LIT – Page 4 – UAS MAT Program ~ 2016 Cohort

Solomon’s Tree

Solomon’s Tree, written by Andrea Spalding and illustrated by Janet Wilson, is a picture book about a Tsimpshian boy named Solomon and his dear relationship with a Maple tree that grows in his yard.

The book paints a deeply mutual relationship between Solomon and the Maple tree, with various scenes depicting the conversations shared between Solomon and the tree; The tree seems to be a source of knowledge and mentoring for Solomon. In a tragic storm, the tree falls and leaves Solomon in devastation, but Solomon’s family uses the circumstance as an opportunity for growth. Solomon is encouraged by his parents to work with his uncle in order to carve a log of the Maple tree into a mask, transforming the living spirit of the tree into the living spirit of the mask.

I think that Solomon’s Tree is an excellent source of culturally-relevant teaching and I would assess high marks in applying the rubric for evaluating multicultural literature to the book. The plot itself is not necessarily complex, but in my opinion, that allows for students of non-Tsimpshian cultures to relate to the text. Also I think we must keep in mind that the book is written in reference to Solomon’s perspective, which gives a sense of authenticity. I especially appreciated the conclusive paragraph that showed the intentionality and efforts put in by the collaborated artists in the publishing of the book (For example, the strip panel formline designs).

I think that any reader may be able to relate to how nature can be cyclical, and how nature requires gratitude, two of the major themes presented in the book. These themes can also be applied to various Social Studies lessons, learning about the different types of relationships that various cultures have had throughout time. Although there is a growth in the movement towards ecological justice, not all cultures have come to that conclusion nor have had any exposure in their histories. Think of the Catholic Bible, for example. On one hand, some people believe that Adam and Eve’s presence in the Garden of Eden implies that human beings have control over all the resources in the earth to our disposal. On the other hand, Liberation Theologians believe that God exists in all things, so it is our obligation as humans to respect and take care of nature.

I think that there is great value in utilizing picture books, especially children’s picture books, to share and spread messages. The emotional responses and triggers may provide space for great connections among the students and among various cultures.

The Last American Rainforest.-stories

This book was about A girl and her grandmother who are looking for spruce roots to make hats. The story has both a fictional and a factual aspect. As the story progresses the girl learns about the woods and their importance. This book would be great for biology because it has facts mixed in that you be easy to discuss.

Gill, Shelley. Tongass, The Last American Rainforest. Sasquatch Books. 1997.

Bringing Picture Books Into the Music Room

The Woman who Married the bear is a wonderful story told by many Native Alaskan tribes, though each tribe tells it slightly differently. In the story, the woman insults the bear people one day and to appease them, marries the chief’s son. Over time she grows to love the bear and ends up protecting them from her human brothers and turning into a bear herself. The illustrations are beautiful in this book, and the story is told very well. The authors researched and have experience with this story as a piece of native culture, so it was presented authentically and respectfully.

I have often used books in the elementary school music room as a way for students to listen to music while putting it to story images, however, in the secondary classroom it’s a little more difficult figuring out how to bring children’s books into the performance classes like orchestra and choir. Some ideas I have:

I could use this book as an introduction to native alaskan songs, which are usually parts of stories, and to the Alutiiq people in particular who represent a mix/hybridization of many cultural traditions from Yupik to Athabaskan to Tlingit. In Alutiiq culture, the Woman who married the Bear is a major story and a song, but it has elements of the story and the songs from the Southeast native and the Yupik versions. I can see an entire lesson revolving around hybridity of Alutiiq culture and the elements of songs and stories that carry over between native tribes in Alaska.

At the end of the story, the woman sings a song in memory of her husband, the bear, who is killed by her brothers. After listening and analyzing some songs from native Alaskans, I think it would be a great exercise for students to take those words of the woman’s song and compose a melody with the same pitch set and ornamentation that is common for these songs. This would be a great opportunity to talk about how songs are generated and passed down in Alaska native cultures, the limitations of Western notation in transcribing these songs, and the purpose of songs in culture (ie: memorials, war, love songs, birth, etc.)

James, Elizabeth. The Woman Who Married the Bear. Simply Read Books: 2015.

Raven Brings the Light – Evaluating Multicultural Literature

Darkness covers the land. It seems to have been this way for a long time, maybe forever. A boy named Weget is born on Haida Gwaii (once called the Queen Charlotte islands) in far northern B.C. Weget means big man. The Elders say that he is the one who is prophesied to bring the light, and the fish and the berries. And out of an old cedar chest, they give him the tools to do just that. These tools include a huge Raven skin so that he can become Raven and fly away to the Chief of the Heavens to bring back the light he keeps in a box.

This is the Haida version of the Raven story that exists all along the Pacific Northwest coast. The Quality of the Literature works very well for it’s form – that of an origin/hero myth. The illustrations are bright and beautiful with a mix of what seems to be traditional motifs and modern landscapes. 3 points.

The author is Haida and Tsimshian. The story originated from an oral version told to the author by the Chief of the Ravens, from the village of Kitkatla. Kitkatla is a Tsimshian village. The Authority seems solid. 3 points.

I don’t know how to judge the Authenticity of Characters in a story like this. Everything is magical/strange AND I’m an outsider to the culture, so I’ll hedge my bets and give it 2 points.

The setting operates on two planes of existence: the temporal and the spiritual. The temporal is very locally specific with references to the Hero’s flight up the Skeena and Nass rivers (the major rivers in Northern B.C. that even I know about). Petroglyphs showing this story along these rivers have been dated back over 3,000 years. The archipelago of islands that dot the northwest coast are referenced and mythically explained as well. They mythical plane is something the reader just has to suspend their disbelief/western sense of reality for – like all myths. 3 points.

