Intro Lesson About
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Lesson 6: Footprints
(Storied Places)

Lesson at a glance

This lesson follows on from the exercises we did in Lesson 2: Native Place. In Lesson 2, we looked at the ancient human-built environment. Now we look for more for legendary places, sites of significance based on mythological or legendary traditions. You'll think about place-names, stories told, and local lore to build a collection of place-based stories for their land division. The meanings and morals of these stories will be discussed.

 

Well, maybe there are stories about certain rocks, or mountains, or spots in the forest, or a beach, a stream in your area.

What does the story tell you about this piece of the landscape?

No such places in your area? OK. Visit the Guam-Inarajan website and learn how indigenous values and ways of doing things still remain today even though they look different now.

 


Key Concepts: Landscape as a “book” onto which cultural lessons are “written” in the form of place names and their legends.

Lesson Outcomes: You will:

  • make a portfolio of local place-based stories
  • draw conclusions about the lessons of these stories
  • compare and discuss other stories from other places.

Tools

Books on legends, stories, myths, or tales for your Island or your area specifically. If your area is associated with a major story from the local culture, sources on these stories should be consulted.

A blank map of your land division, to draw on.


Exercises

Exercise 1: Landmarks
Website: Footprints chapters

What landmarks are there in your land division that you know have stories associated with them?

Identify them by their Local names

Find the meanings of those names

Mark these places on your map

 


Exercise 2: Interpret Your Stories

For each of these stories, discuss and explore the meanings and messages they hold.

Are these messages still valid today?

 


Exercise 3: Other Cultures’ Stories
Website: Footprints chapters

Go to the Footprints chapters on other Pacific Worlds websites, and for each of these stories, discuss and explore the meanings and messages they hold.

Are these messages relevant to your culture?

 


Exercise 4: Role-playing


Get your friends together. Then take one of your stories, or one of the stories from any Pacific Worlds website, and make a play of it. Act it out! Use this as an opportunity to explore the morals or lessons that the stories present.


Exercise 5: Cultural Heritage


On some Pacific Worlds websites, there are communities which have few or no legendary places remembered today. In this places, the focus turns to other ways in which cultural heritage is passed on: through rituals and practices that may be mixed with modern, Western ones, but that retain a distinct flavor or character for that culture. As you come across these places, ask yourself whether there are any comparable situations within your own.

 


 

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