IDEAS FOR PROGRAMMES ON THE THEME OF INDIANS - from the 11th Blackpool
GAMES
The Beavers stand in pairs in a circle, one behind the other and facing inwards. Those in the inner circle are rocks in the river and the others are Indians in their canoes. On the command ‘UP RIVER’ the Indians start to walk around the circle. On the command ‘DOWN RIVER’ they walk the other way. Other commands are
Swift
River – beavers run
Shoot
the Rapids – run in and out of the rocks
Indians
– everyone makes an Indian war cry whoop noise
Take
cover – continue in the same direction back to places.
The
Indians and the rocks then change places and the game starts again.
MEDICINE MAN’S BONES
A number of items, at least two per beaver are spread over the floor. You can use plastic drinking strays cut in half. These are the bones of the animals and enemies of the Indians. The Beavers are the young braves being taught to hunt by the medicine man. The ideas is that the beavers should move stealthily and be able to ‘freeze’ as needed.
Starting at one end of the hall, the medicine man (a leader) moves slowly forward with the braves spread out behind him. Each brave must try to pick up the bones as they go without being seen by the medicine man who frequently turns around. As the leader turns, every brave must freeze and anyone seen moving must go back and start again. The winners are the team with the most bones.
SKUNK
TAG
This is a game that was actually played by Sioux Indian children.
Explain what a skunk is. Two people are chosen to be skunks. The others run about but anyone touched by a skunk must stand still on one foot and hold their nose until freed by being touched by another player. Change the skunks frequently and if you end up with the leaders being the skunks it should be possible to catch everyone and have the whole colony standing on one foot and holding their noses.
FLOATING
FEATHER
Play in lodges or small groups
For this game you will need a few small fluffy feathers.
Players sit as close together as they can. A leader drops the feathers from above and the beavers’ blow or flaps their hands to keep the feathers floating. If the feather touches somebody then they must pay a forfeit, decided by the person on their right.
Beavers scattered around hall when the leader says the name of a particular tribe the Beavers have to behave like that tribe
Sioux
– warriors
Apache –
Stealthy
Cherokee
– farmers Navaho
– excellent with bow and arrow
War
dance – go round in a circle doing a war dance.
Legend has it that it was Hiawatha who taught his people the skill of growing their own corn by saving part of the year’s crop to sow the following year. This story is based on that legend and leads nicely onto a game in the dark and a reason for having something to eat.
One dark night, the tribe settled down to sleep, knowing that they would be very busy the next day planing their corn. Soon all was quiet. The Indians were asleep, the dogs were asleep and the horses were asleep. It was very calm and peaceful.
But
what was this? While the tribe were sleeping someone was creeping into the camp,
it was one of their enemies.
He
crept through the sleeping camp without making a sound just as Indians all
learnt to do as children. Soon he found what he was looking for – a big bag of
corn. You see his tribe has been very greedy and has eaten all their corn and
hadn’t saved any to plant for the next year’s harvest. He took the bag and
set off the way he had come. Just s he reached the middle of the camp, one of
the sleeping Indians woke up and saw him. He realised what was happening and
grabbed the thief. But the thief managed to wriggle out of his grasp and escape.
He didn’t take the precious corn seed, though, for as he ran he dropped the
bag and the corn spilt all over the ground.
By
this time, the rest of the tribe were awake and realised what had happened to
their corn. It was still very dark but they knew they had to collect up the corn
before the creatures of the night, the mice and voles and owls came and ate the
corn. Or the birds would swoop down as soon as it was light and then there would
be no corn for them to grow for next year’s harvest. The spilt grains of corn
had to be collected up before they were the last.
Spread dried peas over the floor, turn out the lights and see who can save the most ‘corn’ before it gets light.
Buy
the mini-size cobs form your freezer centre, cook them at home and keep them hot
by wrapping in foil and putting in a ‘cooler bag’ along with two hot water
bottles. Spread corn with butter and
beavers have a taste.
INDIANS
ARE HIGH MINDED
Bless
my soul they’re double jointed
They
climb hills and don’t mind it
All
day long.
ACTIONS
3
fingers as headdress then 2 hands above head
2
hands to hear, then swing hips
run
on the spot
touch
toes.
Black
crow spirit in the happy hunting ground
Black
crow spirit in the happy hunting ground
*
Ever so far away.
CHORUS
Hia
hia hia watha
Mini
mini ha ha
Hia
Hia Hia watha
*
Ever so far away
ACTIONS
After
first verse
Black
crows- crow – ‘CAW’
Spirit
– bottle and glug
Happy
– rub tummy
Hunting
– bow and arrow
Ground
– stamp foot
* Hand to head as if looking – clap knees cal in chorus.
Ten
little Indians going out to hunt
And
if one little Indian got accidentally lost
There
would be nine little Indians going out to hunt.
Nine
little Indians etc.
Almost
all Indians wore moccasins. They would dry out quickly overnight and were
suitable for climbing over slippery rocks and fallen trees. There are tow types
of moccasins, the first were made with a rawhide sole and a soft leather upper
and were worn by the Plains tribes to protect their feet from rough stones and
cactus. The second were made from one piece of soft leather. The woodland tribes
wore these for forest travel and canoeing. Moccasins were made from
Children tend to imagine all Indians wearing headdresses with many feathers in them. In actual fact, only a few tribes followed this custom and all those feathers had to be earned. A feather was awarded for a courageous act, usually in battle so Indian braves wore their feathers with pride.
Devise
ways of getting your beavers to earn their strip of card, which they can
decorate suitably. Have a good supply of feathers ready, these could either be
made of card or perhaps you could buy a feather duster to take to pieces and use
the feathers.
Make
sure you have a quick and effective way of attaching the feathers to the
headbands. Staples, cellotape.
Organise
various ‘trials of strength’. Award feathers for trials completed and watch
the beavers’ headbands being filled.
Trials
can be as simple as standing on one leg of 30 seconds, throwing a ball to hit a
target, you can device anything that could be termed a skill.
Hopi
(
Blackfoot
(
Navaho
(
Cheyanne
Chiricahua Apache (
STORY
– tell the story of Hiawatha.
In
small groups make up a rain dance. Each group display in turn to the other
Beaver lodges.
THE
BEAVER ANIMAL FITS WELL INTO THIS THEME
THINGS
TO DO
Collage
horse
make a totem pole
Tepee/tent
learn to plait
make a moccasin
Pasta
necklace
cork buffalo
make a beaver
Passport
sign language
campfire sing song
Tracking
friendship bracelet
Indian
signs – The beavers have to decipher the coded message.