Lesson 8 Wilderness: Human Uses, Past and Present

Transcription

1 Lesson 8 Wilderness: Human Uses, Past and Present Objectives: Students will: recognize that cultural resources are part of Wilderness and that these resources provide information about how the area was used by humans in the past. design ways to protect cultural resources in Wilderness. Materials: copies of student handouts Big River Wilderness Map and How Do People Use Wilderness?, pages Duration: 1 class period Location: classroom Background: Native Americans inhabited the entire Western Hemisphere when Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492 and their ancestors had lived here for at least the last 12,000 years. Many American Indians at the time of European contact were hunter-gatherers and they viewed wilderness and nature differently than did later arrivals to North America. For many native cultures there was no word or concept for wilderness. Instead, they considered themselves to be part of the natural world. Chief Standing Bear of the Ogalala Sioux recognized that for his people there was no wilderness; since nature was not dangerous but hospitable; not forbidding but friendly (Nash, 1982, p. xiii). For centuries people have lived in what are now considered to be the most inaccessible parts of North America: the high Colorado Rockies, the Brooks Range of Alaska, the vast wilds of northern Montana, and the desert canyons of the Southwest. Their reasons for living in these places varied. Some native hunter-gatherers visited the high mountains annually to hunt for animals, gather wild plants, or perhaps, to search for stone to make tools. Migration was part of the yearly subsistence pattern and they left evidence of their passing: stone tools, tipi rings, the remains of ancient campfires. The Anasazi built permanent dwellings in the canyon walls of the Four Corners region and even farmed on the canyon bottoms. This desert wilderness was home to them. Settlers came to these same places to mine for gold and silver, to trap wild animals for their furs, and to harvest trees for the construction of houses, railroads, ships, and factories. They too left evidence of their passing: cabins, mine shafts, garbage dumps, and metal tools. For them, wilderness was a place to find raw materials to build civilization (Nash, 1982). Page 142

2 SOCIAL STUDIES Background continued: Archaeological sites can tell the story of how people, both prehistoric Native Americans and later settlers, lived on the land. The remains of plants and animals found in a site can tell us what people ate thousands of years ago and where they might have traveled to get their food. Debris left in a mining camp might tell us what minerals historic settlers were extracting and how they lived while they were doing it. Today many of these wild places have been designated as Wilderness areas. Wilderness status provides protection for all aspects of each area including archaeological sites. Vocabulary: archaeological site: a place where human activity occurred and material remains were left artifact: any object made or used by humans; store tools, cans bottles, catridge cases, etc. cultural resources: a definite location of past human activity, occupation, or use; including archaeological sites, historic buildings, or American Indian sacred sites hunter-gatherers: people who make a living by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants lithic scatter: chipped stone artifacts, tools and debitage from tool manufacture, scattered on the ground surface; here interpreted as short-term campsites obsidian: black volcanic glass, commonly used by prehistoric people to make stone tools pictograph: a design painted on a rock surface; usually by Native Americans or their ancestors prehistoric: the time before written history; in North America, the time before European settlement Activity 1: Wilderness: Human Uses, Past and Present Setting the Stage: Read the following to the students or use it as a guided imagery: You are walking through a pristine wilderness. The beauty of the high mountains and tall trees surrounds you. Water cascades down steep, rocky channels bisecting the trail at every turn. A deer bounds away through the forests startled at your sudden appearance. You leave the maintained wilderness trail and strike out across a field of boulders which form a ruffled skirt around the mountain s base. After hours of hopping from boulder to boulder you come upon a meadow and stop to rest. The meadow is lush, green and completely undisturbed. No one could have ever visited here before. But wait. As you set your pack down you notice a shiny black rock. On closer inspection you realize that it is a stone arrow point, crafted from obsidian, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Some one has been here before. What are your thoughts? Page 143

