by Kisha David

9 years

My class and I went to the Museum for a field trip.

Amma chaperoned and the kids in our group were Steven, Nicole, Kate, Luke & Me . Luke named our group the ‘Pueblos’ so Amma could keep track of us.

We learned about the Southwest tribes and the Northwest tribes. The Southwest Indians lived in desert lands, one of the tribes was the Pueblo Indians who built Pueblo houses that were made of Adobe mud and they had ladders to get to the different levels. The girls that were unmarried wore their hair in 2 buns called the ’Squash Blossoms’. They made dolls that were called ’Kachinas’ . Each one represented a Spirit, Teacher, Bean or things & People that mean’t something to them.

The North west Indians lived by the waters and made canoes out of Cedar Bark, called ‘Dug Outs’ because they burned out a cavity in the middle. They hunted for Salmon and made special hooks to catch whales and made big floats out of Seal skin that ballooned to keep the fish afloat as they dragged it to shore. They had all kinds of totem poles made for different occasions, the ‘Mortuary Pole’ for a dead person was usually placed at the rear of the house. They even had a ‘Shame Pole’ to point to the front of the house of a person who hadn’t kept his promise. The girl babies had to wear a special band over their heads to shape them like cones to make them more attractive. They traded Blankets that they weaved from a loom as gifts or in exchange for something else. A special ‘Pow Wow’ dance was performed for their ceremonies.

Mr. Larry was our guide and Mr.Sam was his side kick! They answered our questions patiently. Amanda my friend, wanted to know why the ladies particularly, didn’t wear shirts?? There was a lot of interesting information, and we had a blast learning it. We were all tired and not so chatty on the Bus ride back. I wish you were here to experience the “Adventure with the Indian Tribes“.