The Dialogue isn’t naturalistic by any means, but it is easily understood. I only assume that non English words are spelled correctly because of the story’s provenance. Nothing seems derogatory. 3 points.

The theme of Raven bringing the light or the sun is a story told in various forms up and down the Northwest Coast. I can’t really say that the theme is universal though (except the prodigal son undergoing a hero’s journey part), so I’ll give this 2 points.

The Prince and the Salmon People

The Prince and the Salmon People by Claire Rudolph Murphy is a story with a lesson. We experience this story through the eyes of a native Alaskan prince from a Northwest coastal tribe. The people in the Prince’s village become complacent, setting aside their traditional songs and ways of showing gratitude toward the animals that feed them. Because of their thoughtlessness they begin to experience a famine- the salmon no longer swim upstream to their village. After a fight with his mother, the Prince runs away from home and is meets the Salmon People. The salmon people remind the Prince of the correct way to catch, prepare and eat salmon, in order to show them respect and honor them. The Prince is eventually returned to his village where he passes his knowledge on to his people. The people listen to the Prince and the salmon return to the village, offering themselves to the people.

This story illustrates the importance of following tradition. There is a reciprocity between the humans and animals. Balance needs to be maintained. When traditional ways are ignored, when the people become lazy, disrespectful or selfish, they show a disrespect for each other, the environment and the animals which sustain them.

This text is a great starting point in exploring native cultural values and beliefs. From this point you could branch out into cross cultural comparisons of oral traditions -meaning, themes, symbolism etc.

How do stories change over time? How can some of these themes translate to modern day? What are some modern day symbols? How would you write these stories for a modern audience? Students could choose a theme and write a modern take on an old story or create a completely new story and perform it for the class -oral recitation or as a play.

Everybody has a story. What stories do we hear today? Where did they originate? What is the purpose of retelling these stories? We could capture these stories in many forms -podcast, vidcast, comic, play etc. Students could also learn the art of interviewing and capture other people’s stories for future generations with the Story Corp project.

Multicultural Evaluation

Quality Literature -rating 3 The book is well written and illustrated. I felt like the story was well developed. It held my interest all the way to the end. Traditional Native stories that i have read do not really flesh out the characters. You have to judge them by their words and actions. And so it is with this story.

Authority – rating 2 The book seems authentic but I know that the writer is not a native. I checked out her website. She is a history buff and an English Professor. She has published other historical books focusing on people who have been marginalized. The premise of the story seems sound- in harmony with what I have read regarding native traditions so I think she did her homework.

The authenticity of the characters, setting and discourse and theme all seem sound. I would give them a rating of 3. As a non native I would probably elicit some other opinions before I used it in a class. It is always good to get other perspectives. I might not have caught something with my brief read through.

Salmon Creek

I chose the book called Salmon Creek by Annette LeBox & Karen Reczuch, which received the B.C.Book Prize for illustrated Children’s Literature.

This book tells the story of a coho, called Sumi from her birth creek:

“Home is the scent of cedar and creek

Home is the journey’s end.”

Where she could hear the wind, the creek stones, and her salmon mother singing.

Sumi swam down the river, past factories, farms, forests, tugboats, and docks until she came to a place where the river met the sea. The infinite sea was her new home where she became a mature fish. And then one summer something changed. She started missing her birthplace, so she set out for her birth creek.

She came back to her birth creek to lay her eggs. Exhausted Sumi looked at the sky, she could hear the wind, the creek stones, and as she drifted downstream, Sumi sang to her eggs, just like her mother’s done when Sumi was just an egg.

“Home is the scent of cedar and creek

Home is the journey’s end.”

This book tells a wonderful story about the life cycle of Coho Salmon. It is filled with beautiful images and metaphors.

I was attracted to this book because I saw the connection that I could make between this book and teaching a Science class about life cycles or protection of Salmon and their habitat. This book can also be used in an Ecology class. The story can be a good starting point for a discussion about Pacific Salmon who are in danger because too many of them are being caught. Only a small percentage of salmon live to reach their natal stream or spawning grounds. Since salmon do not feed once they leave the ocean, some will die on their way lacking stored body fat to make the whole trip.

Aleutian Sparrow

Aleutian Sparrow is a depressing book by Karen Hesse that is for middle school and high school reading levels. This book tells the history of the Aleut people that were relocated to Southeast Alaska during World War II. It is broken into chronological sections: during the move, after the move, and after the relocation was finished and they were returning home. Within each section is a collection of poem-like stories with easy-to-understand vocabulary and aesthetically pleasing.

While flipping through the pages I noticed one story, in the section after the Aleut people were settled into their temporary homes, that compares the Japanese prisoners of war to the Aleut people. Hesse emphasized the comparison of toilets. Japanese people had a toilet with a seat and flushes. The Aleut did not have working toilets, instead they had a trough that drained into a river. There was no seat, there was no flushing, and it was a humiliation to the people.

I selected this book, which was recommended by Angie and brought by Michelle, for its content in both history and english. This holds history of a native culture, the Aleut, relocation camps, and specifies the time during WWII. For the english part of content, it has a poem-like structure that is divided evenly by chronological events. Each short story or poem tells of a different aspect of this trouble time.

Having a collection of poems that tell a story is a strong concept that middle schoolers and high schoolers could appreciate. There is multiple stopping points throughout the book, the vocabulary is accurate for those grades, and there can be activities that relate to this book. It is interesting, captivating, and I am thinking of buying this book.

On the rubric, some sections are 3’s, but I lean more towards the 4’s because it is everything I enjoy about english and history. I would give it a perfect 5 if I had a chance to read through the entire thing, but as of this moment, it is a solid 3.75.