Native American Mathematics Native American Mathematics Integrative LessonIntegrative Lesson

Pre Contact Native American Shelters

Author: Roberto Wheaton

NSF Funded Project

Award # DUE-0341346

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Session Goals Session Goals

• Develop and understanding of geometric shapes used in Pre- contact Native American shelters.

• Appreciate how non traditional math was used different cultures

• Suggest ways Native Americans used non traditional math in shelter construction• Actively engage students to collaborate and apply math

content.• Plan, design and construct a Native American shelter• Calculate the volume and surface area of a shelter.

Narrative Narrative

Pre-contact Native American time dates back more than 500 years ago when Native

Americans lived undisturbed from the outside world.

Like other aboriginal cultures Native Americans developed shelters utilizing geometric shapes and forms without

traditional mathematics.

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Warm Up ActivityWarm Up Activity

• Take a few minutes to think about the type of shelter Pre-contact Native American’s would live in different cultural regions.

• Discuss with your team

• Draw the shelter shapes for each region.

• Present the shelter shape-designs choose for the class.

Pre Contact Cultural RegionsPre Contact Cultural RegionsDraw the shelter shape for each cultural regionDraw the shelter shape for each cultural region

Plains (Montana, Wyoming, North-South Dakota)

Arctic (Alaska, Canada)

Plateau (Oregon, Washington, Idaho)

Northwest Coast ( British Columbia, Wash. Coast)

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Answers to Warm up ActivityAnswers to Warm up Activity

each

Plains and Plateau Tipi

Earth lodge

Arctic

Northwest Plank House

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Pre Contact Housing TypesPre Contact Housing Types

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Tipi BackgroundTipi Background

• The tipi is the most common temporary housing used by the Plains, Plateau and Great Basin people. A tipi is conical shaped with 8-16 poles tied together at one end and stood up to form a frame. Traditional coverings consisted of 8-20 buffalo or deer hides sewn together then wrapped around the poles and laced together in front. An opening on the top was left to allow smoke to escape.

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Tipi Construction ActivityTipi Construction Activity

You will work in table teams to:

• Plan

• Design

• Build

• Calculate volume and surface area

• Reflect on mathematics Native American’s would have used in tipi construction.

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MaterialsMaterials

• Design using the following materials

• 8-10 bamboo skewers (poles)

• Tan Construction paper (bison or deer hides)

• 12 inches yarn (leather)

• Scissors, ruler, hole punch

• Clay (ground to hold poles (skewers) in place.

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Tipi Construction FrameTipi Construction Frame

NorthSouth

East

1. Decide on the diameter for your tipi base.

2. The poles should be placed in the coordinate positions North, South, West and East. The door should face East.

3. Lay your four poles flat and wrap some yarn around the end leaving some extra pole length.

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Tipi Tipi CoveringCovering

Bison and deer hides were sewn together for traditional tipi coverings. Your task is to come up with a template to cover this conical shape using tan construction paper.

What information is needed to determine the

shape needed to cover the tipi?

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Tipi Math Construction Worksheet

Math Calculations Operational Definitions

Volume

Surface Area

Record your calculations and definitions in the boxes below:

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Do Now QuestionsDo Now Questions1. What type of math is required to

construct a tipi?2. Is there a relationship between the

diameter and tipi pole height? Explain4. How do you think the Native

Americans identified coordinates for direction.

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Additional Research Additional Research

• Research and compare and contrast North American Pre contact shelter with another continent (Africa, S. America, Asia)