Audience: K-2, At Reading Level
Anchor Text: Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara Joosse
Purpose: Look at traditional Inuit and Iñupiaq myths and culture to introduce students to this area of the globe.
Note: Iñupiaq refers to the Native group found in the far north of Alaska. Inuit refers to the First Nation tribe found in the north of Canada and parts of Greenland. The two tribes are culturally the same, but the names refer to their geographic placement. I use Iñupiaq when referring to books or media produced by Native Alaskans and Inuit when referring to books and media from the Canadian First Nation people.
Anchor Text: Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara Joosse
Purpose: Look at traditional Inuit and Iñupiaq myths and culture to introduce students to this area of the globe.
Note: Iñupiaq refers to the Native group found in the far north of Alaska. Inuit refers to the First Nation tribe found in the north of Canada and parts of Greenland. The two tribes are culturally the same, but the names refer to their geographic placement. I use Iñupiaq when referring to books or media produced by Native Alaskans and Inuit when referring to books and media from the Canadian First Nation people.
Anchor Text
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse A 1991 children’s book that has become a classic of Native Alaskan children’s storytelling. This story references several well-known Iñupiaq myths including The Raven. Characters are dressed in traditional Iñupiaq clothes and show traditional masks, introducing children to some of the different aspects of Iñupiaq life. |
Text Set Material 1
The Orphan and the Polar Bear by Sakiasi Qaunaq This book was published in 2011, based on the tale of The Orphan and the Polar Bear as told by Sakiasi Qaunaq. This tale, like the one above, features some key cultural themes, including seal hunting, the role of the elders in the tribe and the importance of the polar bear. This text is another great example of an Inuit myth, as told by someone from within the tribe. |
Text Set Material 2
Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa) developed by Upper One Games This video game was developed in cooperation with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, based off a traditional Iñupiaq story, and narrated in the Iñupiaq language. As you play, players unlock little video clips describing some of the cultural context of items/characters/etc. found within the game. This text is a great example of Iñupiaq culture in a modern context. |
Text Set Material 3
King Island & Little Diomede Dancers (Kivgik 2013, Barrow, Alaska) uploaded by Meredith Beck This video features dancers from King Island and Little Diomede Island as they perform at an event in 2013. The video shows off several dances and the dancers are accompanied by traditional instruments. The dancers are also wearing masks, like those found in Mama, Do You Love Me? |
Text Set Material 4
Molly by Mary Pope and Tupou Palu – Katak translated by Susie Sun This is a set of two books. The first, Molly, is an easy-reader book that is intended for new of ELL readers. The second book, Katak, is the Iñupiaq version of Molly. These two books were designed to be used together in a bilingual Iñupiaq-English education program. |
Text Set Material 5
Inuit Masks pinned by William Kimber This is a Pinterest board consisting entirely of pictures of various masks. This board features examples of Iñupiaq, Inuit, and Yu’pik style masks. While the teacher will have to remove the Yu’pik mask from the collection if they wish to confine their lesson to the Iñupiaq and Inuit people, the examples here are in full color and many link to additional resources regarding the history and use of masks. |
Text Set Material 6
Native Languages of the Americas: Inuit Legends, Myths, and Stories collected by the Native Languages of America Organization This organization collects the works and stories of as many Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nation tribes as it can in order to preserve their history and original languages. There is a section of the website that has links to several Iñupiaq and Inuit myths. These stories range from being only a few lines long, to several pages. |