Last updated: March 5, 2024
Lesson Plan
Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Homeland Heritage Corridor
Download Lesson Plan
496KB
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Oregon:
Geography: 4.7,4.9
Multicultural Studies: 4.7, 4.11
Historical Knowledge: 4.11, 4.14, 8.27, 8.28
Economics: 8.14
Multicultural: 8.3, 8.27, 8.28, 8.31
Washington:
H1.6-8.4, H1 6-8.6, H2.6-8.6
SSS2.4.2, SSS2.5.1, SSS3.4.1 SSS1.6-8.1, SSS1.6-8.2
Essential Question
What does it mean to be a good neighbor?
How do you know how to treat the land?
Objective
•Students will be able to identify historical and modern characteristics of the Cayuse
•Students will be able to evaluate historical events that led to the addition of Oregon territory to the United States.
•Students will be able to describe the basic principles that guide Cayuse culture
•Students will be able to compare and contrast differences in land management between the Cayuse and early European (white) immigrants.
•Students will be able to locate the homeland of the Cayuse Nation
Background
Students will explore Cayuse culture by listening to primary sources from the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Homeland Heritage Corridor audio. The CD is currently available through the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Students will hear stories and history from modern day Cayuse people while considering the values that have guided Cayuse people through millennia. Students will need to practice critical listening skills and form their own analysis based on what they hear. The following lesson plan is intended to preface the visit to Whitman Mission National Historic Site so that students will have a better understanding of Cayuse people and Cayuse culture before they visit the park.
Preparation
Download the lesson plan page and use the 2-column format to lead a discussion with your students after they listen to different tracks of the Homeland Heritage Corridor audio recordings. For the teacher side of the lesson plan, the italicized words represent questions or phrases that the teacherwill say to the class. Differentiation is highlighted in either blue or red to represent sections that include differentiated learning options.
Materials
This is the complete lesson plan attach to the teacher guide Whitman Mission National Historic Site - A Cayuse Perspective. It was written in conjuction with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to share their perspective on the history of Whitman Mission and also provide insight into their culture for teachers who are teaching Native history.
Download Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Heritage Corridor Lesson Plan
Lesson Hook/Preview
Native culture and Native history have often been excluded in the telling of the history of Waiilatpu (Whitman Mission). The Whitmans and the Oregon Trail have been romanticized and overstated. Truthfully telling this history requires the inclusion of multiple perspectives. This guide has been created in collaboration with Tamastslikt Cultural Institute (TCI), on behalf of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).
Procedure
1. The teacher will ask the class if they know that they have Native American neighbors, or if they are aware that they live in or near the homeland of the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla people. This is a good time to remind students that there are many different Native groups on the continent and that each have their own values and cultural practices.
Did you know that you live in (or near) the homeland of the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla people? (Teachers should remember to practice wait time in order for students to have the time to consider the question)
Did you know that they have lived here for approximately 15,0000-16,000 years? How long has the United States existed? Did you know that Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla people still live here? (Allow approximately 10-15 minutes for discussion).
These questions will create a class discussion that could go in many directions. It is important for the teacher to know enough about Cayuse culture in order to guide a class discussion that can provide some background information and context for students so that they can be prepared to analyze some oral history from the Homeland CD. Much of the background information will also be derived from the primary sources of the CD.
Vocabulary
Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla peoples: The Walla Walla and Umatilla are river peoples among many who shared the Big River (Columbia). The Cayuse lived along the tributary river valleys in the Blue Mountains. The Tribes lived around the confluence of the Yakama, Snake, and Walla Walla rivers with the Columbia River.
Plateau Indians/Natives: A larger group of Native tribes living on the Columbia River Plateau with shared cultural aspects, which includes the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla peoples.
treaty: a formally concluded and ratified agreement between sovereign nations
reservation: An area of land reserved for group of people (often in reference to indigenous Americans)
culture: The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.