'Lived History' documents the making of the Wind River Virtual Museum, a high definition archive of Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho ancestral artifacts. In the accompanying lesson plan (found in the Support Materials) students will learn from the time when Europeans first traveled in North America, they took collectors' interest in the arts, weaponry and attire of Native Americans. Sometimes they purchased artifacts, sometimes they stole them, and sometimes they killed for them. Over the years, pipes, war bonnets, cradle boards and parfleches accumulated in museums. The method of acquisition was often forgotten; exact historical documentation was often difficult. Many of the artifacts have perished or deteriorated over time. Many ancient artifacts remain in the vaults and display cases of museums far from their place of origin or the people who might best explain and appreciate them.
"Lived History" documents the creation of the 'Wind River Virtual Museum'—an archive of high definition images of ancestral artifacts created with guidance from Wind River tribal elders. Items like nineteenth century amulets, bags, drums, ceremonial headdresses and robes, everyday clothing, medicine related objects, hunting apparel, moccasins, and other meaningful objects were brought out of storage and displayed for the elders. Their commentary becomes part of the precarious and precious transmission of oral culture that the people of Wind River strive to honor and preserve, for future generations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will learn about different artifacts of the Shoshone and the Arapaho people and their significance/use.
Students will gain a deeper appreciation for the resiliency of people and the importance of cultural preservation.
Students will explore their own cultural identity and understand that culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and are shared by a group of people.
Students will name three objects identified in the Lived History video and gain an understanding of their uses and cultural significance.
Students will dentify some of the resources used to make traditional items and locate areas in which these resources are found.