NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

UNDERSTAND THROUGH DOING

PICTURING AN INDIAN

Ask students to draw a picture of a Native American child in his or her home surroundings. The children may draw pictures that include many generalizations about Native Americans. (For example, a student might draw a American Indian standing beside a totem pole. But totem poles are not part of every American Indian tribe’s culture. They are a regional phenomenon.) This is a perfect opportunity to expose some of the other stereotypes students have of Native American people. Among the stereotypes teachers might point out are the following:

• Teepees – Teepees were common to some Plains Indian tribes but not to many other tribes.

• Warbonnets – Some tribes wore warbonnets, but Hollywood planted headdresses in the American conscience.

• Bows and arrows – Some tribes hunted with bows and arrows, but most tribes used a wide variety of tools and weapons in hunting.

• Headbands – Many Native Americans wore headbands to keep their hair out of their eyes, but they were not typical of most tribes’ dress.

The discussion of the children’s pictures might lead to blasting some other stereotypes. (For example, today most Indians speak the English language, live in homes like other people’s, go to college, drive cars, and shop at grocery stores.)
Extension: Discuss with students stereotypes of Native Americans they might see in the media.
Assessment: Ask students to make a list of statements about stereotypes that might not be true of all American Indians.

YUMA PICTOGRAPHS

TRADITIONAL INDIAN SHELTERS/HOMES

Study the outline below. Then examine the six pictures on the facing page. Name each shelter shown, using the information in the outline to help you. Make the labels as specific as possible.

BY THE NUMBERS

During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, disease and wars with white settlers and soldiers caused the death of thousands of American Indians. By 1910 there were only about 220,000 left in the United States. Since then, the American Indian population has increased dramatically. In 2000, the last year a census was taken, the total number of Native Americans was close to 2 million.

The table below shows the ten states with the largest populations of Native Americans. Study the table carefully. Use the table to help you complete each statement or answer each question below. Write on the line the word or number that best completes each statement.

 STATES WITH LARGEST POPULATIONS OF NATIVE AMERICANS

State	Estimated State	Estimated Population	Population
Alaska Arizona California Michigan New Mexico	100,000 256,000 309,000 60,000 163,000	New York North Carolina Oklahoma Texas Washington (State)	76,000 98,000 263,000 96,000 103,000

 1. The state with the largest population of Native Americans is ________________.

2. How many states have Native American populations of at least 100,000 but fewer than and 200,000? ______________________

3. How many states on the table have populations of Native Americans under 100,000? __________ Those states are ___________________________________.

4. The state with the fifth largest population of Native Americans is _______________.

5. Arizona has fewer Native Americans than Oklahoma has. How many fewer Native Americans does Arizona have? __________________________

6. The Native American population difference between _____________________________ and _____________________________ is about 20,000 people.

7. The states with populations of Native Americans between 200,000 and 300,000 are ________________________________________________________________.

8. How many more Native Americans live in New Mexico than live in Washington State? ____________________

9. The answer to question 8 is the same as the total Native American population for the state of ____________________________________.

10. Add up all the populations in the table. The total Native American population for the ten states is ____________________.