Customer Reviews

Native Americans (Make it Work! History)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this book for my daughter when she was in fourth grade, as a resource for some fun activities to do over the summer. When she entered fifth grade, we found that the curriculum was heavily tied into Native Americans! "Yay!" we said. "We can use the Make it Work book!" We have already used the book to make four different class projects! The instructions are very clear and precise, and the projects were very "do-able" for a ten-year-old (with a little assistance from mom or dad.) The resulting "artifacts" are quite realistic looking, and perfect for class projects.

As a craft book, this is a terrific purchase. However, if you need a book on Native Americans for a research paper, this is not the book for you. There is some background information, but only a bare minimum.

I loved this book and its simple and general approach to native indians. It goes over the life and history of ther the different tribes as well as their diet, art, housing, sports and games, different languages, customs and traditions. It also answers questions about why they fought, who were their Gods and what they believed in. There are clear instructions to build a tepee, masks, mocasins, typical clothing, baskets, canooes and miniature villages. Very informative and entertaining. I do think however it is addressed at slightly older children (9-12)

For the first time, my 4th grader had to do a research project and oral presentation on the Ute tribe. We found this book at our library and it was a wonderful source, not only for us but for other tribal groups. This book provides good visuals, followed by clear step-by-step instructions on how to make things such as native clothing, musical instruments, housing, and so on. It also gives a good amount of information on habitat, diet, religious life, tribal structure, etc. and compares various tribes, according to geographical area and lifestyle. This book inspired my daughter and her classmates to design a diorama which included a wickiup (typical Ute living space), teepee and willow house. We made dresses, tunics, and moccasins and painted them with traditional designs, using symbols from the book. We also made a drum, shaker, and spear, all with directions and pictures from this book. The presentation was fabulous. Their teacher liked this book so much we are donating a copy to the classroom.

I have to give this book a poor review because of pictures in it. All the people modeling in the pictures are white, black and possibly Latino and are dressed up as Native Americans. I am assuming that the non-native children are there to show what the craft looks like when completed by someone of non-Native American descent. Nevertheless, it just strikes me as odd and not only that, really cheapens the rich Native American culture. Why couldn't they use Native American children in the pictures?

What it ends up looking like is a bunch of white kids dressed up as Indians for Halloween. This strikes me as extremely insensitive to Native American culture, especially in this day and age. And the authors have the audacity to put descriptions under these kids as if they really were the Native Americans. For instance, on page 11, there is a little boy dressed up in the craft-clothes modeled after the Plains people. The description under him says, "Plains warriors carried spears and hide shields.. and wore elaborate headdresses for ceremonial occasions." On the opposite side of the page is a black and white photo of real Native Americans with a similar description underneath. It puts both pictures on an equal basis as if both pictures are authentic.

I would have given the book 1 star but the crafts do look pretty good so I bumped it up to 2 stars. If you are thinking of purchasing a craft book, keep looking. There has to be better Native American craft books out there that provide children with good crafts and authentic pictures too. At the very least, the pictures should not be offensive as the pictures in this book are.