Investigating a Great Basin Wickiup

Examine historic photographs, artifacts, and maps of the wickiup located in Oregon. Students meet Minerva Soucie, a Northern Paiute tribal member, through reading a biography and oral histories. Then they “uncover” a real archaeological site, classify artifacts, and infer how the geographic area of Oregon shaped the Wickiup. Explore the use of traditional wickiup architecture today. Includes text by and about a Northern Paiute tribal member Supports Common Core State Standards Incorporates authentic data for students to analyze “The wickiup inside Dirty Shame Rock Shelter is quite large and well protected from the wind and rain. For these reasons, it was probably used by women and girls… The wickiup may have been used for giving birth. If someone died in a wickiup, it was usually burned. Some of my ancestors may have been born at Dirty Shame Rock Shelter and one of them may have died there.”—Minerva Soucie “I think that this curriculum will be very powerful because it is rich in content, but also because it teaches and requires students to be critical thinkers.”—Teacher Instructions for the Teacher: The teacher’s document is 36 pages, consisting of background information and four sections corresponding with the student notebook. It includes a brief history of the Great Basin wickiup. Quadrant maps from the archaeological site, Dirty Shame Rock Shelter Site located in southeastern Oregon are provided for students to study and use. Student Archaeological Notebook: The student notebook is 32 pages of articles and activities about the Dirty Shame Rock Shelter Site. Ms. Minerva Soucie guides students through the investigation. Through archaeology, the study of historic photographs, and oral histories students learn about the importance of the wickiup in past and present communities.
Bonus! When you buy Investigating a Great Basin Wickiup, you will also receive the essential companion product: Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter.