeping mats, Bentwood boxes, and fish lines in the interior of the shelter.
Target learning: Shows understanding of relationship of Northwest Native Americans and climate.
Criteria: Describe the influence of environment in clothing, shelter, and other useful objects.
Vocabulary (click here for the glossary)
Bentwood box
Clan
Crest
Culture
Environment
Long house
Ovid
Shape
Style
Thunderbird
Resources
S’Klallam Tribal elders
Looking at Indian Art, Stewart; Sea and Cedar, McConkey
Indian Art and Culture; Kew and Goddard
Materials
Yarn, shoe boxes, glue, tape, cellophane, paper, markers, tempera paint, neutral colored paper
Creative process and resources introduced
Teaching artist:
Discusses need for communal living in Pacific Northwest Native American Culture. Shows functional objects which art is on. Asks students to describe attributes of this traditional art form which make it unique and recognizable.
Shows images of animals on overhead and describes shapes used. Demonstrates how to draw animals using basic shapes, and how to add shapes to the interior of the animal in the style of Coastal Native art. Asks students to name and describe why certain animals were important to this culture. (salmon, raven, orca, etc…)
Demonstrates making key contents for longhouse, demonstrates folding paper for a bentwood box, making fire with cellophane, rocks, and sticks: also making a fish line, fishes and mats.
Divides students into groups of three for each box for Long house construction. Guides students in choosing and creating crest/animal chosen as a clan/family symbol for front of Long house, and other animals for other sides of building. Reminds students to include important elements for living needs in shelter: fire, containers, sleeping areas, food. Guides student groups in completing longhouse.
Assessment
Reflect and describe building and decoration of your long house. What essential objects are in your long house?
Describe how the environment influenced shelter, clothing, and objects needed for everyday life. What is the animal symbol for your clan? What shapes did you use in this animal?
Essential Learnings
concept: shape
applies style from cultures and times: Native American
4.1 Connection between content areas: art and social studies
4.1 Arts reflect culture and history