Strengthening the Presence of the Indigenous Peoples of Oregon

In this lesson, students learn the distinct ways of Indigenous peoples, how colonization damaged their lands and natural resources, and generate ideas to repair some of the damage.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students learn about colonization and the dire impacts that it had and continues to have on Native American tribes in Oregon.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students discover which Native American tribe is closest to their community and research the tribe to learn about their history and culture, as well as what life is like for tribal members today.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students reflect on sustainability or environmental problems facing the Native American tribe, generate ideas for how to help support the tribe’s sustainability and environmental goals, and share the information with others.

Positives

• Students will learn that even though Indigenous people’s land was forcibly taken from them, they continue to maintain and pass on their ways of living and doing.

• Students will gain a greater sense of place as they discover which federally recognized Native American reservations are located near their community.

• Students will have the chance to reflect on their feelings and emotions as they learn about colonization and forced relocation.

Additional Prerequisites

• Speaking about colonization can raise emotions. Both educators and students need to understand that colonization is an ongoing process with many lands still being occupied due to broken and deceptive treaties.

• Teachers may wish to view the film, Broken Treaties, before teaching this lesson to gain a greater understanding of the history of the Indigenous peoples of Oregon. The film includes information about violent massacres that may not be appropriate for younger students. The two short segments of the film that are included in the lesson were selected because they are age-appropriate.

Differentiation

• Students can complete the research activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You can also choose to go over the research materials (articles, videos, etc.) as a class and have students answer the research questions after.

• You can give students the chance to choose any project in the Inspire section, you can limit the choices to one or two project ideas, or you can choose to have the students all complete the same project.

• As an extension, invite a Tribal member to visit the class in person or via video call.

This lesson underscores the importance of strengthening and building the capacity of the Indigenous peoples of Oregon to protect their lands, territories, and natural resources. It allows students to gain insights into the history of the Indigenous peoples, reflect on how they were colonized, and understand how the nine tribes have evolved from the past to the present. It also stretches students' ability to develop tactics to help support the Indigenous peoples to protect their lands from degradation. The materials, images, and videos used in creating this lesson were fact-checked, and this lesson has passed our science review process.

Primary Standards

• Social Sciences
  • Geography (K-12)
    • 4.8 Explain the interactions between the Pacific Northwest physical systems and human systems, with a focus on Native Americans in that region.
    • 4.11 Understand the impact and legacy of colonialism on marginalized communities and describe the decisions made to shape the human (e.g., tribal, cultural, agricultural, industrial, etc.) and physical geography (dams, wind turbines, climate change, transportation, etc.) and its effects on Oregon's environmental sustainability.
    • 5.10 Identify and analyze the implications and cultural ramifications for Native American Tribes of the movement of people, goods, ideas, and cultural patterns to what became the United States, considering past, present, and future trends.
  • Historical Knowledge (K-12)
    • 3.11 Describe how the inclusion or exclusion of individuals and social and ethnic groups, including individuals who are American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian or Americans of African, Asian, Pacific Island, Chicano/a, Latino/a, or Middle Eastern descent, religious groups, or other traditionally marginalized groups has shaped events and development of the local community and region.

Supporting Standards

• Social Sciences
  • Geography (K-12)
    • 3.8 Use geographical tools (maps, satellite images, photographs, Google Earth, and other representations) to identify multiple ways to divide Oregon into areas (such as tribal, river systems, interstate highways, county, physical, industry, agricultural).
    • 4.10 Identify political, economic, cultural, and physical conflicts, including genocide, involving the use of land, natural resources, economic interests, competition for scarce resources, different political views, boundary disputes, and cultural differences within Oregon's different geographical areas and people groups who lived in those areas.
  • Historical Knowledge (K-12)
    • 4.12 Analyze the distinct ways of knowing and living amongst the different American Indian tribes in Oregon prior to colonization, such as religion, language, and cultural practices and the impact of acculturation and the ongoing perseverance and exercise of tribal sovereignty of Native Americans.
    • 5.14 Analyze the distinct way of knowing and living amongst the different American Indian tribes of North America prior to contact in the late 15th and 16th centuries, such as religion, language, and cultural practices and the subsequent impact of that contact.