Tales from the Teepee

For a little while on Monday morning, our playground was transformed into an Indian village, and our little ones were transported to another time and another culture. (Yes, I know the correct term is "Native American," but Chief Varnado didn't seem to mind the name his ancestors were given by a mistaken Christopher Columbus.)

The teepee was spacious enough to fit three kindergarten classes.  The kids looked a little skeptical as they sat on the blankets and animals skins covering the dewy ground. Several children remarked about the musty smell and the animal pelts hanging overhead.  But their apprehension gave way to curiosity as the chief passed around artifacts for them to touch and try out.  They sat spellbound as Chief Varnado told tales of his ancestors.

The children were excited when the recognized the eagle painted on the outside of the teepee. 

 "What does the eagle stand for?" Chief Varnado asked.

"Parkview!" they all shouted. (Well that wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for.)

"Yes, but it's the symbol of our country, " he said.

The children were eager to touch the animal skins.

Chief Varnado explained that Indians wrote stories with pictures rather than letters of an alphabet.

The tool looked like a bow and arrow, but it was actually a drill.

Smoke filled the tent as the chief used flint to make a fire.

An ear of dried corn becomes a handy back-scratcher.

...or a canteen.

A gourd becomes a jug...

The kids practiced grinding corn and churning butter.

Indians used every part of the animals they hunted--horns and all.

The chief displayed Indian dinnerware: wood carved bowls and oyster shell spoons.

Chief Varnado called to the next class on his "shell phone."

Chief Varnado gave the children an opportunity to learn about another culture and to discover that there are people--past and present---with the same needs for shelter, food, tools, communication, and even toys and entertainment. And though we have the same needs, we have diverse ways of meeting those needs.

Just as in nature, God seems to like variety in people.  But one day in heaven there will be a glorious gathering of  people  from every tribe and every nation who are joined together to praise the Savior.  (Revelation 5:9)