Friday 9 March 2012

Longhouses

In Social Studies this term, we have been learning about the traditional cultures of Northwest Coast Aboriginal groups. We have learned how groups such as the Haida, Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw:

-used natural resources, particularly salmon and cedar, in many different ways
-met their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, transportation
-created technologies for fishing and hunting, food preservation and making clothing
-developed rich cultural traditions such as wood carving, storytelling, dancing, singing and drumming

While we did a variety of activities in class to build our understanding, students were also busy working on a big project at home - making a model of a longhouse. Students had five weeks to create a model that demonstrated what they had learned about Northwest Coast Aboriginal culture. As we learned new things in class, students were encouraged to add these details to their longhouses. A special thanks to all of the families who helped students successfully build their models. We really appreciate your support! Check out the video below to see the results.

3 comments:

  1. Hello Ms Birdsall and Division 9,

    Thankyou for leaving a comment on our blog about Aussie Rules Football.

    We think your blog is very interesting and that you've been working hard and learning lots of things. We loved your Animoto about longhouses, but we're not really sure what longhouses are.

    We think they might be for living in and also for storing things like long boats, or drying food, fishing rods and maybe animals.

    Love from The Smarties and Mrs G

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting our blog! Longhouses are the traditional homes of the Aboriginal people who first lived in British Columbia. They are built out of wood from the cedar tree and could house up to 60 people! You're right that they were used for living in as well as doing many daily activities such as cooking, weaving, drying fish, etc. What types of houses did the Aboriginal people in your area use?

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    2. That's very interesting. The Aborigines of Australia didn't really make permanent houses, or structures. They were traditionally nomadic and would move around to various places, depending on the season and the foods that were available. They would use whatever branches, leaves and bark were around to make temporary shelters to sleep in. Here's a website with some pictures and other information: http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/housing.shtml

      Love Mrs G

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