WHAT IS CULTURE?

OBJECTIVE: Students will learn the concept of culture, and will investigate why we learn about our own and other cultures. They will also explore their own cultural heritage using a family tree activity.

TEACHER BACKGROUND: According to the dictionary, culture is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations... the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Culture means many different things to different people: the clothing, the food, the values, the laws, the beliefs, the music and dance, the material things, the language, the art, the medicine or healing practices, the shared history, the kinship system (whom you consider to be family), the stories, the hairstyles, the economic system, and much more, of a group of people. Families, neighborhoods, ethnic groups (groups of' people from the same part of the world), religious groups, regions, countries, all have their own cultures. Culture is constantly changing as people and places change.

 This curriculum is about the Washoe Indians, who live in this area and whose culture has been here for over 9000 years.

We live on a small planet with many cultures. Sometimes it is difficult to understand someone from another culture because we have not taken the time to listen to what they believe, and because we assume that they should believe what we believe. Learning about other cultures helps us live together and respect each other's ways of life, without misunderstanding or hurting each other.

Two cultures cannot live next to or near each other without influencing or changing each other. There are influences from the Europeans who came to this area in the 1850s in contemporary Washoe Culture, and there are influences from Washoe culture in the other cultures in this area today.

It is important to remember that when we learn about a culture, there are always exceptions. People are individuals and they do not always fit a cultural mold, but they are still part of a culture, or several cultures, and the way they look at the world is influenced a great deal by this fact. 

American Indians were here in North America and South America before the Europeans came in 1492 and after. Christopher Columbus called them Indians because he mistakenly thought he had reached India when he arrived on this continent. Some people prefer to be called Native American and some people prefer to be called Indian. It is important to listen to what a person calls himself or herself and respect that person's wishes. There are several hundred different Native American tribes in this continent. Each tribe has its own culture and language. 

We are learning about the Washoe Tribe because they live here in this area and because some of us are Washoe. We will not learn everything there is to learn about Washoe culture, but we will learn to respect and acknowledge Washoe culture which has been here, through many changes, for over 9000 years.

KEY POINTS: What culture means, why we are learning about the Washoe Tribe, who are American Indians, who are the Washoe.

MATERIALS: Large piece of paper and large marker (or chalkboard), star stickers, construction paper, etc. (for class family tree book), folders for each student, index cards, map of the world, encyclopedia or other source with pictures of flags, overhead projector.

MATERIALS FROM KIT: Family tree worksheet.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Explain who American Indians, and more specifically the Washoe are, using the background information above. Explain briefly to the students what culture means to different people, or if you prefer, go to Activity 2 and let them brainstorm the concept. Then lead a discussion with the students about culture:

Is it important to learn about your own culture? Why? Is it important to learn about cultures other than your own? Why? Use the background section to find ideas to prompt the discussion.

2. As a group, write the word culture in the middle of a Dig piece of paper or on the chalkboard. Ask the students for words or phrases they think of when they hear this word. Create a word web extending outward from the word "culture". Leave the web on the wall for a week where the students can add new words as they think of them.

3. For homework, give the students a few days to complete the worksheet on their family tree and their culture. Show them the sample family tree and explain how it works. Explain to them that these will be collected to make a class book, and that they should get help from their parents or other relatives to complete it as best they can. (If any students are aware that they are adopted or are in foster homes, suggest to the students that they are gaining a cultural heritage from the family in which they live, and that they should complete a family tree describing this family.) When the students hand in their worksheet, create a book of all of them, and display it in the room. A possible cover for this book is a map of the world with stars marking the places where the students have ancestors.

OPTIONS:

1. After the students complete the homework, have them put thumbtacks or stars on a world map to show from what countries their families come.

2. Have the students choose one of these countries they mark and draw the flag of that country on an index card. Talk about flags as symbols of countries and states. They can put the index card on their desk or on their folder for this unit.

CLOSURE: Have the students write down what they already know about Washoe culture. Have them put this in a folder they make for this unit, so they can look back at this when they finish the unit to see how much they have learned. This assignment will lead into the next lesson on stereotypes and prejudice.

EVALUATION: The class discussion and culture word web will demonstrate the students' understanding of the concept of culture. Their family tree homework will show their acknowledgement of their own cultural heritage.