Igloos to Adobe Digital Resources
Please review these online resources before or after the fieldtrip to enhance your unit on Indigenous people. Three of the regions below are presented during the fieldtrip. It is important for students to understand that today, Indian people are still here and sustain their cultural heritage in many ways. The links encourage students to understand the experience of retaining culture and community in the twenty-first century.
See all Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology Online Resources, including collections search
Canadian Arctic
Google Street View: Explore the Canadian Arctic
Explore the arctic city of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Canada. Life in Iqaluit is a blend of Inuit and modern traditions. Walk along Iqaluit’s streets using the interactive maps or watch one of four short videos capturing life in Iqaluit today (2–3 min. each).
National Geographic Explore Inuit Wisdom Video
Inuit elders are a treasured source of knowledge on traditional ways of life in the Arctic. In this video, the former mayor of Iqaluit describes her efforts to preserve their knowledge (7 min).
Inhabit Media is the only Inuit-owned publishing company in the Canadian Arctic. They publish elementary and secondary level stories on Inuit life and Free educator resources include guides with lessons and worksheets.
National Inuit Organization in Canada-Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)
The National Inuit Organization in Canada provides an overview of Inuit history and traditions.
Southwest
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community comprises two Native American tribes: the Pima, or "Akimel Au-Authm," (River People), and the Maricopa, or "Xalychidom Piipaash," (People who live toward the water). This website has sections on history, culture, ancestors, economic development and government.
The Zuni Way (article in Smithsonian Magazine)
With approximately 10,000 members, the Zuni, or A:shiwi (“the people”), are one of the most intact Native American tribes in North America today. Their relative isolation at Zuni Pueblo in modern-day New Mexico has helped them keep their language, religion, and cultural traditions alive. 2007 article. 4 pages.
Native People and the Land: The A:shiwi (Zuni) People
In this lesson from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, students will make observations about how the A:shiwi (also known as Zuni) people adapt to their environment and the cyclical aspect of their cultural and agricultural practices. Grades 6-8. 3 class periods.
The Navajo Nation is the home of the largest American Indian tribe, extending across northeastern Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. They call their land Diné tah. Three pages on Navajo history, arts and culture.
Pacific Northwest
Explore the weaving traditions of the Nuu-chah-nuulth people and their relationship with the land on this interactive website. Includes two hands-on activities where students can practice the two most common styles of weaving—plaiting and twining.
American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection
An extensive collection of original photographs and documents about the Northwest Coast and Plateau Indian cultures, complemented by essays about both particular tribes and cross-cultural topics such as Indian boarding schools, salmon, and totem poles.
Eastern Woodlands
Scenes from the Eastern Woodlands: A Virtual Tour circa 1550
Images and description of aspects of daily life. This internet resource for Indigenous ethno-technology has additional articles on plants and animals used by Native communities.
Educator Guide to the Haudenosaunee (Tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy) (PDF)
Essays, lessons and resources from the National Museum of the American Indian.
This is organized into four parts: historical overview, lesson plans, readings, and fact sheets. It contains many line drawings and photographs. Also included are a bibliography and a list of resources that includes native governments, organizations, museums, and other institutions, as well as books and audiovisual materials.
The discovery of a huge ancient fishweir built by Native people near the Boston Common is celebrated every spring. Download curriculum and photographs.
General
Infinity of Nations Culture Quest (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian)
Infinity of Nations presents more than two hundred items of cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance on view at the museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York. It is organized geographically within regional sections, with brief descriptions written by Native scholars and community knowledge-keepers.
Use these interactive maps to zoom in and explore the environment of the region you are studying at the ground level.
This project, led by photographer Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip tribes), aims to photograph members of every Native American tribe in North America. The “Road Stories Volume 2,” and “Road Stories Volume 3” videos (2–3 min each) detail her journey and feature interviews with Native American schoolchildren.