We started our last themed series right after Memorial Day. There was already unrest and uncertainty with this stupid COVID but now we were all witnessing the 8 minutes, 46 seconds of police brutality and murder. Recently the autopsy report of George Floyd was released showing the presence of methamphetamines, fentanyl, nor-fentanyl, and cannibus in his body fluids with the health history of arterial sclerosis and hypertension. There was a good chance that he would have killed himself with his drug use added to his present health conditions but the cause of death was homicide by a police officer with two fellow police officers watching and accepting the brutality and murder. So my last post for NaNa camp is PEACE, FREEDOM and RESPECT. Mostly I'm looking for art activities that we can help understanding of a history lesson. Our first project:
The One Million Crane project by Hello Wonderful ( a great website for kids projects) The project's idea comes from the story
Sadako and 1000 paper cranes. Sadako was a 12 year old girl who contracted radiation induced leukemia as a result of living in Hiroshima when we Americans dropped the atomic bomb in hopes of sending the message to the Japanese that it was time to end this Word War II. Sadako believed the Japanese tradition that if she made 1000 paper cranes she would be granted a miracle. She started folding any paper she could come up with in her hospital room. She did make 1000 origami cranes but her miracle was not granted. Sadako was an innocent victim of war. In 1958 the Tower of Thousand Cranes was built to celebrate Sadako and Children's Day for Peace.
So Reina, Gabriela and I started making origami cranes.
So far I have folded exactly 100. That's 100 towards the project's one million. A good goal for peace.
NaNa camp is usually about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Sometimes we finish our project early. We use the left over time to chat about something the girls are doing or I read to them. I have several "picture books" You know the kind that tells a story in words but at the end of each second page the reader turns the book around so that the listeners can see the picture. Pictures help tell a story too. And who doesn't like to be read to? One day I randomly grabbed this book:
It's a story of a young black slave who learns to sew and makes a quilt, The Freedom Quilt, from the scraps she has after making clothing and sheets for the Missus in The Big House. Clara makes a map in the form of a quilt that she compiled from stories she overheard from the other slaves.
The quilt map marked the farms on the plantation, housing, fields, and rivers. It marked the North Star and the Ohio River.
If you were a slave and wanted your freedom you would have to run away and not get caught. If you could make it to the Ohio River, the Underground Railroad would help you get all the way to Canada and you would be free.
The girls had learned a bit about the Underground Railroad and that both white people and black people took great risks to help slaves reach their freedom from enslaved states to either free states North of the Ohio River or Canada. Slavery was abolished in 1865 by the 13th amendment of the Constitution but as we all know it has taken a long time for true freedom.
I read this sweet little picture book at the end of one of our camp afternoons. I cried while I read it and for a while longer after I closed the book.
Then we started to study Native American culture. Reina and Gabriela live in Seattle so they have learned in school about the history of their state of Washington and about their local Native American culture. There were coastal tribes and plateau tribes. Did you know there are 29 recognized tribes of Washington? The coastal tribes built the totem poles. Many other Native American tribes made dream catchers for their babies. So our first project was a dream catcher:
These were our inspiration but no one really wanted a unicorn....a little too trendy.
Gabriela's dreamcatcher
Reina's dreamcatcher
We started with a 6 inch wooden hoop. Then each chose our yarn color and completely wrapped the yarn around the hoop. With an accent color yarn we made the web across. The web traps the bad dreams while the good dreams pass through. We added ribbon loops to the bottom. Then some pink feathers. Gabriela added pink daisies. These are adorable. Here's mine.
There is constant movement to these dream catchers. It's fun to watch them move when the window is open.
In many cultures the stories of the families and history are told from one person to another. Often an older member of the tribe - the historian - will tell stories to the younger ones with the intention that the stories will live on forever. Another way of telling stories was the tribe's totem pole.
A very famous totem pole from the Pacific Northwest now "lives" in Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle. It's from the Tlingit tribe of British Columbia. If you are ever a tourist in Seattle it's a good stop:
From this photo we can see the Thunderbird, a Supernatural creature that created lightening from its beak and thunder from flapping its wings. Other creatures carved in the wooden poles were fish, turtles, birds, insects and bears. Each tells a story about the lineage of the tribe and the spirit animals of its members. You read a totem pole story from bottom to top. Note: if you look at the thunderbird from the side you just might see a Seahawk:
So our next project was to create our own totem pole using our spirit animals as our inspiration:
According to experts you can have one or several spirit animals throughout your lifetime. They can come in and out of our lives to give us guidance, teach us about ourselves, and help us maintain balance. The timing and direction we are headed on our path, a specific occasion that may arise, phases of life or tasks that need to be completed along our journey will dictate what animal steps forward to help.
Here is our mis en place for our totem poles
Here are our totem poles: Gabriela's:
Peacock =beauty and self confidence
Fox = cunning and quick thinking
Monkey ="laugh of the party"
Crow = the wisest of all birds
Unicorn - magical and mystical
You are all of these Gabriela!!!
Reina's totem pole:
Cactus=endurance
2 arrows crossed = friendship
Moon and star = harmony
Thunderbird = strength
I love this Reina
And here is mine:
Thunderbird = strength and power
Turtle = long life and health
Bear = taking action and leadership, guidance
Broken arrow = end of war = PEACE
And now here it all comes down to PEACE, FREEDOM and RESPECT I wasa teenager in
the 60s. I wore daisies in my hair. I listened to Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan as well as the Beatles and the Beachboys. I protested against the Vietnam War...all war. We girls/women wanted to be recognized as equal human beings not just the function of a man. We wanted our freedom and respect. Some of us even burned our bras (not me). We wanted to vote at age 18- the same age men (and a few women) served our country through the
military. I first voted when I was 21! We watched as our black brothers and sisters marched for Freedom...freedom that was granted to them 100 years prior but was never fully
granted. And here we are again today all asking for the same things. Well the music is
different and I haven't seen a woman burn her bra in a while.
Learn about other people. Knowledge and listening is always better than fear and shouting. Fifty years has passed since I wore flowers in my hair and begged to own a car in my own
name. A lot has changed. But we can still do better.
☮