3 Procedure: l. Share Background information and Vocabulary with students. 2. Divide students into groups of two or three. Distribute copies of the Wilderness Map and How Do People Use Wilderness? activity sheets to each group. 3. Using information from the Wilderness Map, students complete the How Do People Use Wilderness? handout. Each group presents their results to the rest of the class. Closure: Archaeological sites are a part of many designated Wildernesses. Use the following questions for discussion. 1. What can archaeological sites teach about the history of our relationship to Wilderness? Can this information be useful today? In the future? Give reasons for your answers. 2. Is it important to preserve these sites? Why or why not? What can you do to protect archaeological sites in Wilderness? 3. Prehistoric and historic people often abandoned their garbage, tools, and shelters when they left. These items became the artifacts that archaeologists study to learn about the past. Is it acceptable for you to leave garbage when you visit the wilderness? Give reasons for your answer. How is your garbage the same as or different from prehistoric or historic artifacts? Evaluation: Students submit their activity sheets for evaluation. Extension Read the following excerpt from The Hopi View of the Wilderness (Secakuku, 1993). Hopis do not view cultural resources, such as ruins, as abandoned or as artifacts of the past. To a Hopi, these villages were left as is when the people were given a sign to move on. These homes, kivas, storehouses, and everything else that makes a community, were left exactly as they were because it is our belief the Hopi will someday return. Our people are still there. Today the Hopi designate these ruins as a symbol of their sovereign flag. Pot sherds are left in abundance, usually broken into small pieces with the trademarks showing. These are the footprints of the occupants. Hopis believe that ruins should remain untouched because when anything is taken it breaks down the value of holding the village in place. Hopi prophecy recognizes these cultural resources as part of today s living culture. They in deed should be protected for the future of our people. Most of the time, the way white men view protection, interpretation, and education seems not to be the Hopi way. For Hopis, protection is based purely upon the honor system, upon respect and trust. Sometimes Hopis feel that the things they believe honor, respect, and trust are not compatible with other societies but we continue to think it should be the Hopi way. The Hopi way of measuring the value of cultural resources and other so-called artifacts is not in terms of money. Rather it is their importance for life today and their future destiny. The future of the Hopi is a great burden to them because they believe they must live a life of Page 144

4 SOCIAL STUDIES Extension continued: spiritual meditation and humbleness in order to take this corrupt world, which will get worse, into the better world. Yes, they believe in the fifth world and their spiritual integrity must be strong to keep their ruined villages alive. Their houses, kivas, and shrines at the ruined village perimeters must be kept warm and active. They rely on their spiritual ancestors who passed this way and are still there to receive the messages. As a class discuss the following: - Summarize the Hopi s reasons for protecting archaeological sites. - List other reasons for protecting archaeological sites. - How are these similar to or different from the Hopi s reasons for protecting archaeological sites? - Is one reason more valid than another? Why or why not? Two pieces of legislation, in addition to the Wilderness Act, affect the way cultural resources are managed in Wilderness. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 directs federal agencies to take responsibility in preserving historic properties on lands that they administer and to locate, inventory, and nominate properties that might qualify for the National Register of Historic Places. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 provides for archaeological excavations as well as criminal penalties for violations. Ask students to research these laws and report how these policies might affect management decisions in Wilderness. Career Options: References: Knudson, Ruthann, Darby Stapp, Steven Hackenberger, William D. Lipe, and Mary P. Rossillon, 1982, A Cultural Resource Reconnaissance in the Middle Fork Salmon River Basin, Idaho, Cultural Resource Report No. 7. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, Utah. Nash, Roderick, 1982, Wilderness and the American Mind, Third Edition. Yale University Press, New Haven and London. Secakuku, Ferrell, 1993, The Hopi View of the Wilderness. In Archaeology in the Wilderness, Federal Archaeology Report, Volume 6, No. 3. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. Wilderness Ranger Training Module, Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center. Keep it Wild, A Citizen Guide to Wilderness Management, The Wilderness Society and U.S. Forest Service. Page 145

5 Human Uses Past and Present STUDENT HANDOUT How Do People Use Wilderness? l. There are several sites (prehistoric, historic, and modern) located in the Big River Wilderness. How many of each type of site are there? 2. You will notice that sites are most frequently located along the river and streams. Why might this be the case? 3. Based on the information you have answer the following: a. How did prehistoric people use this area? b. How did historic settlers use this area? c. How do modern visitors use this area? 4. How has the use of this Wilderness changed through time? 5. Describe how this Wilderness might be used 100 years from now. Page 146

6 SOCIAL STUDIES Wilderness Uses Past and Present STUDENT HANDOUT Big River Wilderness Map Historic Homestead Mining Camp Mine Mining Town adapted from Knudsen, et al Prehistoric Village Lithic Scatter/Short term camp Pictographs Page 147 Modern Campsites Wilderness Boundry

7 How Do People Use Wilderness? Answer Key 1. Lithic scatters - 14 Village- 1 Pictographs - 2 Homestead- 1 Mines - 3 Mining camps- 3 Mining town - 1 Modern campsites Most of the campsites are located near historic and prehistoric sites. People often choose the same places to camp for various reasons: level ground, fresh water, fuel source. 3. a. Prehistoric people lived in the area in temporary camps as well as permanent villages. b. Historic settlers came to mine for minerals. They camped and even built towns near the minerals they were extracting. c. Modern people visit the Wilderness, but do not stay long. They camp in many of the same places that prehistoric and historic residents did. 4. Prehistoric and historic people lived in the wilderness for extended periods of time and built permanent residences; modern people have not established permanent residences and probably camp only for short periods of time. Historic residents extracted minerals from the land and used it for farming. 5. Open question. Page 148