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 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.
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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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